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: We’ve got a cracking trio of thought pieces for you this week. From API product management mastery and the hide-and-seek nature of hiring product managers, to saying goodbye to code-first builds, there’s plenty to get stuck into below…
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:
“APIs have come of age” – Ashish Patel
We’ve enjoyed Citi’s VP of Product Ashish Patel taking us on a quick journey through API history this week, showing the paradigm shift that occurred when businesses began recognising APIs as products. Organisations across the globe are now transforming through API-first strategies, but managing API products differs from traditional product management. If you’re seeking API product management mastery, this first instalment of a two-part series gives a solid overview.
“Product management doesn’t exist in a vacuum” – Matthew Reinbold
A few weeks ago, Matthew Reinbold queried why API product managers are so hard to find. It led to an interesting discussion on LinkedIn, with participants teasing out the issues relating to evaluating API product management roles against more conventional software product management benchmarks. The conversation throws a spotlight on the distinct and specific skillset of API product managers. Why not catch up and then add your own thoughts?
“Seriously, write your API spec first” – Allen Helton
Allen Helton approaches the code-first or spec-first debate from the API consumer’s perspective, focusing on the lack of confidence that can result when a code-first approach results in a poor developer experience (DX). Allen’s first-hand experience of trying to build an integration with the Twitter/X API shows how quickly a poor DX can take a consumer from happy to rage-quitting. If you’re building an API, there’s some important food for thought here.
♟️ Looking to make a move? Current API product management vacancies:
Product Manager – API Platform – Kraken Technologies UK (London/hybrid)
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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