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Hello. Good morning. Good morning.
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I am Shan Keratton, the new executive director at Ruby Central.
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Welcome. Welcome to Railscom 2025.
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It's truly surreal standing here today. This community, all of you have welcomed
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me with such warmth and grace. From my very first conversations, I felt it.
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Ruby isn't just a language. It's a way of showing up, a way of building together with care, humor, intention,
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and heart. The more I've listened, the more I've understood that what we have here isn't
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just building legacy. It's a commitment, it's trust, and it's care. And those
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values show up in the form of every contribution, mentorship, and the memories that we're all building here
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together. What makes this community even more powerful is its growing recognition that
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excellence is coming from everyone from voices of different backgrounds, different identities, and different life
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paths. The Ruby community shines brightest when when it's diverse and inclusive and bold enough to imagine new
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ways of doing and being. And I really see that momentum building here. At Ruby
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Central, we believe that the strength of this community comes from how we treat one another. And that's with respect,
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with curiosity, and with care. For over 20 years, this community has created
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spaces that are kind, welcoming, and build trust. And those shared values of
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kindness, empathy, and joy aren't just words that we have on the website. They're the foundation of how we're
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gathering, how we're collaborating, and how we're growing together.
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So, before we go any further, I want to share a few mo moments and memories with you. Not mine, because let's face it, I
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just got here two seconds ago. Um, but the memories of the people behind the scenes who help hold this community up
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every day. So, please join me in welcoming Rockstar staff, I like to
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thank, Ruby Central staff to the stage to share their favorite RailsCom for community moment.
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Marty, Rianan,
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Ally, Tom, and Disha. Oh, and Sam coming from the other side.
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All right, good morning everyone. It's been a while since I've been up on the stage as one of the organizers, but I
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have lots and lots of memories from Rails comps over the years. I'm to keep this brief so I'm not going to go
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through that many of them. Uh I think probably the first Rails comp would be the most memorable for me but that's not
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what I'm going to share with you. The one I'm going to share with you the fondest memory I have is from 2013. we
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were in Portland and that was the first year we ran the guides and scholars program which we have our guides and
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scholars up front and that that is a that's a program that I had brought from
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my conference Rocky Mountain Ruby before that and it's special to me because
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sort of passing the torch on to the next generation and welcoming them and showing them what this is about is
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really special to me and so that program sort of uh is the heart of that so that's my memory.
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Thank you Marty. Hi everyone, my name is Rianin. I'm the
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marketing director at Ruby Central and I've been working with this team for the past nine months. And my first Rails
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comp was Portland in 2022 and technically I wasn't there as an
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attendee. Um my husband was speaking so I tagged along on the trip and really
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had no expectations um for Rails Comp. I really assumed it
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would be like any other tech conference I'd ever been to and I was so wrong about that and just so blown away. Um,
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everyone I met was warm, welcoming, even though I'm not a Ruby engineer. Um, just
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really really a special experience for me and I think that is what I've learned
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since then, what makes this community and ecosystem so unique. Um, and I remember as we were flying home from
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that trip, actually writing in my journal, um, I was so sad to leave because that feeling of connection was
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so strong and powerful that even though I, you know, had no real business being
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there, um, I felt it powerfully. So, and now I'm here today, which is surreal. So, thank you all for welcoming me into
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this community.
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I'm nervous. Yes. So, my first Rails comp was Atlanta in
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2023 and that was definitely a memorable one to have. Uh, you know, #watergate,
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the water shortage of Railscom. Um, those who are there, thanks for letting
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us know. Uh, it's burned in my brain. Um,
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but that memory was soon rewritten at Rails Comp Detroit when I won't name
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names. I walked past the room seeing someone take our huge abundance of water
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bottles and staging them perfectly to take a photo to share on social media
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and say #weave water now or whatever it was. I was like, "Oh, you know what?
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That's actually pretty funny and I appreciate it. Thanks for helping me rewire that memory." Uh, so for me, the
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community means a lot. There's that humor, that love, and that straight up
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support, whatever that might look like. For example, posting a picture of the burrito
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incident game uh to let us all know that what we shouldn't do, actually, what we
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should not be doing at game night uh tomorrow evening. So, again, that type of thing is what
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keeps me grounded, keeps me humble, and I appreciate it so much. It's been welcoming and wonderful. So, thank you.
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Hi everyone. I'm Tom. I uh I get the privilege of working with our sponsors here at Ruby Central. Um I too am
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scarred and uh the Watergate of the Atlanta Rails Conf uh is probably my
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most memorable moment and lesson learned. But uh I just want to say
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something really fast and that's uh if you don't know I I'm saying it out loud
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to this audience now. You all are a part of a very cool community. I do a lot of
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tech events and this is the most unique group of people I've ever been around. Um the sponsors here uh don't feel like
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awkward plus ones at a wedding. they feel like they're part of this group and uh it's been an honor and a p privilege
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to uh participate here at Ruby Central and at Railscom and be a part of this event. So that's it.
