# Friends Talk: What is Platform Engineering and Why Does It Matter?

*On a casual evening, a few friends from the OpenSourceSantiago community got together to talk about something we’re passionate about and want to share with newcomers: Platform Engineering.*

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## 🖋️ Participants and Authors

* [Sergio Canales Espinoza](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergio-canales-espinoza/)
    
* [Pablo Castelo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablocastelo/)
    
* [Javier Salvo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/javier-salvo-02335b92/)
    

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## ☕ It All Started With a Simple Question…

**—"What does Platform Engineering mean to you?"**  
That’s how it began. No PowerPoints, no textbook definitions. Just a real conversation, with anecdotes, doubts, and that unique energy you get when people care about what they’re doing.

> “We want to promote an open space where everyone can share their experiences and definitions of Platform Engineering.”

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## 🧩 It’s More Than Tools — It’s About Integration

Javi put it simply and honestly:

> “To me, Platform Engineering helps us integrate teams, processes, and tools to make our daily work easier.”

He added something we all relate to:

> “My bookmarks are a mess... Platform Engineering would help me have fewer tabs open.”

Sometimes Platform Engineering starts with organizing your digital chaos.

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## 💡 Pablo Adds: “It’s the Natural Evolution of DevOps”

For Pablo, Platform Engineering is:

> “Breaking silos and creating centralized tools that make life easier for the entire organization—not just developers.”

And he dropped this truth bomb:

> “It’s not just about development. It’s for the entire IT organization.”

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## 🔄 DevOps ≠ Competition. It’s Evolution.

A recurring idea was to stop seeing DevOps and Platform Engineering as competing ideas. They’re complementary. The key is to **combine forces**, not compete.

> “Let’s move past competitive mindsets and adopt a unifying vision.”

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## 🎯 What Problems Are We Solving?

In a nutshell: **we simplify**. **We integrate**. **We make complex systems more accessible**. One panelist said:

> “Problems aren’t magically solved. What we do is break them down into smaller, manageable pieces.”

That’s Platform Engineering in action.

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## 🔁 Tips for Newcomers

### 🎙 1. Keep it Close to Home

If you don’t feel like you belong, you won’t get involved. Start from the everyday. Organize your tools. Document a process. Write a script that helps your team. You're already practicing Platform Engineering.

### 🧠 2. Start with Clear Goals

> “Discord channels thrive when there's a clear purpose. If it’s just ‘join and ask,’ it won’t work.”

### 🌱 3. Think Community from Day One

Create spaces. Invite others. Use post-its. Use Mentimeter. Ask open questions. But above all, **create conversation**.

### 💬 4. You Don’t Need to Be an Expert

> “Let’s ask: What is Platform Engineering to you? Let each person define it from their experience.”

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## 🔚 Wrapping Up With Smiles and Takeaways

The session ended with a universal truth:

> “Time just flew by…”

And that’s what happens when passionate people talk. You can feel we’re building something beyond tools. We’re building a purpose-driven community.

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## 📢 So, What’s Your Definition of Platform Engineering?

We invite you to join the conversation—at our events, on Discord, or just by sharing this post. If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that **Platform Engineering is as broad as the people practicing it.**  
  
watch complate video [https://youtu.be/uW-I7aIz0r4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW-I7aIz0r4)