Platform teams often fall into the trap of replicating tech giants’ internal developer platforms (IDPs), only to face costly failures. This post dives into why one-size-fits-all solutions don’t work, and how adopting a Platform-as-a-Product approach—rooted in user research, iterative development, and stakeholder alignment—creates a tailored platform developers love. Learn how to avoid imitation pitfalls and build a platform that truly delivers value.

Why Copying Tech Giants’ IDPs Is a Recipe for Failure

Imagine a startup investing months to clone Netflix’s Chaos Monkey, only to realize their developers are drowning in CI/CD bottlenecks, not resilience testing. This scenario is far too common. While Google, Amazon, and Netflix have pioneered groundbreaking internal platforms, blindly replicating their solutions ignores critical truths:

1. Scale Mismatch: Tech giants operate at unprecedented scale, requiring hyper-specialized tools. Most organizations don’t need—or can’t maintain—such complexity.
2. Resource Disparity: These companies invest millions in platform teams. Mimicking their systems without equivalent resources leads to half-baked, unsustainable solutions.
3. Unique Workflows: Every organization has distinct processes, tech stacks, and pain points. A platform built for Spotify’s “Squad” model won’t fit a traditional enterprise’s structure.

Copying without context results in bloated platforms, frustrated developers, and wasted budgets. The antidote? Platform-as-a-Product.

What Is Platform-as-a-Product?

Platform-as-a-Product treats your internal developer platform (IDP) like a customer-facing product. Instead of chasing feature parity with tech giants, you focus on solving your developers’ specific problems. This approach prioritizes:

• User Research to uncover real pain points.
• Iterative Development to deliver incremental value.
• Feedback Loops to ensure continuous alignment.

Here’s how to execute it:

Step 1: Conduct User Research (Stop Assuming, Start Listening)

Why It Matters: You can’t build a solution without understanding the problem.

How to Do It:

• Interviews & Surveys: Ask developers what slows them down. Is it deployment latency? Environment provisioning?
• Shadowing: Observe workflows to spot inefficiencies tools might miss.
• Persona Mapping: Segment users (e.g., frontend vs. backend teams) to address unique needs.

Example: A fintech company discovered their developers wasted 20% of their time debugging deployment scripts—a problem no “Google clone” would solve.

Step 2: Build a Product Roadmap (Prioritize Ruthlessly)

Why It Matters: A roadmap aligns your platform with organizational goals and user needs.

How to Do It:

• Pain Point Prioritization: Use frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) to rank features.
• Quick Wins: Launch MVPs (e.g., automated testing templates) to build momentum.
• Transparency: Share the roadmap publicly to manage expectations.

Avoid: Chasing Kubernetes-level orchestration if your team just needs faster Docker builds.

Step 3: Solicit Feedback (And Act On It)

Why It Matters: Developers won’t adopt tools that don’t solve their problems.

How to Do It:

• Feedback Channels: Use Slack bots, retrospectives, or embedded NPS surveys.
• Close the Loop: Show users how their input shaped updates (e.g., “You asked, we built: Simplified CLI tool!”).
• Metrics-Driven: Track adoption rates, error reduction, or deployment frequency.

Step 4: Iterate Relentlessly (Embrace Agile)

Why It Matters: Platforms evolve as needs change.

How to Do It:

• Sprint Cycles: Release small, frequent updates.
• Feature Flags: Test ideas safely with incremental rollouts.
• Kill Zombie Features: Deprecate underused tools to reduce cognitive load.

Step 5: Secure Stakeholder Buy-In (Sell the Vision)

Why It Matters: Even the best platform fails without leadership support.

How to Do It:

• Align with Business Goals: Frame the IDP as a force multiplier for innovation, not a cost center.
• Demonstrate ROI: Quantify time saved, reduced outages, or faster onboarding.
• Early Advocacy: Involve engineering leads and CTOs in roadmap planning.

The Outcome: A Platform Developers Want to Use

By treating your IDP as a product, you create tools that:

• Solve Real Problems: No more unused features.
• Adapt Continuously: Stay relevant as needs evolve.
• Foster Ownership: Developers feel heard, driving adoption and advocacy.

Conclusion: Build for Your Developers, Not Your Ego

Tech giants’ platforms work for them—not for you. Platform-as-a-Product cuts through the noise, turning your IDP into a strategic asset tailored to your team’s DNA. Start small, listen relentlessly, and iterate. The result? A platform that developers don’t just tolerate—but love.

Your move: Put down the Google whitepapers. Pick up the user interviews. The best platform is the one your team actually uses.