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Hey there. I'm Samuel Giddens. I'm uh the security engineer in residence here at Ruby Central. I've been a part of
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this community since I don't know 2013. I've been uh
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maintaining Bundler and Ruby gems. Um and it's really been a pleasure to see
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over these past 12 plus years how this community has grown up and uh you know
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grown past being about just one person, one framework. Um you know it's it's
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grown into being a really awesome community and I look forward to uh
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seeing us continue to demonstrate that.
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And I am Disha. I'm the lady behind the numbers. And make sure this event stays on budgets. You can blame me if there's
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a bell or a whistle missing. Uh my first uh Rails comp was 2024
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and uh I came with a broken knee on crutches driving the little scooter
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around. some of you remember and uh I will say that that experience is a
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testament to your kindness, inclusivity and accommodating behaviors. So many
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people held a door for me, helped me, carried a coffee or a water. It was an amazing experience to be uh disabled and
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be able to participate in an amazing conference. But it was also a testament to this group's just insatiable desire
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for drama because I can't tell you how many of you whispered in my ear can you
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please run over someone. Thankfully there was not a headline CFO
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runs over rubist but if it was up to you guys it would have happened but I have
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grown to love this group of people. You all are amazing and thank you so much for what you bring to this community.
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This is about you. Thank you.
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Give it up again. Let's give it up for the Ruby Central staff.
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They were so nervous. So, thank you all for clapping and welcoming. They did a great job though.
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Now, I'd like to kind of switch gears and and just in an effort for you all to get to know me, tell you a little bit
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about my story. Is that okay? Perfect. So, years ago, I was a student
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standing on the steps of San Diego State campus. Any Aztecs in here? No. Oh. Oh,
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okay. It's okay. I'll hold it down for everyone. Um, trying to solve a personal
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problem. I was a non-traditional college student, a working mother of three. I didn't have a lot of resources, but I
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had a lot of responsibilities. Can anyone relate to that? Okay. Yes. School
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pickups and drop offs were just one of the many responsibilities. I needed a solution and I couldn't find one. So, I
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built it. I didn't know then that I was launching a startup. I just knew that if I can
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make something work for my family, maybe I can make it work for others. So, with just $2,000 in my bank account and a
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co-founder who believed in the vision, we began. And I can tell you it was scrappy and it was hard. I was driving
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the kids to school during the day, answering emails at night, and learning everything that I didn't know in real
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time. And over time, through trial, tenacity, and community, we grew from
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two drivers to more than 60. From a couple of neighborhoods to over 80 zip codes in San Diego. from an idea born
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out of necessity to a ride share transporting children to and from extracurricular to school and
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extracurricular activities garning government contracts and a lengthy weight list. And I'm proud to say that I
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was the first black woman in San Diego in California, excuse me, to uh own a
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licensed transportation network company. And that was all Thank you.
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with love and grit. And we all know once you build it, our tribe will come.
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And then the wave slowed. But like all journeys, it wasn't a straight line. The momentum slowed. A thing called the
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pandemic hit. Does everybody know what that is? We all know how that story ended. The wave that once carried us
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crested and leveled. And that quiet, that in between places, I'll admit it
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was disorienting. But what I've learned about waves, they don't disappear. They pause. They
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gather. And they wait for the time to rise again.
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I've heard your I see a similar pattern in the Ruby community. I've heard your stories. the early days of Ruby, the
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explosion of creativity and innovation, the unicorns that were uh formed from
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this language that are in this very room now. And then things slowed, not because
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we ran out of steam, but because every movement has a rhythm. And in that
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pause, some of us wondered what we would build next together.
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But what I see and feel is quite different than that narrative. Over the past few weeks, I've listened. I've sat
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in calls with maintainers. I met with meetup organizers, contributors, sponsors, first timers, old-timers,
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but and what I felt again is this community is evolving. I felt something
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steady beneath the surface. It's a readiness, a quiet determination, a
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belief that what we have built matters, but what we will build next will matter even more.
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That is why I joined Ruby Central. Not just because of what Ruby has been, but of what it still can become. I believe
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deeply in the power of people of community-led missiondriven work. That commitment has guided me across every
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chapter of my journey. From building a company that supported working families to creating pathways for first
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generation students to helping women and underrepresented entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. I believe in
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building with people and not for them. That is how I've led my businesses, how I've led my teams, and that's how I'll
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lead at Ruby Central. So, Ruby Central, we're not some distant
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institution. We're an extension of you. As your voices have evolved, so have our voices. As your needs have grown, so
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have our capabilities. We've built better systems. We've expanded our community support through OSS projects,
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grants, and our new fiscal sponsorship program that we piloted. Woohoo. Yes.
