Using Feature Flags to Tame Complexity with Mike Zorn

Platform Engineering Podcast

What if changing a single flag could save you from a failed migration, a broken API, or a late-night rollback?

Join us as we dive into how feature flags become a practical tool for changing application behavior at runtime, not just toggling UI elements. Cory talks Mike Zorn about real stories from LaunchDarkly and Rippling, covering how teams use flags to ship safely, debug faster, and simplify complex systems.

You’ll hear about:

• Using feature flags to avoid staging overload and ship directly to production
• Migrating critical systems and databases with minimal downtime and risk
• Controlling log levels and rate limits for specific customers on the fly
• Managing flag sprawl so teams do not drown in half-rolled-out features
• Experimenting with AI features, prompts, and models without fully committing

If you’re working on a platform, running critical infrastructure, or just trying to ship faster without breaking everything, this conversation offers concrete patterns you can start using right away.

Guest: Mike Zorn, Senior Software Engineer at Rippling

Mike’s software engineering journey began with an early interest in problem-solving and programming, starting with creating programs on a TI-83 calculator in middle school. After studying mathematics in college, he transitioned into software through an applied math project that required coding, which sparked his interest in engineering as a career.

Professionally, he has worked at several product and SaaS companies, including one that was an early LaunchDarkly customer, where they experienced firsthand the challenges of managing feature flags internally. That experience led him to appreciate the value of tools like LaunchDarkly, eventually joining the company himself. Since then, he has contributed across various areas, including focusing on how LaunchDarkly can best adopt its own platform internally to streamline releases and help engineers work more efficiently. His latest adventure has been joining Rippling as a Senior Staff Software Engineer.

Mike Zorn, GitHub

Mike Zorn, Email

Rippling

LaunchDarkly

Links to interesting things from this episode:

• SigNoz
• Signadot
• Open Container Initiative
• “Using Feature Flags to Avoid Downtime During Migrations”
• Apache Iceberg