Episode 27

full
Published on:

2nd Apr 2025

Building Real-World Platforms: Abby Bangser on CNCF, Kratix, & Syntasso

When organizations grow beyond using third-party platforms, they face a critical challenge: how to build internal platforms that enable teams to work efficiently while maintaining security and compliance. Abby Bangser, founding principal engineer at Syntasso, shares insights on creating real-world platforms that strike the right balance between standardization and flexibility.


Key Insights

  • The shift from external platforms to internal ones often comes from specific business needs, like compliance requirements
  • Successful platform engineering requires finding the right balance between prescriptive standards and flexible customization
  • Platforms should offer multiple levels of abstraction - from simplified "paved paths" to advanced customization options
  • Platform teams should watch how users interact with their services to identify emerging patterns and needs


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Show artwork for Platform Engineering Podcast

About the Podcast

Platform Engineering Podcast
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.