Featured Speakers

The 1-Person DevOps Stack: How I Keep Client Apps Alive Without a Big Team

When you're a solo builder, "DevOps" isn't a department — it's whatever keeps production stable at 11pm when a client pings you and real users are stuck. In this TED-style talk, I'll share the minimal, battle-tested operations stack I use to ship and maintain client apps without a big team: preview deployments for safe releases, error tracking and logging that actually matter, and a calm incident loop for when something breaks. I'll also show how AI fits in practically (not hype): using v0 for rapid UI mockups and Cursor/MCP agents to speed up implementation while keeping quality guardrails in place. The stack is modern, simple, and repeatable — Next.js + Supabase + Vercel + Resend + Stripe — but the real value is the workflow: what to monitor (and what to ignore), how to deploy with confidence, and the "stability rituals" that keep apps alive long after launch.

How to have a successful dev career in the 757*

What if the biggest limiter on your developer career isn't your technical skill? In Hampton Roads, there are plenty of talented developers doing solid work. Yet opportunities often feel inconsistent. People get passed over for promotions. Job searches feel exhausting. Great ideas and side projects don't go anywhere. This talk explores why that happens and what actually drives opportunity. Whether you're looking for a new role, doing freelance work, or building something of your own. Through real examples, Ryan will share a practical mental model for creating more surface luck area for opportunity without pretending to be someone you're not. Midway through the talk, the real title will be revealed. Once you see it, you'll start noticing the pattern everywhere.

Cool Demo, Bro. Now Ship It: Why Most GenAI Apps Fall Apart

Everyone has a GenAI demo. Very few have a GenAI system. In this talk, we'll roast the most common GenAI anti-patterns - chatbots pretending to be apps, agents with no guardrails, and "just add RAG" architectures that collapse under real users. Then we'll rebuild them the right way. You'll learn how production GenAI actually works: tools over prompts, systems over models, and architectures that assume failure, hallucination, and chaos from day one. We'll cover when agents are useful (and when they're absolutely not), why observability matters more for AI than traditional services, and how to ship GenAI without lighting your cloud bill on fire. This is not a hype talk. This is a survival guide.

AI Can't Teach You Jiu-Jitsu: Developing Your Craft in the Age of AI

This talk uses Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a lens to explore the fundamental limitations of AI in teaching complex, embodied skills, and why the same principles apply to software development. Just as BJJ practitioners must master fundamentals through physical repetition, strategic thinking, and real-world testing on the mat, software engineers must develop deep understanding through hands-on experience rather than relying on AI-generated solutions. The presentation examines how BJJ's progression system, from white belt fundamentals to black belt mastery, mirrors the journey of becoming a skilled engineer. It challenges the notion that AI can shortcut genuine learning, drawing parallels between "Instagram BJJ" (flashy techniques that don't work in reality) and "vibe coding" (AI-generated code that lacks fundamental understanding). Through the metaphor of BJJ as chess rather than checkers, the talk illustrates why rote learning and pattern matching fail when faced with novel situations that require strategic adaptation. Ultimately, this session argues that while AI has its place as a tool, dependency on something you don't control is a mistake. True expertise, whether in martial arts or software engineering, comes from learning by doing, embracing failure, seeking mentorship, engaging with community, and focusing on getting good rather than just winning. There are no shortcuts to becoming a black belt in any craft.