048- Building for Betting: Why FDJ United Built Their Own Data Platform Instead of Buying One

Phil Goddard leads a 70-person data team on FDJ United's Sportsbook platform — one of the most technically demanding platforms out there, processing prices, bets and risk across thousands of markets in sub-second timeframes. Rather than buying a vendor platform, Phil built FDJ's in-house, and we dig into why: what actually makes something a "data product," where data mesh goes wrong, and how hub-and-spoke fits as the transition stage most teams are really in.We cover: Why a real-time sportsbook platform is one of the most technically demanding things you can build Why Phil built FDJ's data platform in-house instead of buying one Phil's four-part test for what actually makes something a "data product" The three failure modes he's seen most often in data mesh adoptions Why AI is "fundamentally an amplifier," and what "governance debt" means for teams trying to get ahead of it