RedMonk July 2025 Update
A small, sharp research firm focusing on developer-led technology adoption and developer culture. We help folks understand the industry by understanding you.
Hi All,
Steve here. This newsletter is arriving in your inboxes a week late due to the arrival of east coast thunderstorms. Last week was not a good one on the travel front, as Rachel unexpectedly spent a night in Detroit and I spent ten hours at airports only to cancel both ways never having gotten on a plane. Also, it took me 21 hours to get home to Maine, a trip that should normally take about 45 minutes.
Even so, you’d probably still be reading these words except for the fact that the only seat I could get on the Acela train from NYC to Boston was in the middle of a very friendly but quite active bunch of kids which made for a lot of getting up and down and some jostling.
With those travels in the rearview mirror, however, most of us at RedMonk are hitting the pause button on travel until late summer, which gives us time to take stock of what’s going on in the industry. Which is, oddly enough, not that far off from the disruption that we experienced trying to get to and from New York City last week.
The AI tsunami that had been rolling along unabated hit some unexpected breakwaters recently as the anticipated $3B acquisition of Windsurf unexpectedly fell apart and turned into an exceedingly large acquihire by Google. Cursor, meanwhile, experienced a pricing backlash and saw two of the Anthropic executives it had poached boomerang right back to their prior employer.
Elsewhere, Google waded into the AI CLI market with Gemini CLI and AWS followed suit shortly after with Kiro - both of which have seen big spikes in interest and usage. Meta, for its part, is making headlines with outrageously outsized pay packages for AI talent.
And all of this activity is playing out against the backdrop of a market which is, as my colleague Rachel has said, moving from an era of FOMO to ROI.
There’s a lot going on, in other words, and the tech sector and the wider financial markets are trying to balance the undeniable utility of many of the tools in question with their costs versus the projected returns. An equation that partisans on both sides of the AI divide will cherry pick data to support their particular view.
In any event, though, it’s somehow almost August and all of us at RedMonk are staggering some R&R time to recharge before the fall conference season begins again in earnest - which includes our own Monktoberfest. Several of you have asked about our intimate little event, in fact, and both tickets and sponsorships are still available for interested parties.
While all of us RedMonk look forward to a bit of downtime, then, we also can’t wait to see all of you at some point in the not too distant future - whether it’s in our home base in Portland, or another event in a more distant city.
Until then, we hope you all get some downtime of your own and enjoy what’s left of the summer.
Cheers,
Steve
Links Roundup
The Great Flattening. This handdrawn zine shares a great perspective on why AI isn't necessarily anathema for creators. "In the age of infinite content, the only currency is irreplaceable perspective."
Chainguard built a market from scratch for secure Hardened Images with no CVE guarantees, hitting the knee in the curve last year, with a huge growth in customer logos, and an associated revenue burst. We have rarely seen competitors coalesce around an opportunity so quickly - Suse, Docker, Root.io and RapidFort are all pushing hard to win market share against the newly minted market incumbent. The latest company to join the fray is perhaps surprising - Wiz just announced WizOS, a hardened Linux distro with its own build pipeline and security model. Cloud security goes after developer build security. There's going to be even more competition, which should be good for customers, and good for secure software supply chains everywhere.
If there is a market premium on shipping right now, which there definitely is, then Google is playing the game adroitly. It's current push around its capable Gemini frontier model is a case study in big company aggression. The launch of GeminiCLI put down a marker here - an open source Cloud Code competitor, built from the ground up by a small Google team, with a focus on getting to market as quickly as possible. Perhaps just as impressive as the launch itself, is the rate of new feature delivery - for example launching support for cutting and pasting images into the CLI (a favourite Kate Holterhoff feature in coding agents and assistants) just a few weeks after the initial launch. Game on!
