<commit_before>---
layout: post
title: APIdays Paris - From Philosophy to Technology and back again
subtitle: A biased report from APIdays Global in Paris
category: conference
tags: [api]
author: Martin
author_email: <EMAIL> 
header-img: "images/bg-post.jpg"
---

Having just recently come home again from the [APIdays](http://www.apidays.io) conference in Paris (Dec 8-9th 2015), memories are still quite fresh. It was a crowded event, the first day hosting a whopping 800 API enthusiasts, ranging from the geekiest of the geeks to a fair amount of suited business people, showing that talking about APIs is no longer something just the most avantgardist of companies, the most high tech of the tech companies, spend their time with. *Au contraire* (we were in Paris after all), APIs are mainstream, and they contribute to the advancing of collaboration and automatization of the (digital) world as such.

{:.center}
![Eiffel Tower - Paris]({{ site.url }}/images/2015-12-11-paris-eiffeltower.jpg){:margin="auto"}
<small>(Image by <NAME>, [CC BY 4.0 License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))</small>

This was also one of the reasons the topic of APIdays was chosen as such: **Automating IT, Business and the whole society with APIs**. The partly non-techy twist of the subtitle to APIdays was also reflected in the sessions: Split into roughly three (or four) categories, you had a choice between real tech stuff, business related sessions and quite a few workshops. In addition to that, the opening and ending keynotes were more kept in a philosophical tone, featuring (in the opening keynote) [<NAME>](http://www.christian-faure.net/) and renowned french philosopher [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Stiegler) (in the ending keynote), presenting their takes on digital automation, collaboration and its effects on society, with respect to APIs. Even [<NAME>](http://twitter.com/njyx) pulled off a rather non-techy talk, and even non-businessy talk, rather unusual for a CEO of one of the big players in API space ([3scale](http://www.3scale.net)).

### API Philosophy

In their talks, both Fauré and Stiegler were talking about the effects of automation on society, but both with quite contradicting base sentiments, even if the message - in the end - seems similar. But more on that later.

Fauré's topic was "Automation in the 21st century", and the fear of many people that software/robots/automated processes replace humans in tasks which were previously accomplished manually, the simple fear of becoming superfluous. This is what he calls *Opposition* to the automation in society, and it is our main task to instead encourage a culture of *Composition* in order to leverage the good, and focus on the capabilities to be creative (and yes, he included a sidekick to [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker)'s "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" quote). This is where he sees the realm of APIs: As an area of creativity. Composing APIs to create value in ways we have not thought of before.

> Designing an API is an act of creativity.
> <hr> 
> <small><NAME> ([@ChristianFaure](https://twitter.com/ChristianFaure))</small>

This act of composition is creativity, as well as designing an API is an act of creativity. Good APIs take time to design, APIs which encourage creative use of them even more so. Fauré also stresses that even with enhanced tooling (and we're just seeing the first big wave of API management and development tools yet), the actual designing of the API is still where the main work lies, or, at least the main lever.

> API management solutions have great benefits, but you still cannot switch your brain off!
> <hr>
> <small><NAME> ([@ChristianFaure](https://twitter.com/ChristianFaure))</small>

Growing ground for such creativity lies for Fauré in the "Hacking Culture". Try out things, be creative, and use APIs as a means to bring your ideas into reality faster and simpler.

<NAME> ([@njyx](http://twitter.com/njyx)) main message in the session ([slides](http://www.slideshare.net/3scale/apis-and-the-creation-of-wealth-in-the-digital-economy-apidays-paris-2015-keynote)) following Christian Faurés gives the idea of enabling creativity a new spin, but still points in a similar direction: As of now, APIs are still a technical topic. You need to be a developer to be able to really leverage the functionality (see also [twilio's](http://www.twilio.com) billboard ad campaing, e.g. [here](https://twitter.com/ctava1/status/608451693110550529)). Steven thinks the "next big thing" in API space will be enabling business users to interact more easily with APIs, without needing fundamental engineering skills. Or, as he put it:
<commit_msg>last go at centering images<commit_after>---
layout: post
title: APIdays Paris - From Philosophy to Technology and back again
subtitle: A biased report from APIdays Global in Paris
category: conference
tags: [api]
author: Martin
author_email: <EMAIL> 
header-img: "images/bg-post.jpg"
---

