Assumptions as code: SiriusXM’s approach to platform prioritization

About this episode

Eleanor Millman and Mina Tawadrous discuss SiriusXM's innovative approach to platform prioritization and the concept of 'assumptions as code'.

Eleanor Millman, Senior Staff Product Manager, and Mina Tawadrous, Associate Director of Platform Engineering at SiriusXM, join host Justin Reock to discuss how platform teams can scale prioritization without relying on revenue. They share how SiriusXM moved beyond RICE to build a custom framework for internal platforms, using weighted factors like developer speed, reliability, cost, and trust to guide decisions across teams. The episode also explores their concept of “assumptions as code,” in which teams store and reuse assumptions in a central repository to reduce misalignment and improve decision-making, with AI helping to surface and validate those assumptions. They close with how this system is shaping SiriusXM’s 2026 prioritization approach and what it signals about a broader shift toward builder-driven product development. Where to find Eleanor Millman: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-millman-98b10350 Where to find Mina Tawadrous: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mina-tawadrous Where to find Justin Reock: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinreock In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Intro (01:17) Mina’s role and path into platform engineering…

People in this episode

Host: Justin Reock

Guests: Eleanor Millman, Mina Tawadrous

Topics covered

• platform prioritization
• assumptions as code
• product development
• engineering teams
• decision-making

Keywords

• platform engineering
• RICE framework
• developer speed
• reliability
• cost
• trust
• AI
• product management

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SiriusXM

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