My article about PostgreSQL is live on LeadDev

Bill Doerrfeld | May 4, 2024

PostgreSQL is the database that quietly ate the world.

Due to its simple and permissive license, community backing, and extensibility, PostgreSQL has silently found itself at the center of modern software development.

I'm excited to share my new post on LeadDev that looks at the ubiquity of PostgreSQL, its history of slow and steady improvements, and why the community loves it so.

I was surprised to see such positive responses from everyone I spoke with. I also like shining a light on a stable, open-source community project that's just been doing its thing for years. And years. And years...

Thanks a lot to everyone who connected with me on this one!


I'm looking forward to diving into areas like WebAssembly and open source AI in future articles for this presence. If you happen to have ideas or leads in those areas, feel free to reach out.

Build the machine that builds the machine

By Bill Doerrfeld • December 19, 2025
My latest DirectorPlus column with LeadDev interviews Bedrock Robotics' CTO, Kevin Peterson, on what it takes to develop highly adaptable and safe autonomous machines.

What makes a great tech conference abstract?

By Bill Doerrfeld • December 17, 2025
I explore some tips to help speakers craft solid pitches. The Nordic APIs speaker selection committee looks for these sorts of things, but the tips could apply to any tech event.

What will 2026 hold for AI and APIs?

By Bill Doerrfeld • December 11, 2025
I made 10 predictions on how AI and APIs will converge in 2026. Signs point to AI agents being the next big API consumer.
Brain in a gravitational well, surrounded by concentric circles, with blue lines extending from the brain.

Tap these 10 MCP servers to supercharge devops

By Bill Doerrfeld • December 8, 2025
My latest for InfoWorld breaks down 10 MCP servers powering next-gen devops workflows, from GitHub and Atlassian to AWS and Pulumi.
Man speaking at

MCP: What API providers need to know

By Bill Doerrfeld • December 2, 2025
Excited to share my talk from Nordic APIs' Platform Summit 2025. As the opening talk of the event, I wanted to address the elephant in the room head-on: MCP.
Panel discussion on stage with five speakers and audience in front of a blue screen with speaker names.

Platform Summit 2025 videos are live!

By Bill Doerrfeld • December 1, 2025
Watch all the great API talks, keynotes, and panel discussions from this year's Nordic APIs Platform Summit, now available on YouTube.
Open source flag leaddev directorplus doerrfeld Block

Why open source is more than a technical strategy

By Bill Doerrfeld • November 28, 2025
Block's open source initiative is helping to build brand reputation, attract talent, boost partnerships, guide internal open source best practices, and aid long-term system reliability.
How CIOs are getting a return from AI

How CIOs are getting an ROI from AI

By Bill Doerrfeld • November 26, 2025
Achieving ROI with AI requires a mix of strong leadership stewardship upfront, shifting the talent framework, and embedding proper monitoring and governance throughout the lifecycle.
Knowledge base for AI agents

How do you craft a great AI knowledge base?

By Bill Doerrfeld • November 24, 2025
I recently explored what goes into creating a solid AI agent knowledge base — from the types of data it should contain to the retrieval mechanisms and architecture patterns that support reliable agentic behavior.
linkedin ai assistant hiring agent

A peek behind LinkedIn's AI hiring agent

By Bill Doerrfeld • October 31, 2025
I recently spoke with LinkedIn VP of Engineering Prashanthi Padmanabhan about the making of their Hiring Assistant, an agent recruiters are using to optimize the applicant selection process.