Hey Reader,

Summer in the mountains gave me a lot of time to think about what I’m doing and what I want to do next. For the last seven years, many of you have known me as “the AsyncAPI guy.” And that’s cool, but the reality is that AsyncAPI was just one of my many projects. It just happened to be the one that really took off.

At my core, I’m a builder. A hacker. I love software architecture, but it’s just one of the many things that get me excited. I love the whole process of building products—designing them, figuring out the marketing, thinking deeply about the user experience. In other words, I love solving problems elegantly.

Through my work on AsyncAPI, I’ve learned a ton about communities. I absolutely love connecting with people. Real people with real passion. It doesn’t even matter what the topic is. I can listen for hours as two people debate history, biology, psychology, or agriculture. It’s not the subject; it’s the passion people have when they’re talking about something they truly care about.

Lately, though, I’ve felt a bit trapped in that “AsyncAPI guy” box. I want to talk about other things, too. Ultimately, it's about steering my career toward the work that gives me the most energy, and I've realized that for me, that's the creative act of building from scratch. I love way too many things to stick to just AsyncAPI and Event-Driven Architecture.

When I started writing these emails again, I promised to cover “engineering, design, and life.” I left “design and life” in there on purpose, but I haven't really been honoring it. It's almost always been about engineering, and more specifically, AsyncAPI and EDA. I wrote about mental health once, but that was pretty much it.

That’s changing now.

It’s not just about what I write, but about what I do. As you probably know, I'm working on my book, Shift. As I get closer to finishing it, I’ve started thinking hard about what’s next. What really motivates me? Building products. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do next. I’m going to build a product that unifies many of my passions: engineering, communities, design, marketing, and solving real problems.

Does that mean I’m going to stop talking about AsyncAPI and EDA? Absolutely not. In fact, I plan to use AsyncAPI in my new product. I want to step into the shoes of everyone building cool things with it. I want to enjoy the wins and feel the headaches firsthand. I'm going to share that whole journey with you—whether it’s building a new service, designing an interface, thinking through tough product decisions, or anything else I run into along the way.

I totally respect that this might not be what you were looking for when you subscribed. I have to stay true to myself, and I'll understand if you decide to unsubscribe because you’re no longer interested.

That said, I’d recommend you stick around for an email or two and see what you think. Who knows? You might end up loving it :)

I'm curious if this feeling of being "boxed in" or needing a new chapter has ever resonated with you. Feel free to hit reply—as you know, I read every email.

Cheers,
Fran