As Europe's leading global platform for developers, WeAreDevelopers brings together voices that are not only shaping the future of technology, but redefining it. Its flagship event in Europe gathers more than 15,000 attendees annually to engage in conversations covering AI, software development, Cloud, DevOps, UX & UI, blockchain, and more. Featuring esteemed speakers from companies like NVIDIA, GitHub, and Amazon, WeAreDevelopers packs a program of keynotes, workshops, and masterclasses among a vibrant tech expo to build relationships that extend beyond the event itself.
This fall, WeAreDevelopers will launch its inaugural U.S. edition with WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, which is expected to draw 10,000+ attendees on September 23-25 in San Jose, Calif. We sat down with Sead Ahmetovic, CEO & Co-Founder of WeAreDevelopers, about exciting updates planned for their first-ever U.S. event, can't-miss sessions to experience onsite, and how to increase your chances to some day speak on stage.
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This is the first time WeAreDevelopers is bringing its event to North America. What sets WeAreDevelopers apart from other developer events?
Sead: What sets WeAreDevelopers apart is that we’ve always been developer-first and vendor-neutral. We don’t built events around a single platform, product, or hype cycle. We focus on how software and real products are actually built, shipped, and scaled in the real world.
Covering the entire software development lifecycle matters because modern software development doesn't work in silos anymore. Decisions made in architecture, tooling, security, or deployment directly affect product quality, scalability, and user experience. By bringing these perspectives together—across AI, cloud, architecture, DevOps, frontend, backend, and security—we reflect how software is actually built today.
Our events are designed as ecosystems, not single-time conferences. They combine deep technical content, long-term growth opportunities, and genuine community exchange.
What fueled the decision to host your first-ever event in San José?
Sead: San José was a deliberate choice. We didn’t just want a big-name city. We wanted a place where technology is challenged, built, and lived every day. We took a look at several different cities across the US: Austin, Seattle, New York, Chicago, and more.
There was something about San José that got us hooked. First, it sits at the very heart of Silicon Valley, not just geographically, but historically and culturally. It combines deep tech roots, global accessibility, strong infrastructure, and a local community we can integrate into. Second, and just as important: the City of San José didn’t just want to host another event. They wanted to build this together with us. That partnership mindset made the difference.
What excites you the most about this year’s conference?
Sead: What excites me most is that this marks the beginning of a new conversation between Europe and North America across the global tech community. We’re connecting ecosystems that have learned different lessons, built different strengths, and are now facing very similar challenges—especially around AI, scale, and responsibility.
Silicon Valley is where the spirit of tech was shaped, where people like Steve Wozniak grew up, met local hacker culture, and helped build world-changing enterprises out of garages and pure belief in technology. Curiosity-driven, hands-on, and deeply rooted in the joy of building. That constant flow of new talent, ideas, and ambition is what keeps our ecosystem alive.
For us, that combination is powerful, as WeAreDevelopers is about people who build. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Hosting our first North American World Congress in a place that so clearly embodies both the origins of modern computing and the next generation of builders makes the Bay Area the perfect home for this new chapter.
What lessons learned from your past events are you carrying forward for North America—and what’s changing?
Sead: One key lesson we’ve learned is that developers are builders who value substance over spectacle. Scale matters, but only if the content is credible, practical, and transferable. That’s why we continue to focus on engineering in a real-world problem-solving setting, not theory or marketing. We’re also carrying forward the importance of community. Creating spaces for meaningful exchange, not just passive consumption.
What’s changing is how deliberately we connect regions. WeAreDevelopers has always thought globally, with strong participation from US companies, speakers, and partners from the very beginning. With WeAreDevelopers World Congress in North America, we’re taking the next step and actively connecting global ecosystems. We don’t think in terms of isolated events, but as complementary parts of one global platform to foster transatlantic conversations allowing different communities to learn from each other and build on shared experience.
That tighter integration reflects how global the builder community has become. The goal is not duplication, but reinforcement—creating stronger value by connecting ecosystems rather than treating regions separately.
What is something you wish more attendees knew when attending WeAreDevelopers? Any hidden gems or can’t-miss moments?
Sead: Many attendees underestimate how much value happens outside the main stages. The keynotes and technical sessions matter, but some of the most valuable moments come from hallway conversations, hands-on sessions, and spontaneous discussions at the expo. We intentionally design the Congress to encourage exactly that kind of exchange. Many developers tell us their biggest takeaways came from sessions slightly outside their comfort zone
And then there are the moments you can’t really plan for. We’ve seen some important announcements and first-time reveals happen on our stages. GitHub Copilot, for example, was first presented publicly at WeAreDevelopers World Congress when GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke introduced the public beta. Those kinds of moments happen because companies know they’re speaking directly to a serious builder audience. Attendees often don’t realize until afterward that they were among the first to see something that later became mainstream.
What makes a speaker stand out the most for the WeAreDevelopers program?
Sead: Those speakers who bring real experience, not just polished slides. We look for people who have actually built, shipped, broken, and fixed things. People who can explain the trade-offs they made along the way. The best talks don’t present perfect solutions, they share honest insights about complexity, constraints, and learning. For us, clarity matters more than hype.
What are the most common mistakes you see from applicants looking to speak at WeAreDevelopers?
Sead: The most common mistake is being too abstract. Some submissions focus on trends or visions without grounding them in real-world experience. We’re not looking for marketing pitches or high-level predictions. We’re looking for practical lessons, concrete examples, and transferable insights.
Another mistake is underestimating the audience. Our attendees are experienced builders and tech leaders. They value deep technical content and substance. They are looking for knowledge that they can immediately apply in their everyday work or upcoming projects.
What trends are you seeing across the developer community that you want to see featured on stage?
Sead: One major trend we want to feature more strongly is that AI is moving from infrastructure to application. A lot of the conversation is still about models, tooling, and compute. What’s increasingly important, and still underrepresented, is how AI is embedded into real products, workflows, and industries—and what that means in practice for developers building and operating those systems.
Another trend is the evolving role of developers themselves. Software is becoming less expensive and faster to build, which doesn’t reduce demand, it multiplies it. Think of Jevons’ paradox. More software means more systems, more integration, and more complexity. As a result, the bar is rising for skills like systems thinking, architecture, and making informed trade-offs, not just writing code.
What is one thing you want people to take away from attending WeAreDevelopers?
Sead: Three things: clarity, curiosity, and connections.
Clarity means understanding what actually matters right now, what can wait, and where to focus energy in a fast-moving technology landscape. If people leave knowing how to apply what they’ve learned in their own work, we’ve done our job.
Curiosity is about staying open—exploring ideas beyond your immediate role or stack and questioning assumptions.
And connections matter because innovation and generation of value don’t happen in isolation. If people leave having learned not just from the stage, but from each other—across other builders, companies, cultures, and backgrounds—then the event has delivered real value.
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