Feb 22
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In this episode of PodRocket, Russ Miles joins the show to unpack why developer platforms fail and how to rethink platform engineering through the lens of flow of value rather than factory-style developer productivity metaphors. Russ explains why every organization already has an internal developer platform, and why treating it as platform as a product changes everything. The conversation explores cognitive load and cognitive burden, how to design around strong feedback loops, and why the OODA loop mindset helps teams make better decisions closer to development time. They discuss the risks of overloading pipelines and CI/CD systems, the tension between shipping fast and handling security vulnerabilities in a regulated environment, and how to “shift left” without simply dumping responsibility onto developers. Drawing on lessons from Rod Johnson, the Spring Framework, TDD, and modern software engineering as described by Dave Farley, Russ reframes platforms as systems that support experimentation through the scientific method. The episode also touches on AI assisted coding, developer focus, and how thoughtful developer experience and DX surveys can prevent burnout while improving value delivery. --- Links Website: https://www.russmiles.com Substack: https://russmiles.substack.com X: https://x.com/russmiles --- Resources Talk: https://www.russmiles.com/platform-engineering-failure-keynote Substack article: https://russmiles.substack.com/p/developer-platform-devrel-listen --- Fill out our feedback form to help us improve PodRocket! https://forms.gle/xHm5PdAasfYqXYzT7 --- Chapters 00:00 Introduction and what is a developer platform 01:00 Platforms as habitats not factories 03:00 You already have a platform 05:00 Platform as a product 08:00 Cognitive burden vs cognitive load 11:00 AI assisted coding and decision making 12:00 Feedback loops and TDD 15:00 Shift left vs dumping left 18:00 The arms race with pipelines 20:00 OODA loops and security signals 23:00 Timing signals in CI CD 26:00 Franken platforms and external pressures 28:00 The factory metaphor problem 31:00 Modern software engineering and the scientific method 34:00 Flow of value vs flow of code 36:00 How great developers think 38:00 Delivering value into context 41:00 Abstractions simplicity and attention 44:00 Regulated environments and developer frustration 45:00 A framework for security and governance loops 49:00 Turning nuisance into value 50:00 The Software Enchiridion and closing thoughts --- 🎙 Listen to PodRocket 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oFuKu8... 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📺 Subscribe on YouTube: @LogRocket Follow on Socials ➡️ Noel Minchow, Host ➡️ Russ Miles, Guest ➡️ Elizabeth Becz, Producer ➡️ LogRocket, PodRocketPod --- What does LogRocket do? LogRocket provides AI-first session replay and analytics that surface the UX and technical issues impacting user experiences. Start understanding where your users are struggling by trying it for free at LogRocket.com.