AI agents are knocking. Is your API ready to answer? | GraphQL’s Matt DeBergalis

The rise of AI agents is more than a tooling upgrade - it's a fundamental rewiring of the entire developer experience, with your APIs at the very center. 

We're joined by Matt DeBergalis, co-founder and then-CTO-now-CEO (congrats Matt!) of Apollo GraphQL, to explore this massive transformation. He introduces the emerging concept of "agent experience," explaining why systems built for human developers are not ready for the unprecedented scale of AI calling APIs.

Matt argues that as the old rules of software development get re-evaluated, engineering leaders must rethink their entire stack. He presents a powerful analogy: a structured data layer like a graph is the perfect "left brain" for the "right brain" creativity of LLMs. This provides the semantic precision and guardrails needed for AI to act reliably, enabling a future where user experiences are personalized "to 11" and APIs become the core business asset. This conversation is a crucial guide for leaders on how to prepare by prioritizing higher-level system design, and why clear communication and architecture are becoming far more critical than handwriting code.

Check out:

• The DevEx guide to AI-driven software development
• Download: The 6 trends shaping the future of AI-driven development 

Follow the hosts:

• Follow Ben
• Follow Andrew

Follow today's guest(s):

• Explore Apollo GraphQL's graph infrastructure and MCP tooling: ApolloDev
• Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
• Connect with Andrew Boyagi on LinkedIn

Referenced in today's show:

• Anthropic caps Claude Code usage
• OpenAI introduces study mode
• Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet
• Atlassian research: AI adoption is rising, but friction persists

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