MCP: What API providers need to know

Bill Doerrfeld | December 2, 2025

My keynote from Platform Summit 2025 is now live.


Excited to share my talk from Nordic APIs' Platform Summit 2025 — MCP: What API Providers Need to Know.


As the opening talk of the event, I wanted to address the elephant in the room head-on: MCP.


Model Context Protocol (MCP) was on everyone's radar throughout 2025, and for good reason. It has quickly emerged as a universal connector for AI, giving agents a consistent way to interface with APIs.


In this 28-minute talk, I cover the rise of agents and why context matters, and then look at what MCP is, what it can be used for, and walk through examples of MCP servers and tools now appearing in the market.


I also share early best practices we observed in 2025 — like why you shouldn't wrap an API one-to-one, why natural language naming matters, and where security risks are already showing up.


This is by no means exhaustive, and the video was recorded in October and things have even progressed since then! But I hope it gives a good overview of what API-first-minded architects should consider with MCP.


You can also check out all the other great sessions from Platform Summit 2025 in this playlist.

Other Blog Posts

Inside Shopify's "high-intensity" engineering culture

By Bill Doerrfeld • August 27, 2026
My latest DirectorPlus edition interviews Shopify's head of engineering, Farhan Thawar, on their unique internal engineering culture.

The rise of neoclouds in AI compute

By Bill Doerrfeld • August 24, 2026
Neoclouds promise cheaper GPUs and AI-optimized infrastructure, but can they really challenge hyperscalers? My feature on InfoWorld explores their advantages, risks, and likely role in AI compute.

Can AI finally stop software knowledge decay?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 29, 2026
My latest for LeadDev interviews IBM's Neel Sundaresan on how to prevent a decades-old issue in software engineering.

Can zero standing privilege secure agentic AI?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 13, 2026
The latest advancement in identity and access management (IAM) is something called zero standing privilege. It's a response to new agentic AI risks.

Are shared libraries on their way out?

By Bill Doerrfeld • July 7, 2026
Big surprise: it's way easier to generate new code with AI than to reuse old code. But what are the long-term effects?

AI coding agents are now the default

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 25, 2026
Agentic coding tools have become the default. "When we've taken that away accidentally from people, they scream."

Your AI model might disappear tomorrow: what now?

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 17, 2026
My latest for LeadDev considers how engineering leaders should respond in the wake of uncertainty in the AI model market.

My research into 10 MCP gateways

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 10, 2026
I'm working with Zuplo on some new content around their MCP Gateway release. First up: a deep comparison of MCP gateways on the market!

Signs point to AI talent redistribution, not replacement

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 10, 2026
The constant barrage of AI layoffs is overshadowing the economic reasons behind these cuts, as well as the net-positive talent redistribution happening at large.

Reviewing MCP servers to connect with databases

By Bill Doerrfeld • June 8, 2026
My latest for InfoWorld reviews MCP servers and agent-ready tools for connecting AI agents with popular database styles.