DeveloperWeek 2025

Arcade Lounge
Chill in the lounge & try your hand at Pac-Man & other retro games!

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Games Lounge
Play a game or two as you wait for the next session to begin!

Krishna Sankar, U.S. Bank, SVP/Distinguished Engineer
OWASP Certified 

Complete specific tasks at DeveloperWeek 2025 to earn "Dev Cash" to redeem for DeveloperWeek 2025 Prizes!
https://www.developerweek.com/dev-challenge/

Shambhavi Srivastava, Appen, AI Solutions Architect

Data annotation involves assigning relevant information to raw data to enhance machine learning (ML) model performance. While this process is crucial, it can be time-consuming and expensive. The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) offers a unique opportunity to automate data annotation. However, the complexity of data annotation, stemming from unclear task instructions and subjective human judgment on equivocal data points, presents challenges that are not immediately apparent.

In this session, Chris Stephens, Field CTO and Head of AI Solutions at Appen will provide a overview of an experiment that the company recently conducted to test the tradeoff between quality and cost of training ML models via LLMs vs human input. Their goal was to differentiate between utterances that could be confidently annotated by LLMs, and those that required human intervention. This differentiation was crucial to ensure a diverse range of opinions or to prevent incorrect responses from overly general models. Chris will walk audience members through the dataset used as well as methodology for the experiment, as well as the company’s research findings.

 

Benji Azaria, Cloudinary, VP Data

Most of our customers do not know how to quantify the time and money we save them, as they don't analyze data or calculate the value we provide. This lack of understanding makes it challenging to renew licenses or secure repeat purchases. If customers understood the exact savings, their satisfaction would increase, leading to internal marketing and higher consumption. Despite having extensive data on customer actions, we've primarily used it internally. Our customers are eager to understand how they compare to competitors, their effective use of our services, and potential growth areas. Providing this information will help them articulate our value and calculate ROI, making license renewals easier. In my presentation, I will detail our process, share industry examples, and highlight the impact on customers and our organization 

Parth Shukla, Cequence Security, Security Analyst
Khyati Ganatra, Cequence Security,  Manager, Applied ML 

In the presentation titled "AI Frontiers: Shielding Digital Gateways from Bot Invasions," we delve into the forefront of cyber defense against bot-driven threats that exploit API vulnerabilities. This comprehensive study explores how advanced AI and ML models are being harnessed to fortify digital defenses, offering a detailed analysis of API communication patterns and the evolving landscape of bot attacks. Through a series of real-world case studies, we illuminate the mechanisms of sophisticated bot strategies—ranging from data breaches and account takeovers to shopping bots that deplete inventories. The narrative progresses to unveil how AI/ML technologies serve as the cornerstone of innovative defense mechanisms. We dissect the architecture of AI-driven systems tailored to detect and counteract anomalous behaviors indicative of bot activities, leveraging vast datasets to train ML models that adeptly differentiate between legitimate user interactions and malicious bot intrusions. The discussion further navigates through the technical and operational nuances of implementing AI/ML defenses, emphasizing predictive analytics for preemptive action, machine learning for dynamic threat adaptation, and the overarching impact of such technologies in securing digital ecosystems against the insidious threats posed by automated attacks. This presentation not only highlights the challenges but also showcases the resilience and adaptability of AI/ML solutions in the ever-evolving battle against digital villains.

Mahesh Chayel, Meta, Product Management Lead

Product managers face numerous challenges in delivering a seamless customer experience for enterprises, including managing complex product portfolios, personalizing experiences at scale, maintaining consistency across channels, and proactively resolving issues. They struggle with efficient knowledge management, handling high volumes of inquiries, understanding customer sentiment, and reducing churn. To address these challenges, enterprises must streamline onboarding processes, provide multilingual support, and strike a balance between automation and human touch. Continuous improvement is also crucial to meet evolving customer needs.

In this session, I will share how by leveraging AI technologies, PMs can enhance their customer experience, leading to increased satisfaction, loyalty, and business growth.

Oz Katz, Treeverse, CTO & Co-Founder

Langchain has become one of the most popular frameworks for anyone building custom, generative AI-driven apps powered by LLMs, that leverage RAG for the most enhanced results. But like all data products, these applications are really only as good as the org data fed into them.

In this live session you’ll learn how to build a reproducible AI app pipeline with Langchain & lakeFS, including how to build a RAG chatbot, while iteratively tuning it for best results leveraging Delta Lake’s temporal versions, you’ll come away with improved methods for data reproducibility for custom AI apps.

Shay Mandel, Next Insurance, Product Architect

Large features that stretch over 6 or more can quickly become monstrous undertakings, filled with hidden traps that can derail even the most experienced product managers. From dealing with overlapping initiatives and shifting company strategies to navigating the rapid rise of new technologies like AI, these projects are fraught with complexities. Add in the challenges of managing team dynamics, preventing feature creep, and keeping executive buy-in, and the path forward can seem daunting.

In this session, we’ll share case studies that break down the five biggest traps that long-term features can present and provide you with practical strategies to avoid them. Discover how to keep your team focused, safeguard your feature’s scope, and secure ongoing executive support. We’ll also explore how leveraging Scrum can help you manage these complexities, ensuring your project stays on track.

Attend this session to gain actionable insights and tools to turn long-term challenges into opportunities for success, making you a more effective and resilient product manager.

Alison Cossette, Neo4j, Data Science Strategist, Advocate, Educator

As generative AI continues to push boundaries, creating novel content by learning from massive datasets, we are faced with complex issues around intellectual property, privacy, and the ethical use of data. Current systems of copyright, fair use, and data protection lack the scope to fully address the unique challenges posed by AI pattern recognition and generation.

