Building Netlify: From Vision to Enterprise - Insights from CEO Matt Biilmann

Dive into an insightful 1 hour 39 minute conversation with Matt Biilmann, CEO of Netlify, as he shares the journey of building Netlify, inventing the Jamstack, and tackling engineering challenges. Explore the evolution of Netlify's architecture, from innovative deploy previews to a custom CDN capable of handling high traffic and resisting DDoS attacks. Gain valuable insights into the role of a founder CEO, the importance of developer advocacy, and strategies for enterprise selling. Learn about Netlify's commitment to open source, continuous improvement, and the integration of AI features to enhance user experience. Discover how Netlify is simplifying the developer experience with new features for frameworks like Next.js, Remix, and Astro, and understand the significance of a free tier in driving adoption. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned CEO, or a curious developer, this talk offers a wealth of knowledge on building and scaling a successful tech platform.

Introduction and Background
The Vision for Netlify
Challenges and Resistance
Self-Belief and Conviction
The Git-Centric Workflow
Scaling to Functions and Custom CDN
Building a Software-Only CDN
Open Sourcing Netlify
Separation of Concerns
The Role of the CEO and Founder
Handling Traffic Spikes and DDoS Attacks
The Importance of a Free Tier
Bottom-Up Approach and Enterprise Selling
The Evolution of Revenue Generation
The Power of Developer Advocacy
Handling Large Enterprise Clients
Netlify's Enterprise Customers
Improvements to Netlify's Local Development Experience
Simplifying Adapters for Frameworks
Improving Caching for Dynamic Content
New Features for Frameworks on Netlify
Simplified Next.js Runtime on Netlify
Long-Running Functions and Jobs
AI Features and UI 2.0
Using AI to Improve Netlify's Product
Shortening the Time from Code to Production
The Role of a Founder CEO