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Summary
By William Channer | 8 Dec 2011 | Length: 22 mins Jeff explains how he built a community around developers and why the demo is the most powerful asset for a startup. He also reveals the mindset of the purchasing developer and how to create a good API.Useful Tools
Jeff Lawson
Developing a Community and API for Developers
Advice
Designing intuitive APIs is hard, but my recommendation is to make sure your API makes sense as a user of your system, not the designer of the system. Design the API first. Many API developers release an API that’s based on their internal models. But you may suffer from the curse of knowledge, so make sure you think about how your customers will perceive your domain objects.
Jeff is co-founder and CEO of Twilio, where he brings over 10 years of entrepreneurial product leadership experience. Before Twilio, Jeff served as Product Manager for Amazon Web Services, and has held founding executive roles for NineStar, Stubhub and Versity.
Facts
Born : 1977, Cincinnati OH
Education : University of Michigan, Film & Computer Science
Favorite Book : Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Favorite Film : Usual Suspects
Favorite Gadget : iPhone
Favorite Meal : Bi Bim Bop
Favorite Music : Classic Rock
Favorite Place : The Couch
Favorite Software : Keynote
Favorite Website : Explodingdog
First Job : Event videographer
Role Model : Jeff Bezos





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