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We've invested in tools, infrastructure, and leadership development, but we're just getting started. So,
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Rails Comp 2025 may be the last Rails Comp in name, but please don't let that
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fool you. This is not the end. It's our pivot point. The moment where we stopped asking what happened and we start asking
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what's possible. So, all of us today, we're standing on the edge of something new. Remember that
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tide is pulling back and what comes next that wave will be will belong to everyone here today.
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So I want to take a moment to thank our annual sponsors who support Ruby Central
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throughout the year. Your partnership helps sustain our programs, strengthen our infrastructure, and fuel the work
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that keeps this community thriving, not just during the conference season, but every day. Can we give it up for our
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corporate sponsors, please?
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2025 sponsors. Thank you, your support.
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You've made this event very memorable memorable already. So, we're very grateful for your support here.
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I also want to thank everyone who's purchased our supporter tickets um that also helped support the event today. Um
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thank you so much. Next, I want to kind of switch gears and invite a couple of our sponsors to the stage um before we
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hear from our program committee. So, first I want to thank I want to bring Allan and FTO to the stage um from Cisco
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Uh, good morning. That's better than rehearsal. That was good.
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Uh, so I'm Alan Ryhoover and I am a senior engineering manager at Cisco
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Maro. And I'm Fito Fonastrov. I'm a staff software engineer at Cisco Maro as well.
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Uh, and we'd like to welcome you. It's our honor and our privilege to welcome you on behalf of Cisco to Philadelphia
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for RailsCom 2025.
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But I apologize. The text should be black, but we'll read it to you. Um, so these these
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vendor welcome messages are kind of tricky. You you don't know. Uh, you've only got a few minutes of time. You have
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a few things that you want to get across. Uh, and the first is we want to welcome all of you to Railscom, which we
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just done. tech, right? The second is that we want to compliment our hosts for gathering us all together
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uh and bringing this amazing community together once again. So, thank you. Check.
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And the third is we'd love to encourage you to come network with us at our booth. Um
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we just did. Yeah, we just did. Okay. All right. So, are we done? Can we get
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off stage now? No, not yet. Oh, I know. We're going to show the
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montage of all the conferences we've been involved in over the last few years. Yeah, I did that at Ruby Conf last year.
00:18:06.960
I don't know. Okay. Are you going to share that funny haiku? You mean the one that goes, "Ruby is
00:18:12.320
pure joy. Long after the fail whale bailed, we're still using Rails."
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That one. Yeah, I did that last year at Ruby Conf.
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Okay, I know. We're going to talk about Cisco's purpose and how much we appreciate everything that Ruby Central
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does to support the entire Ruby community. Yes, I did it last year, but yes, let's
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do it again. All right. Well, why are we still standing here then? Uh, well, because we haven't shared the
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news, right? Wait, what big news? Uh well, as
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you know, Cisco Maro relies heavily on events like Railscom to to get our name
00:18:53.200
out in the community so that we can recruit you and so that you can come network with us.
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And because sadly Railscom is coming to an end this year, we've we need to find
00:19:06.320
other alternative venues where we can reach out and meet people. Uh so this year we've sponsored Sin City Ruby,
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we've sponsored uh Rocky Mountain Ruby and XO Ruby later this year. Um so that
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you can come network with us. And there's more to come next year.
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We're going to need to find even more events that we can sponsor. So if you happen to be a conference organizer and
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you're looking for sponsors, come network with us. Come network with us. Yeah.
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Okay. Are we done now? We're done. All right. Thanks. Thanks everyone.
00:19:49.360
Next, we're going to invite Jenny from Power Home Remodeling to the stage.
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Thank you so much. All right, we're working up here. Good
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morning, everyone. My name is Jenny Gray and I am from
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Power Home Remodeling where I am a vice president in the business technology organization. And I am so excited to
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welcome you all to Rails Comp 2025 and most especially to Philadelphia, our
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So, I'm sure most of you have never heard of Power Home Remodeling before,
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but I'm here to tell you a little bit about us. We were founded in 1992
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um here in the city of Philadelphia. We are privately owned. We continue to be
00:20:50.640
privately owned still today. and we specialize in helping our customers add
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beauty, value, and energy efficiency to our homes, to their homes. Um, we are in
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24 cities and we have eight more markets that we are going to be moving into over
00:21:09.600
the course of the next four to five years. So, we are on a growth path like
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nobody's business. This year we are poised to reach 1.7 billion over 1.7
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billion in revenue. Uh interesting. Yeah. Right. That's that's pretty good.
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Um look at this chart. I mean it's it's pretty it's pretty amazing. Um but more
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importantly than that uh we are a tech first organization who is relentlessly
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dedicated to our employees and to our culture.
