APIs as the Execution Layer of AI with Postman's Rodric Rabbah
In this episode of Hanselminutes, Scott Hanselman chats with Roderick Rabah, Head of Product at Postman Flows, about the evolution of software development, the intersection of APIs and AI, and finding the "right layer of abstraction" for problem-solving. Drawing on his deep expertise in compiler optimization, distributed systems, and serverless computing, Rabah shares his perspectives on building tools that empower developers to create efficiently and explores the paradigm shift toward visual programming and AI-driven automation.The conversation dives into how Postman is innovating in the software space, how approaches to software engineering are transforming with generative AI, and why embracing new ways of working is critical for staying ahead in this rapidly evolving technological landscape. Key Topics[01:08] Introduction of Roderick Rabah: From research scientist to API innovator[02:14] Evolution of software development: From FPGAs to serverless computing[03:23] APIs and AI: The transformative intersection powering workflows[05:33] The rise of tool-calling and agents: Simplifying backend tasks[07:33] Managing complexity: Why structured APIs make integration seamless[12:08] Visual programming languages: The paradigm shift for developers[16:42] Postman Flows: Building applications through visual workflows[20:24] Embracing generative AI: How senior and junior engineers benefit[29:02] Deploying with WebAssembly: Making cloud integration accessible[30:33] Reflections on the future of technology and its impact on software careersMain TakeawaysAPI + AI Integration: APIs combined with large language models are unlocking new capabilities for software development by abstracting complex operations and enabling automation.Visual Programming Paradigm Shift: Applications are increasingly built using visual workflows where developers focus on intent rather than low-level code implementation, driving efficiency and accessibility.Generative AI Empowerment: Generative AI tools are accelerating the pace of innovation, empowering engineers to fix bugs, streamline workflows, and manage edge cases efficiently.Structured APIs Critical for AI: Thoughtfully designed APIs with proper documentation and safeguards are essential to ensure that autonomous AI agents interact correctly and securely.Accessible Deployment: New runtime frameworks, like serverless with WebAssembly, make it easier for developers to deploy applications across the cloud, enabling broader adoption of AI-driven solutions.Notable Quotes"Serverless is where you think about servers less." – Scott Hanselman"At what point does communicating your intent to AI become programming again?" – Roderick Rabah"Visual programming resonates with builders because it matches the mental model of decomposing problems." – Roderick Rabah"Technology transforms rapidly. You have to figure out how to wield this immense power." – Roderick Rabah"Don’t throw away your critical thinking just because AI makes building faster." – Roderick RabahResources MentionedPostman Flows – Tools for visual programming and API integrations: postman.comReplit – Generative coding platform for automating development tasks: replit.comWebAssembly – Runtime framework for deploying serverless applications: webassembly.orgBooks on Compiler Theory: Suggested resource for expanding understanding of abstractionsFollow along for more insights, tips, and conversations with industry leaders. These show notes summarize key moments in the podcast for easy reference and understanding - these show notes were generated by a custom gpt-4o-nano model trained in previous episodes of Hanselminutes
---
Hanselminutes Podcast by Scott Hanselman
The Hanselminutes podcast
Fresh Tech Talk from Fresh Faces
[Image: That's good Mojo - Creating a Programming Language for an AI world with Chris Lattner]
That's good Mojo - Creating a Programming Language for an AI world with Chris Lattner
Show #1037 Feb 19 2026
Podcast Player with Transcript Help edit or fix transcripts here! Permalink -->
What does it take to design a programming language from scratch when the target isn’t just CPUs, but GPUs, accelerators, and the entire AI stack? In this episode, I sit down with legendary language architect Chris Lattner to talk about Mojo — his ambitious attempt to rethink systems programming for the machine learning era.
We trace the arc from LLVM and Clang to Swift and now Mojo, unpacking the lessons Chris has carried forward into this new language. Mojo aims to combine Python’s ergonomics with C-level performance, but the real story is deeper: memory ownership, heterogeneous compute, compile-time metaprogramming, and giving developers precise control over how AI workloads hit silicon.
Chris shares the motivation behind Modular, why today’s AI infrastructure demands new abstractions, and how Mojo fits into a rapidly evolving ecosystem of ML frameworks and hardware backends. We also dig into developer experience, safety vs performance tradeoffs, and what it means to build a language that spans research notebooks all the way down to kernel-level execution.
####
Mailtrap
[Image: Mailtrap]
Please subscribe! We're on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Twitter,
or download the MP3.
Facebook. Also, see our survey!
Edit and improve my show's PodScribe.ai transcripts here!
📺 Watch Scott's TEDx talk:
"Tech Promised Everything. Did it deliver?"
Previously on the podcast...
[Image: The Rise of The Claw with OpenClaw's Peter Steinberger]
1036
The Rise of The Claw with OpenClaw's Peter Steinberger
[Image: The AI Vampire with Gas Town's Steve Yegge]
1035
The AI Vampire with Gas Town's Steve Yegge
[Image: Kinder Code Reviews with AI? with Qodo's Nnenna Ndukwe]
1034
Kinder Code Reviews with AI? with Qodo's Nnenna Ndukwe
[Image: Run your AI Agent in a Sandbox, with Docker President Mark Cavage]
1033
Run your AI Agent in a Sandbox, with Docker President Mark Cavage
[Image: Where is AI taking us? - with The Pragmatic Programmer Gergely Orosz]
1032
Where is AI taking us? - with The Pragmatic Programmer Gergely Orosz
[Image: Fabulous Adventures in Data Structures and Algorithms with Eric Lippert]
1031
Fabulous Adventures in Data Structures and Algorithms with Eric Lippert
[Image: Vjekoslav Krajačić on File Pilot and a return to fast UIs]
1030
Vjekoslav Krajačić on File Pilot and a return to fast UIs
[Image: Loris Cro on the Rise of Zig]
1029
Loris Cro on the Rise of Zig
[Image: Trusting Agentic AI with Dr. Dawn Song]
1028
Trusting Agentic AI with Dr. Dawn Song
[Image: Human Agency in a Digital World with Marcus Fontoura]
1027
Human Agency in a Digital World with Marcus Fontoura
[Image: Daniel Temkin and the Beauty of Esoteric Languages]
1026
Daniel Temkin and the Beauty of Esoteric Languages
[Image: The Digital Runway: IT at the Philadelphia Airport with Camille Tomlin]
1025
The Digital Runway: IT at the Philadelphia Airport with Camille Tomlin
[Image: C++ is Still Here, Still Powerful with Gabriel Dos Reis]
1024
C++ is Still Here, Still Powerful with Gabriel Dos Reis
[Image: Why Postgres? and why now? with Claire Giordano]
1023
Why Postgres? and why now? with Claire Giordano
[Image: The Past Still Boots with the Interim Computing Museum's Stephen Jones]
1022
The Past Still Boots with the Interim Computing Museum's Stephen Jones
[Image: Cheat Codes for Junior Engineers with Kat Excellence]
1021
Cheat Codes for Junior Engineers with Kat Excellence
Hundreds more episodes over here...
tag,
and before any other scripts. Note that it may take up to 15
minutes to process and display information here after
instrumenting and opening your web page.
-->
tag,
and before any other scripts. Your first data will appear
automatically in just a few seconds.
-->
---
[Original source](https://www.hanselminutes.com)