This pivotal talk introduces the pioneering concept of "Pattern Rights" - a holistic ethical framework to inform the development and deployment of generative AI technologies. Pattern Rights serves as an umbrella construct, encompassing principles of copyright, fair use, training data transparency, privacy, data ownership, and accountability.

We will explore how Pattern Rights can ensure appropriate attribution and compensation when AI models learn from copyrighted works or personal data. It establishes guidelines around consent, anonymization, and ethical data sourcing practices.

As the AI industry is rapidly evolving, we urgently need governance to foster innovation while upholding rights and safeguarding against misuse. Pattern Rights provides a roadmap to navigate this uncharted territory responsibly and equitably.

Emerson Taymor, InfoBeans, SVP, Design

Drawing inspiration from the Renaissance, a time of explosive cultural and economic growth, we explore how GenAI is poised to revolutionize product development. I’ll explore its groundbreaking impact on global collaboration, user research, and product development process. I will also highlight potential caveats and pitfalls. This talk promises an action-packed look at GenAI's role in shaping a new era of human-centric and economically impactful product development, ensuring you're equipped to experiment in this modern renaissance. 

Dan Edwards, Crowe, Managing Director

In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are rapidly evolving, the accounting profession stands at the precipice of significant transformation. This session aims to demystify the impact of AI technologies, such as Microsoft Copilot, on the future of accounting.

Join us for an insightful exploration into the capabilities of AI in the accounting space, where we will delve into the current state of AI tools like Microsoft Copilot, their potential to automate complex accounting tasks, and the implications for accounting professionals.

This session is designed for accounting professionals at all levels who are seeking to understand the impact of AI on their careers and how to strategically position themselves for success in a rapidly changing technological landscape. Whether you're a seasoned CPA or a recent graduate, this session will provide valuable insights into the future of accounting.

Michael Mace, UserTesting, VP Market Strategy

The idea of failing fast has become so central to Agile development that it’s almost a religious belief. It’s been the subject of countless articles and even full books. According to Google Trends, the phrase “fail fast” has been on the rise since late 2009.

We’ve become so focused on the “fail fast” mantra that it’s easy to forget that the goal of failing fast isn’t actually to fail; it’s to maximize your speed of learning, so you can evolve a better product quickly. Back when cloud computing first appeared, deploying software was so fast and customer research so slow that it made sense to try things and see what worked rather than waiting months to do a research study.

But today the situation has changed. Through fast feedback products, you can now get customer feedback almost instantly on virtually any idea or experience —within a sprint, without waiting to ship it.

In this session we'll give specifics on how product teams are using fast feedback to make higher-confidence decisions without slowing down the agile process -- reducing rework and increasing customer satisfaction. We'll give real-world examples and practical advice based on UserTesting's own processes, plus examples from other companies.

Utkarsh Contractor, Aisera, VP of AI

Enterprises are on the cusp of a transformative shift. They are moving beyond task-specific AI to embrace agentic systems capable of autonomous decision-making and actions through probabilistic reasoning. This evolution marks a new era of autonomy, where AI not only augments human capabilities but also drives business outcomes by:
- Optimizing Operations: Self-regulating systems enhance efficiency, ensure compliance, and proactively mitigate risks.
- Accelerating Innovation: Data-driven insights fuel strategic decision-making, enabling rapid market adaptation.
- Enhancing Customer Experience: Intelligent agents anticipate customer needs, delivering personalized solutions.

Although the potential benefits are immense, successful implementation demands a strategic approach that encompasses ethical considerations, security, and complexity management.

Join Utkarsh Contractor, VP of AI/ML at Aisera, as we explore the opportunities and challenges of this paradigm shift and how organizations can harness agentic AI to achieve sustained competitive advantage.

Sam Bradley, PayPal, Director of Product Management, Offers & Rewards

A talk on how to approach building and measuring trust in products that product managers lead. The talk will review several examples around a framework of measuring trust. I will also review the impact of AI on trust with customers and how that will continue to evolve as the technology becomes more mainstream

 

Ajit Ghuman, Monetizely, CEO

Pricing strategy can be the difference between growth and stagnation for SaaS companies. Drawing on examples from Twilio, Zoom, and Medallia, Ajit Ghuman will guide participants through the process of building a robust pricing model that aligns with business goals. This session will cover key aspects of pricing such as selecting the right metrics, avoiding common packaging pitfalls, and designing flexible, scalable pricing structures. Whether your company is pre-IPO or scaling post-IPO, this session will provide critical insights into how the best SaaS companies price and package their products. 

Join us for networking in the Networking Lounges on the Expo Hall Floor!

Jocelyn Matthews, Pinecone, DevRel, Head of Community

If you had a collection of every kind of animal on earth, from mules to narwhals to goldfish, how would we pick out just the animals that are housepets? And how does AI distinguish between a pack mule and a Moscow Mule?

Embeddings are numerical representations that capture the essential features and relationships of discrete objects, like words or images, in a continuous vector space, enabling tasks such as semantic search, clustering, and recommendations.

This is a dense but entertaining talk about the core concepts of embeddings, ranging from multidimensional vector space to the ever-familiar box of crayons we used as kids. The presentation will cover fundamental concepts, including how embeddings represent various data types, the importance of context sensitivity, and between dimensionality.

The talk introduces specialized terms and breaks them down into simple, everyday examples to help learners relate difficult concepts to familiar things. Then, we build back up to the specialized terms to deepen understanding.

Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how embeddings work, their benefits, and why they are leveraged in machine learning tasks

Dev AfterHours @ DeveloperWeek 2025!

Details coming soon!