The rise of the data platform engineer is a response to the changing landscape of data work, where the initial expectation of Data Scientists doing all the heavy lifting has given way to a more balanced approach. With the decline of the Data Scientist's role and the emergence of new tools like cloud data warehouses and SaaS providers, the focus has shifted towards building platforms that enable Data Scientists to do their jobs effectively. The modern data stack has enabled productivity gains, but pressure is now building on Data Engineers to take on more responsibility. In response, some companies are moving towards a framework approach to data platforms, where Data Engineers build bespoke custom pipelines for downstream consumers without relying on complex higher languages, allowing them to focus on software engineering and career progression. This shift gives Data Engineers something to look forward to, as they move away from just building ETL pipelines and towards more strategic roles.