Perspective #5: MCing at Platmosphere — A New Experience
A few weeks ago, I stepped into something new. Not as a speaker, not as an attendee, but as the MC of the Platform Labs track at Platmosphere 2025.
For those who don’t know what an MC is, this is a definition:
MC (Master of Ceremonies): the person who guides the audience through the event, introduces speakers, keeps the energy up, and ensures everything runs smoothly on stage.
It was a small step outside my comfort zone, but a completely different kind of responsibility: making people feel welcome, creating continuity between talks, and, most of all, listening. Really listening.
And I enjoyed every moment of it.
From Software to Spotlight (Kind of)
Being on stage as the “voice” of a conference track is not something I’d ever imagined myself doing. But when I was asked, I said yes. Maybe because I liked the idea of trying something different. Maybe because I cared about the content. Maybe because, deep down, I knew I’d learn a lot just by being there with open ears.
Platform Labs was a space full of stories: architectural challenges, complex cloud-native approaches, but also modern software development practices. I had the privilege to introduce speakers, wrap up sessions, and connect dots across the day. But more than anything, I had the honour of seeing the human side of platform engineering.
A Common Language of Empathy
At the end of the day, I had the chance to join the main stage together with all the other MCs, Michel Murabito, Lian Li, Jennifer Riggins and my track room neighbor William Rizzo. William was the MC of the Platform Tech track, and what was striking was how aligned our two experiences were.
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As William put it:
“What I saw was a constant factor, and I loved it. […] Developing or building something starting from the end user in mind. This is what I saw in my track.”
He spoke about empathy, as a principle, a pattern, and a goal. Whether it was through architectural design or AI-powered developer tools, the idea was the same: understand what people need, and build with that in mind.
I echoed his thoughts, also around the theme of AI. Almost every talk in our track touched on how AI is becoming a multiplier for developer experience. Not in an abstract, buzzwordy way, but as a real tool to reduce cognitive load and support teams in meaningful ways.
“Platform Engineering is about building a platform to help developers. And AI is a valid multiplier in doing so”
So, the MC Role, How Did It Feel?
Looking back, being an MC was much more than just timekeeping and stage transitions. It was about connecting people, reading the room, helping ideas land softly, and sometimes giving a shy smile to a nervous speaker. It was about listening to a community speak, and realizing how much it values people, not just systems.
Would I do it again? Yes. Not because I like microphones (I actually don’t), but because it reminded me why I care about software and helping software developers improve their daily job: this field isfull of builders trying to make things better for others.
And if that’s not worth talking about, I don’t know what is.
