The (data) platform fallacy

All good stories begin with a quote: "There’s a tendency in intellectual circles to protect and embolden a thesis at the expense of exploring reality, and this is happening."

Over the last decade(s) everything has been "platformized". And we have been told that the platform business model is the most successful of all times. And at the core of it, it's of course about data platforms, as data effectively is the main resource fueling digital businesses, as data has been coined the new oil, gold, or whatever makes some people rich and most others poorer.

In this talk, I am going to present a slightly different viewpoint. Let's explore reality, at least a few of the reasons why platforms became so prevalent, and why most don't stand a reality test. Don't get me wrong, platforms can be very powerful, and data platforms even more so. It's just that it's difficult to get it right, especially now, at the dawn of the Data Mesh, when there is a lot of "meshful thinking" around. There is a path to success, and I am going to present the elements that I consider critical when building a data platform. As always, it's about failing better.

Vorkenntnisse

• Erfahrungen mit und Interesse an Corporate Data Strategy, Data Platforms, und/oder Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs)

Lernziele

• Verständnis der Erfolgs- und Misserfolgsfaktoren beim Aufbau einer (Data) Platform, realistischer Blick auf das, was wirklich nötig und möglich ist