Max Kanat-Alexander - LinkedIn: Platform Engineering for Enhanced Developer Experience
About
In this episode, we sit down with Max Kanat-Alexander, Principal Staff Software Engineer at LinkedIn, to discuss his pioneering work in platform engineering aimed at improving developer experiences. Max, an esteemed author and leader in software engineering, has significantly influenced LinkedIn's approach to developer productivity. Perfect for platform engineers, software developers, and technology leaders, this episode will provide an inside look at cutting-edge strategies for building systems that not only support but enhance the day-to-day experiences of developers. Join us to gain insights from one of the leading minds in platform engineering and discover actionable tips for implementing these practices in your own organization. Links and Related Materials: ** Max’s Books! Code Simplicity https://www.codesimplicity.com/ Understanding Software: https://www.packtpub.com/en-us/product/understanding-software-9781788628815?type=print&gad_source=1 Other Resources: Peopleware Book: (not Peoplesoft, sorry!) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Projects_and_Teams Google Engineering Practices: https://google.github.io/eng-practices/ LinkedIn Developer Productivity and Happiness Framework: https://linkedin.github.io/dph-framework/ DORA Capabilities: https://dora.dev/capabilities/
Listen on
More episodes
What Does Engineering Excellence Look Like in the Age of AI?
The “AI is coming for your job” headlines have been exhausting—especially if you’re a software engineer. But as Cortex.io founder Anish Dhar explains, engineering isn’t dying; it’s evolving. In this episode, Hannah sits down with Anish to unpack what engineering excellence actually means in 2025, why measuring developer productivity is still wildly misunderstood, and where AI coding tools fit into the real world of production-scale systems. Spoiler: you can’t vibe-code your way to a million users.
Anish draws from his time at Uber and Cortex to break down how engineering leaders can better align technical initiatives to business outcomes, adopt AI without sacrificing code quality, and avoid getting swept up in hype cycles that don’t serve the organization.
Code Story: Anish Dhar, Cortex
Anish Dhar grew up in the Bay Area, but now is located in New York. He felt lucky to be surrounded by technology, being in the Bay Area and having his Dad as a software engineer. His earliest exposure to tech was hacking his Wii - and at that point he was hooked. He eventually joined Uber and experienced many of the problems he is solving today. Outside of tech, he enjoys tennis and playing piano. He loves making music and attending shows to hear other artists, in particular EDM.
How developer experience can escape the spreadsheet
Ben and Ryan are joined by Cortex cofounders Anish Dhar, CEO, and Ganesh Datta, CTO. Cortex offers an internal developer portal that helps devs document and reinforce organizational best practices and improve developer productivity. The portal includes features like scorecards that incentivize developers to improve their work and AI-powered search to make finding information easier.