Platform Engineering Decisions CIOs Can't Afford To Get Wrong
Platform Engineering, Monday, February 23rd, 2026
Platform engineering now directly shapes how quickly organizations can ship software, adopt AI, and respond to change. The choices leaders make around culture, metrics, and platform ownership increasingly determine whether platforms become strategic assets or long-term liabilities.
The most effective ownership and funding models treat platforms as shared capabilities with stable, long-term investment.
'When ownership is isolated in a single team or funding is tied to short-term ROI, platforms become risk-averse and misaligned with delivery needs,' says Marcel de Vries, global MD and CTO for Microsoft Services at Xebia.
He explains strategic impact comes from shared responsibility across engineering and funding structures that allow platforms to evolve alongside software delivery and AI adoption priorities.