Platform Engineering Podcast
Cory O'Daniel, CEO of Massdriver
The Platform Engineering Podcast is a show about the real work of building and running internal platforms — hosted by Cory O’Daniel, longtime infrastructure and software engineer, and CEO/cofounder of Massdriver.
Each episode features candid conversations with the engineers, leads, and builders shaping platform engineering today. Topics range from org structure and team ownership to infrastructure design, developer experience, and the tradeoffs behind every “it depends.”
Cory brings two decades of experience building platforms — and now spends his time thinking about how teams scale infrastructure without creating bottlenecks or burning out ops. This podcast isn’t about trends. It’s about how platform engineering actually works inside real companies.
Whether you're deep into Terraform/OpenTofu modules, building golden paths, or just trying to keep your platform from becoming a dumpster fire — you’ll probably find something useful here.
Each episode features candid conversations with the engineers, leads, and builders shaping platform engineering today. Topics range from org structure and team ownership to infrastructure design, developer experience, and the tradeoffs behind every “it depends.”
Cory brings two decades of experience building platforms — and now spends his time thinking about how teams scale infrastructure without creating bottlenecks or burning out ops. This podcast isn’t about trends. It’s about how platform engineering actually works inside real companies.
Whether you're deep into Terraform/OpenTofu modules, building golden paths, or just trying to keep your platform from becoming a dumpster fire — you’ll probably find something useful here.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 10, 2024 • 10min
Unlocking the Potential of Hybrid Cloud with Cory O'Daniel
In this episode Chris Hill asks Cory O’Daniel, CEO and co-founder of Massdriver, to explain the concept and benefits of hybrid cloud, including the use of multiple cloud providers and container services for scalability and flexibility. The discussion also addresses the security and networking challenges that using hybrid cloud implies. Guest: Cory O'Daniel, CEO at Massdriver
Mar 27, 2024 • 10min
Infrastructure As Code: Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery With Cory O'Daniel
Chris Hill sits down with Cory O'Daniel to talk about how Infrastructure as Code can help with disaster recovery and business continuity. From the technology and personnel challenges to scenarios such as losing one of your regions and the importance of backup plans, learn how IaC can be used to help ensure data and operations are not affected.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share! Guest: Cory O'Daniel, CEO at Massdriver
Mar 13, 2024 • 8min
DevOps & Platform Engineering - What's The Difference? With Dave Williams
Dave Williams, an expert in platform engineering, discusses the evolution of the field beyond DevOps. He emphasizes the crucial mindset shift needed for this transition, moving from automation-centric practices to a more product-oriented approach. Williams highlights the enhanced collaboration and automation that platform engineering brings, focusing on the creation of seamless environments that improve scalability and governance. Tune in to discover how these changes can significantly elevate the software engineering experience!
Feb 28, 2024 • 17min
Is DevOps Bullshit? An Interview With Cory O’Daniel, Author Of The “DevOps Is Bullshit” Blog Post
DevOps was conceived as a way to bring developers and operations together, but has it really worked? In this episode, Dave Williams sits down with Cory O’Daniel to discuss his controversial blog post “DevOps Is Bullshit.” Find out why Cory sees platform engineering as a solution. Discover its potential as an antidote to the unmet promises and inherent challenges within the current DevOps landscape. Tune in now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, & share!Guest: Cory O'Daniel, CEO at MassdriverLinks to interesting things from this episode:MassdriverMicrosoft For StartupsArticle: DevOps is Bullshit
Feb 14, 2024 • 16min
What Is Platform Engineering? A Cloud Operation Engineer’s Perspective
Cory O’Daniel, a platform engineering expert, joins Chris Hill, a seasoned cloud operations engineer, to discuss the evolving landscape of platform engineering. They delve into how this approach enhances infrastructure management while emphasizing security and compliance challenges. Chris shares insights from his decade-long experience, underlining the balance between feature development and security. The conversation also highlights the transformative role of self-service tools like Massdriver, enabling independent and compliant infrastructure management for engineers.
Feb 7, 2024 • 14min
What Is Platform Engineering? From A Developer's Perspective
Dave Williams, an expert in platform engineering, dives into the innovative future of managing cloud applications. He highlights the importance of adopting a product mindset to elevate developer productivity. The conversation explores the evolution of software development, illustrating how developers can focus more on coding while leaving operational tasks behind. Williams compares building cloud services to assembling a bicycle, emphasizing the benefits of targeted, modular approaches. He also discusses the shift from traditional software development to platform engineering, prioritizing efficiency and scalability.
