Agentic AI and MCP dominated Platform Summit 2025

Bill Doerrfeld | October 21, 2025

This year's Platform Summit was a huge success!


Well, we pulled it off yet again. Last week Nordic APIs held its flagship event in Stockholm,  Platform Summit. I thought the conference was phenomenal, thank you for another fantastic Summit everyone who participated!


The event was well-attended (our best attendance since the pre-pandemic era). It also felt reinvigorated, with many new motivations and areas to discuss. Of course, AI agents and Model Context Protocol (MCP) stole the show.



Some of my key takeaways:


More AI = more APIs: The heightened focus on making AI agents actionable means more core API use.


MCP growth: MCP has gained incredible mindshare, but we'll have to see more proven use cases and value. What will next year bring for the universal AI connector? 


Securing AI: Agentic API consumption requires better authorization, just-in-time access scoping, and governance, all rooted in standards.


Design and business fundamentals: Technical shifts are occurring (like Arazzo specification, TypeSpec, and new AI gateways). We're also seeing new monetization strategies emerge for AI.


I had a blast MC'ing the whole event for the first time. Thank you to Ioana for snagging these great pictures of my keynote, panel discussions, and the unconference.


Platform Summit dates are announced at the same venue for Oct 12-14, 2026 — more info to come soon...

Colorful hot air balloons against a bright blue sky.
By Bill Doerrfeld September 26, 2025
For my latest DirectorPlus edition, I interviewed Thomas Johnson, co-founder and CTO of Multiplayer, about lessons learned releasing their MCP server.
Abstract blue web-like structure, possibly fabric, with a shimmering effect.
By Bill Doerrfeld September 23, 2025
Explore whether vector native databases outperform traditional DBs with vector add-ons for AI. Learn use cases, tradeoffs, and expert insights.
Man presenting at the Nordic APIs conference, standing in front of a screen, with audience.
By Bill Doerrfeld September 17, 2025
Join me in Stockholm for Platform Summit 2025 and the API Security UnConference, October 13–15. Exciting talks, networking, and more.
A grey articulated figure kneeling, arranging small white objects in a clear plastic container. White background.
By Bill Doerrfeld September 11, 2025
MCP shines for indeterministic workflows, novel integrations, and giving AI coding agents context on the fly. But for more predictable automation it may be overengineeering.
Overhead view of construction site with workers in orange vests, metal beams, and dark concrete.
By Bill Doerrfeld August 30, 2025
For my latest DirectorPlus column with LeadDev, I synced with JB Brown, VP of engineering at Smartsheet, to learn about their multi-agent AI development strategy.
Pink and purple sunset sky with dark, fluffy clouds.
By Bill Doerrfeld August 25, 2025
Alternative clouds are having a moment. Nearly 75% of orgs are using two or more alt clouds beyond the hyperscalers, according to a HostingAdvice.com report.
Digital global CIOs digital sovereignty
By Bill Doerrfeld August 20, 2025
The cloud is no longer borderless. Rising regional data laws and sovereign cloud mandates are forcing CIOs to act.
A
By Bill Doerrfeld August 11, 2025
In a multi-agent coding workflow, an engineer leads a "team" of specialist AI agents to perform various SDLC tasks: scaffolding, coding, testing, log analysis, deployment, and more.
Open source software churn end of life
By Bill Doerrfeld August 8, 2025
Open-source software churn is accelerating. With more frequent version end-of-lives and even total project abandonments, it's harder than ever to keep up.
Hype drives most programming language igrationsigra
By Bill Doerrfeld July 30, 2025
I covered a report from HostingAdvice.com, which found that the majority of programming language migrations are driven by hype, instead of proven outcomes.