Two tales of API change management from my time at Google
summary
Two case studies compare Google Ads’ aggressive release cadence with Apps Script’s long‑running stability: Google Ads rolls major versions every two to four months, supports only the newest three versions, and forces frequent migrations for prodevs to keep ad spend flowing; Apps Script keeps libraries with no versions, avoids breaking changes for millions of citizen developers, and preserves “set‑and‑forget” automations. Decision drivers are concrete: audience skill level, communication links to integrators, and business goals (direct API revenue vs. user stickiness), and each approach succeeds for its context while imposing clear operational costs.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00API change management intro
- 2:54Designing flexible APIs
- 6:47AdWords API hamster wheel
- 9:58AppScript frozen strategy
- 11:21Audience-driven API policies
- 13:05Business and API evolution
- 14:52Company goals for API change
- 16:39Tailoring change management
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