Having just recently come home again from the [APIdays](http://www.apidays.io) conference in Paris (Dec 8-9th 2015), memories are still quite fresh. It was a crowded event, the first day hosting a whopping 800 API enthusiasts, ranging from the geekiest of the geeks to a fair amount of suited business people, showing that talking about APIs is no longer something just the most avantgardist of companies, the most high tech of the tech companies, spend their time with. *Au contraire* (we were in Paris after all), APIs are mainstream, and they contribute to the advancing of collaboration and automatization of the (digital) world as such.

{:.center}
![Eiffel Tower - Paris]({{ site.url }}/images/2015-12-11-paris-eiffeltower.jpg){:style="margin:auto"}
<small>(Image by <NAME>, [CC BY 4.0 License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))</small>

This was also one of the reasons the topic of APIdays was chosen as such: **Automating IT, Business and the whole society with APIs**. The partly non-techy twist of the subtitle to APIdays was also reflected in the sessions: Split into roughly three (or four) categories, you had a choice between real tech stuff, business related sessions and quite a few workshops. In addition to that, the opening and ending keynotes were more kept in a philosophical tone, featuring (in the opening keynote) [<NAME>](http://www.christian-faure.net/) and renowned french philosopher [<NAME>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Stiegler) (in the ending keynote), presenting their takes on digital automation, collaboration and its effects on society, with respect to APIs. Even [<NAME>](http://twitter.com/njyx) pulled off a rather non-techy talk, and even non-businessy talk, rather unusual for a CEO of one of the big players in API space ([3scale](http://www.3scale.net)).

### API Philosophy

In their talks, both Fauré and Stiegler were talking about the effects of automation on society, but both with quite contradicting base sentiments, even if the message - in the end - seems similar. But more on that later.

Fauré's topic was "Automation in the 21st century", and the fear of many people that software/robots/automated processes replace humans in tasks which were previously accomplished manually, the simple fear of becoming superfluous. This is what he calls *Opposition* to the automation in society, and it is our main task to instead encourage a culture of *Composition* in order to leverage the good, and focus on the capabilities to be creative (and yes, he included a sidekick to [Peter Drucker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Drucker)'s "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" quote). This is where he sees the realm of APIs: As an area of creativity. Composing APIs to create value in ways we have not thought of before.

> Designing an API is an act of creativity.
> <hr> 
> <small><NAME> ([@ChristianFaure](https://twitter.com/ChristianFaure))</small>

This act of composition is creativity, as well as designing an API is an act of creativity. Good APIs take time to design, APIs which encourage creative use of them even more so. Fauré also stresses that even with enhanced tooling (and we're just seeing the first big wave of API management and development tools yet), the actual designing of the API is still where the main work lies, or, at least the main lever.

> API management solutions have great benefits, but you still cannot switch your brain off!
> <hr>
> <small><NAME> ([@ChristianFaure](https://twitter.com/ChristianFaure))</small>

Growing ground for such creativity lies for Fauré in the "Hacking Culture". Try out things, be creative, and use APIs as a means to bring your ideas into reality faster and simpler.

<NAME> ([@njyx](http://twitter.com/njyx)) main message in the session ([slides](http://www.slideshare.net/3scale/apis-and-the-creation-of-wealth-in-the-digital-economy-apidays-paris-2015-keynote)) following Christian Faurés gives the idea of enabling creativity a new spin, but still points in a similar direction: As of now, APIs are still a technical topic. You need to be a developer to be able to really leverage the functionality (see also [twilio's](http://www.twilio.com) billboard ad campaing, e.g. [here](https://twitter.com/ctava1/status/608451693110550529)). Steven thinks the "next big thing" in API space will be enabling business users to interact more easily with APIs, without needing fundamental engineering skills. Or, as he put it:

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