The API product management newsletter #006 – 4 July 2023

Welcome to the latest edition of the API product management newsletter, dedicated to helping product teams drive more business value from their APIs and API products.

This week: that Brian Chesky quote, APIs and AI, and should API versioning be a product management concern?

But first, a reminder! We only include:

  • The top 3 most useful resources we’ve come across the two weeks prior. Any more than that, and we find our browser tabs become unmanageable
  • What we find personally useful – and digestible – as product and product marketing managers
  • Educational content (whether an article, whitepaper or event). No product pitches – that includes yours truly.

💡The good stuff: This week’s API product management links:

 

‘API evolution without versioning’’ – Brandon Byars

In this presentation Brandon Byars dives into API versioning, positing that backwards compatibility or breaking change evolution should be considered from the perspective of product management over software architecture. Along the way he offers real-world examples of helpful patterns for evolving your API, from the consumer’s perspective.

‘Everything AI? What API folks need to know’ – Matthias Biehl

Matthias Biehl’s new Substack focuses on all things related to APIs and AI. What does AI mean for APIs? Will it kill them, compete with them or complement them (perhaps all three, depending on the API!) And, for API product managers, how will it aid in the productisation of APIs or API-led products? Biehl’s first post gives an overview of the newsletter’s raison d’etre which serves as a good overview, but he’s also just published another on how APIs can be the ears, eyes and hands of the AI that’s worth a read.

‘YDid Airbnb just kill the Product Management role?’– Bandan Jot Singh, Productify

We couldn’t let an edition pass without a mention of what’s been one of the mostly hotly contested topics in the product management world these last two weeks: Brian Chesky’s decision to consolidate the product manager and product marketing functions at AirBnb. No, it’s not specifically related to API product management, but this take from Bandan Jot Singh on gives you the key ‘need to knows’. I’m personally excited to see how this step focuses product management minds on the end-to-end consumer experience, including Go-To-Market strategy and messaging. .

 

♟️ Looking to make a move? Current API product management vacancies:

 

Product Manager, APIs – Candid (US – Remote or Hybrid)

Product Manager, Payment APIs  – Square (Remote)

That’s it for this time. If you found this useful, please consider sharing with someone else who may benefit from it!


💥 Got an article, video or event that belongs on this list? Respond to this email telling us why you think it’s useful to product managers learning about APIs and the API lifecycle. If you’d like a shout-out, please include your Twitter, Github handle or LinkedIn URL and the name you’d like including. 

💌 And finally… This newsletter is created by Tyk – API management that accelerates your product development. By signing up to this newsletter you’ll be consenting to receiving the next one (and the one after that), but we will never put you on another list without your *explicit* consent. Read the previous edition here.

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