Talking of aggression and moving quickly Amazon Web Services seems to have finally shaken off some of its shackles. It just launched it's own vibe coding tool, which attempts to bring back a little software engineering rigour, with a sec driven development approach. Kiro's reception by developers has been really positive - and even QuinnyPig is a fan. The RedMonk team has kicked the tyres, and Kate likes Kiro enough to be using it most evenings, and coin the phrase Hot Vibe Code Summer accordingly. Talking of heat, Deepak Singh, VP DevEx & Agents lit the fire with this product, and like Google in the previous link, Amazon looks set to markedly increase velocity in the AI tools market. Watch this space.
Recent RedMonk Research
Microsoft did an excellent job at its Build conference last month, showcasing its strengths and ambitions for the AI era. Here is James' summary of the event. RM clients mentioned: GitHub, Microsoft, Google Cloud, and Salesforce
In the prehistoric times of 2021, a go-to aspirational use case for AI code assistants was code review. Today, AI code review tools are here and plentiful. While their promise is significant, whether these tools truly lighten the code review burden, or if they just confidently wing it, remains hotly debated among developers. In this blog post, Kate Holterhoff investigates! RM clients mentioned: AWS, IBM, Google, and Microsoft (GitHub)
Once we were developers, software engineers, and data scientists; but no more! Today we’re all AI Engineers, right? Right!?! What confuses us about this title is whether it is intended to suggest that AI Engineers have adopted AI tools as part of their engineering work, or if they work at a company with an AI product and/or are part of a team creating an AI tool. We are not alone in my confusion, so Kate Holterhoff made a handy chart and wrote up her observations on this role and what it tells us at RedMonk about 2025's Hot Vibe Code Summer. 🌞 RM clients mentioned: Microsoft, Google, Tessl, and IBM
Steve O' Grady wrote up some thoughts on the explosion in available AI developer tooling, what evolution has to say and how some of the things we thought we knew about dev tools are, in fact, wrong. RM clients mentioned: AWS (Kiro), GitHub (Copilot), Google (Gemini / CLI) and IBM (watsonX)
A post from James about where Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are in this period of AI driven industry expansion. This isn't a cambrian explosion. It's a big bang. TLDR- both are in better shape than they were. GeminiCLI and Kiro are examples one and two. RM clients mentioned: AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft
Another new Monkchips post – Chainguard builds a market, everyone else wants in. RM clients mentioned: Chainguard and Docker
Recent Videos and Media Appearances
At IBM Think 2025, RedMonk’s Steve O’Grady sits down with HashiCorp CTO Armon Dadgar and IBM’s Tarun Chopra to talk about what the IBM + HashiCorp deal means for devs. They dig into how HashiCorp tools like Terraform, Vault, and Nomad will stay core to the workflow, how IBM plans to invest across the full stack, and how everything will integrate with Red Hat and OpenShift. If you use HashiCorp in your day-to-day or care about hybrid cloud, automation, and scaling infrastructure as code, this one is for you: The Future of Hashicorp and IBM: A Fireside Chat
Exclusively on the MonkCast
In this RedMonk conversation, Jacob Leverich, Co-Founder at Observe, Inc., discusses the evolution of the observability market, focusing on the founding of Observe and the architectural decisions that shaped its development, with James. They explore the transition from on-premises to cloud-based solutions, the challenges of data collection and interpretation, and the importance of user context in troubleshooting. The discussion also covers the impact of OpenTelemetry on the industry and the ongoing challenges of cost management in observability solutions. They explore emerging trends in data management, including the commoditization of data storage and the impact of AI on observability practices: A RedMonk Conversation: Jacob Leverich on Observe & the Future of Observability
Bob Quillin, CEO and co-founder of ControlTheory, chats with Rachel Stephens, Research Director at RedMonk. They discuss ControlTheory’s launch and the observability landscape including the importance of feedback loops, and how ControlTheory aims to democratize instrumentation through OpenTelemetry. Bob shares insights on integrating with existing observability tools and the target audience for their solutions, emphasizing the need for more intelligent data management in the cloud era: A RedMonk Conversation: Bob Quillin talks Observability, OpenTelemetry & ControlTheory
Daniel Roe, Nuxt Project Lead at Vercel, discusses the recent acquisition of NuxtLabs by Vercel and its implications for the Nuxt framework, UnJS, and Nitro. They chat about the importance of maintaining Nuxt’s independence, the strategic vision behind Vercel’s investment, and the role of community governance in open source projects. Daniel shares his personal journey in open source and emphasizes the need for sustainability and a positive approach to funding in the open source ecosystem: A RedMonk Conversation: Daniel Roe on Vercel’s NuxtLabs Acquisition
Jeremy Meiss, Director of Developer Relations at OneStream, discusses the current state of DevRel with Kate. They chat about the importance of engaging front-end developers, the role of content and community, and the nuances of influencer marketing: A RedMonk Conversation: Jeremy Meiss on DevRel & the Mire of Ineffables.
