We never thought it was possible, but over the last ten years a new breed of software engineers have organically developed a new technical polymer that both acts as glue, holding together architectural components, while simultaneously acting as a lubricant between not just the technical components, but the business and political elements that make businesses operate and new global markets work.
This new polymer is called APIs, and while it is just an evolution of earlier versions, the current iteration is where we are seeing these seemingly competing characteristics exist. Like a biological ecosystem, the balance that makes this possible is delicate and while is relatively easy to achieve, is also very delicate and can begin to break down the polymer, emphasizing its characteristic as a glue, or even a runaway lubricant.
Currently APIs are an open technology that can be put to use by any company, with no licensing or fees. It will be very telling to see how different companies put APIs to use, and whether this new material can be applied in a way that maintains the balance necessary to achieve both binding and lubricating of business operations. While many companies will be able to achieve, many more will fail, either seizing up their operations by binding elements to tightly, or be destroyed by the runaway operations that can maintain any structure, drowning in a sea of lubricant.
