# You can't design the agent platform first

DevFeed: [You can't design the agent platform first](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/you-can-t-design-the-agent-platform-first-16018.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://workos.com/blog/internal-ai-maturity-curve-agent-then-substrate>)

Author: WorkOS

Published: 2026-08-27T14:51:36Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [WorkOS Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/workos-blog.md>)

Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Demo](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/demo.md>)

Tags: [agent](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agent.md>), [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [applied-ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/applied-ai.md>), [governance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/governance.md>), [platform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/platform.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that internal AI teams typically progress from one hand-built agent to several agents and then encounter governance and operating challenges. It presents a shared substrate as the response to the third stage, citing Atlas and more than 80 team agents running on it.

## Source excerpt

Internal AI teams walk three stages: one hand-built agent, then several, then a governance problem. Stage three needs a substrate -- you can't design it first.