Shawn (swyx) Wang discusses the evolving role of the AI Engineer with Kate Holterhoff. They chat about the definition of an AI Engineer, the differences between AI Engineers and traditional software developers, vibe coding, frontend observability, and the AI Engineer World’s Fair: A RedMonk Conversation: How Shawn (swyx) Wang Defines the AI Engineer.
RedMonk Recommends
Ryan Furrer is a passionate Frontend Web Developer, streamer, and blogger based on Long Island, NY, whose unconventional journey from professional musician to tech enthusiast has shaped a unique perspective on creativity and problem-solving in the digital world. With a foundation built in the arts, Ryan brings a disciplined, adaptable, and empathetic approach to software development, always striving to make the web a more accessible and engaging place for everyone.
Ryan’s expertise centers on modern JavaScript frameworks and libraries, including React, Next.js, TypeScript, Astro, and Tailwind CSS. He is deeply invested in crafting user-friendly, visually appealing interfaces that prioritize accessibility and clean design. Whether building robust web applications or sharing knowledge through writing and streaming, Ryan’s mission is to empower users and fellow developers alike, demystifying complex concepts and championing best practices in UX development.
Before transitioning into tech, Ryan spent years as a musician and viola instructor. The discipline required to master an instrument, the patience to teach, and the creativity to perform have all translated seamlessly into his work as a developer. These experiences have honed his ability to approach challenges with resilience and an open mind, qualities that continue to drive his growth in the fast-evolving world of frontend engineering.
Beyond coding, Ryan is an active member of the tech community. He regularly shares insights, tutorials, and career advice on his blog and through public speaking engagements, always with an eye toward supporting others—especially those making similar career transitions. His streaming sessions on Twitch offer a transparent look at the development process, fostering a welcoming space for learning, collaboration, and authentic connection.
Currently open to new opportunities, Ryan is enthusiastic about joining a forward-thinking team where he can leverage his skills, share his passion, and continue to grow as both a developer and a community advocate. If you’re interested in connecting, discussing a project, or just chatting about tech, Ryan welcomes you to reach out via LinkedIn, X, or his personal website.
Learn more about Ryan’s work, philosophy, and journey at ryanfurrer.com.
Monktoberfest Tickets on Sale!
RedMonk brings you the thirteenth annual Monktoberfest. The only conference focused on how craft, technology and social come together, it's one of the most unique events in the industry. Tickets available here.
Meet the Monks
Events we'll be attending:
AWS Summit New York City: 16 July 2025, New York, NY
VMWare Explore 2025: 25 - 28 August 2025, Las Vegas, NV
Cloudflare Connect 2025: 13 -16 October 2025, Las Vegas, NV
GitHub Universe: 28 - 29 October 2025, San Francisco, CA
Events we'll be hosting:
The Monktoberfest 2025: 2 - 3 October 2025, Portland, ME
Our mailing address is:
RedMonk
411 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
Copyright (C) 2024 RedMonk. All rights reserved.