Scaling DevTools DevRel is unbelievably back - with swyx
13 snips
Dec 5, 2025 
Shawn 'swyx' Wang, a developer advocate and founder of the AI Engineer conference, shares his insights on the resurgent world of DevRel. He discusses his intriguing conversation with Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan about AI in biomedical research. Shawn contrasts the challenges of scaling biology with AI advancements and the crucial role of DevRel in grassroots adoption. He also addresses the pressures of the current VC investment bubble and how modern skills in short-form content are transforming the landscape.
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AI Shifts Focus To Hard Sciences
- AI will push research into hard sciences where specialists and ML engineers collaborate to solve PhD-level problems.
- Non-specialists empowered with AI can often outperform traditional specialists when combined with domain experts.
Developer Relations Is Back
- DevRel faded in visibility but has resurged as developer-focused outreach becomes crucial again.
- The role now emphasizes short-form video, streaming, and online presence more than traditional blogging and conferences.
Anthropic Struggled To Hire DevRel
- Anthropic was cited as a developer AI company struggling to fill a head of developer position despite huge revenue.
- This highlighted renewed demand for experienced DevRel talent in AI startups.
