Reflecting on WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2024

Reflecting on WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2024

The Twilio team just returned from the vibrant city of Berlin, where the WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2024 brought together an astounding 15,000 tech enthusiasts, developers, and industry leaders from around the globe. Attending the event with two hats—both as an eager attendee and a proud sponsor—allowed me to fully immerse myself in the experience. As your trusted partner for Communication APIs, Twilio was there to share, learn, and connect. Here’s a recap of the highlights and moments that made WWC 2024 an unforgettable experience for us.

With my “Attendee Hat” on

As an attendee (and developer), I was genuinely inspired by the high-caliber talks and hands-on workshops. The opportunity to hear from world-class speakers who are leading the charge in technological innovation was truly exciting. Interacting with fellow developers and exchanging ideas made the experience even more enriching.

Inspiring keynotes: A glimpse into the future

The main stage at WWC 2024 was a hub of inspiration and innovation, featuring keynote talks from some of the most significant figures in the tech world. This year's lineup did not disappoint. Here are a few of the must-watch keynotes:

- Douglas Crockford provided an illuminating look at "JSON and Beyond." He shared the true story of where JSON came from, how it became what it is, and what comes next. On top, Crockford once and for all settled the debate: tabs vs. spaces. ( Gated Recording)

- Rajeev Rajan, CTO of Atlassian, presented "Developer Experience in the Age of AI." He discussed how developer tooling will transform in the future. Rajeev talked about their AI-driven innovations at Atlassian and how they incorporate feedback received over the past 12 months. He pre-announced results from their annual developer survey, highlighting how software development teams are managing increasing complexity, and laid out a vision for AI as a developer’s assistant to bring more "developer joy." ( Gated Recording)

- Peter Bosch, CEO of Cariad, took us through "Software Defines the Vehicle: Why Customers and Developers Will Love Cars Even More." Bosch explained the shift from hardware-defined to software-defined vehicles, exploring future capabilities and the evolving role of European car manufacturers. ( Recording)

These thought-provoking sessions set the tone for an event rich in knowledge and inspiration, reminding us all of the power of technology to drive change.

Swag galore: Twilio style!

No tech event is complete without some fantastic swag, and many sponsors made sure to deliver. Our neighboring booth literally had a line at all times during the expo hours when attendees claimed the swag they won.

But we did also well: Our infamous Twilio t-shirts were back by popular demand, but this year we also introduced some new items to excite our developer friends. We handed out cute plush owls and the new sticker sheets, to our surprise, were a huge hit amongst all attendees. It’s always a joy to see the Twilio logo worn with pride, and this year's WWC was no exception.

Hands-On workshops and insightful talks

WWC 2024 offered more than just talks—it provided immersive, hands-on experiences for all participants. Overall, there were more than 300 different sessions covering all topics that are top of mind for developers. From the latest cloud technologies, over DevOps to product management.One standout was our WhatsApp workshop, led by our experts Nathaniel and Sam. Packed with eager developers, the session covered how to send your first WhatsApp message via Twilio’s WhatsApp Business API.

We also featured several high-impact sessions:

Performant Architecture for a Fast Gen AI User Experience: Nathaniel Okenwa demonstrated strategies to reduce latency in web applications using Generative AI tools, making for smoother and more efficient user experiences.

Turning Messages into Actions: Building Apps with SMS and WhatsApp Connectivity: Nathaniel Okenwa and Sam Agnew taught participants how to seamlessly integrate messaging platforms like WhatsApp and SMS into apps. They showed how to bridge these platforms with language models for intelligent, real-time interactions.

Diving into Developer Experience: Ricky Holtz shared Twilio’s Developer Experience, focusing on how lessons learned over the past decade have informed the creation of a more user-friendly, efficient API.

With my “Sponsor Hat” on

Wearing my sponsor hat, WWC 2024 was also an incredible experience. It was great to meet so many enthusiastic developers, share what we’ve been working on at Twilio, and see the genuine excitement for our swag and sessions.

Engaging with developers

One of the highlights of WWC 2024 for the Twilio team was the opportunity to engage with thousands of dynamic and passionate developers. From novices eager to learn to seasoned professionals sharing their expertise, the diversity of skills and experiences was astounding. Conversations ranged from deep technical dives into specific programming challenges to broader discussions about trends and innovations shaping the future of technology. For example, when Fabian stopped by and our conversation about the WhatsApp smoothie ordering system (see below) led to an interesting conversation about things you can build with the WhatsApp Business API. In fact, it turns out both of us already had ideas to upgrade the guest experience of weddings with them.

In the spirit of support and generosity, Twilio was delighted to invite a few developers from our community. Two of our Champions—a group of recognized experts among our developer ecosystem, known for their exceptional contributions—received GA passes, and one lucky winner from the Code 100 puzzle competition received a VIP pass, courtesy of Twilio. We loved supporting and sharing these incredible experiences with these developers.

Fueling up with over 1,000 health smoothies

We believe a healthy body fuels a creative mind, so we were thrilled to serve over 1,000 health smoothies throughout the event. Whether attendees were there for the latest in coding or just needed a quick energy boost, our smoothie bar was a hit. It was heartening to see so many developers enjoying a nutritious blend while networking and brainstorming their next big ideas.

Fun and learning with the 'Wheel of Twilio' and Python trivia

To add a fun twist to the tech-heavy event, we introduced the Wheel of Twilio, where more than 1000 attendees had the chance to win exciting prizes. Participants could pick their favorite programming language, and then the wheel would stop at a random entry. This brought a light-hearted, competitive spirit to the booth, drawing a crowd and sparking joy. Through this engaging activity, we also gathered interesting insights: JavaScript emerged as the most popular programming language among the attendees. We were also surprised which language came in last.