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We like to say that we sell windows so that we can hire more people and bring more people into the power community so
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that we can share our values of inclusion, care, and commitment with all
00:22:02.400
the people that we can bring in. And they are on full display every day at Power Home Remodeling.
00:22:09.360
Let's see. I think. Hold on.
00:22:16.080
Nope. Oh, I went too far. Oh, nope. Now I went too far back. It's
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okay. We're gonna get this going here. Oh, damn it.
00:22:28.159
This is my favorite slide, though. I got to get to it.
00:22:34.960
All right, we're good. We're good. We're good. So, we're a great organization. Really is. Power is a special place, but
00:22:41.679
don't take my word for it. Take the word of our employees. That actually proves it. We are consistently ranked in the
00:22:49.280
top 15 best places to work. And we get receive plenty of other accolades that
00:22:54.799
continue to show that our employees believe that we are on the right track for creating a very an exceptional work
00:23:01.919
environment, an inclusive environment, one where we really do care and are committed to our employees.
00:23:08.880
Of course, the one that I'm most uh proud of is actually right there in the center. We are we're ranked Computer
00:23:16.159
World's uh number six, Computer World's best places to work in IT for 2025. And
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in that ranking, we are number 10 for employee engagement and retention,
00:23:27.440
number two for investment in technology career development, and number one in IT
00:23:33.760
growth. So, we're really happy about how our employees continue to recognize the great work and the amount of effort we
00:23:40.480
put into creating a great environment. Now, I can show you this one. So, why
00:23:47.360
are we here at Rails Comp? Well, in 2007, Wade Winningham, who was speaking later
00:23:54.480
this afternoon, wrote the very first lines of the our Ruby on Rails application,
00:24:00.880
which as it has matured, so has the business. It's no coincidence that our
00:24:07.280
business has skyrocketed because of the investment that we continue to make in
00:24:12.400
our tech employees who continue to make that investment in our Ruby on Rails application, Nitro.
00:24:22.159
Let's see. Today, Nitro touches every employee
00:24:28.240
across the organization from lead generation all the way through our installation process with our employee
00:24:35.520
with our homeowners. Um, we have, let me just read it right
00:24:41.679
here. We are a monolith with over 150 Rails engines and over three million
00:24:46.960
lines of Ruby code. How do we do that? You got to go to WDE's presentation later this afternoon.
00:24:54.159
I'm telling you, it's pretty interesting. We like to move quickly. We like to ship a lot. We ship 250 plus
00:25:00.159
changes to production uh each week um across 80 different releases. So, we are
00:25:06.559
continuously releasing to production. We have over a hundred very dedicated, very
00:25:13.279
strong, very talented, very funny Ruby on Rails developers, most of whom are
00:25:28.480
so I encourage you to look for them because they are just an exceptional group of individuals and a reason why I
00:25:35.600
love coming to work every day. Speaking of which, we are always
00:25:42.320
looking for more talent. That's why I'm up here. Uh we would love to meet you if you are someone who's looking for a new
00:25:48.559
home, uh who is dedicated to being better today than you were yesterday and
00:25:54.640
on a relentless pursuit to continue to grow and learn, please come see us. Our
00:26:00.080
booth is right outside those doors. We have some delicious treats from the Philadelphia area that we would love to
00:26:06.080
to uh share with you, some tasty cakes, and uh we'd love to meet you. I also
00:26:11.600
want to remind you that Power Home Remodeling is hosting the um sponsoring the happy hour this evening at 700 p.m.
00:26:18.960
So, or 6 PM. So, I'm hoping to see a lot of you so that we can have a drink, get
00:26:24.000
to know each other, share a few laughs, and raise a toast. So, with that, welcome to RailsCom 2025. I look forward
00:26:31.840
to meeting every single one of you. Have a great conference.
00:26:48.080
Okay, before I pass it off to our co-chairs for the conference, I want to
00:26:55.200
remind everyone that we have a silent auction going. Um, as part of this
00:27:00.960
year's Rails Comp programming, I'm honored to introduce a new initiative that reflects our ongoing commitment to
00:27:07.360
sustaining and expanding Ruby Central's impact, our auction. So, the goal is to
00:27:12.480
raise $10,000 to support uh community-f facing programs, our initiatives such as
00:27:18.240
our scholars and guides. Scholars, raise your hand. Wave. Yes. Woo.
00:27:25.840
And our community organizer grants. Community organizers, do you want to wave? Are you in the building? A few of
00:27:32.480
us. Yes. A couple. Yes. Um, these programs help ensure that the Ruby
00:27:37.840
ecosystem remains inclusive, vibrant, and led by a diverse range of contributors. You'll find a selection of
00:27:44.159
autumn auction items available for bidding through the conference. We have things like Disney World trip, a private
00:27:50.640
uh chef for your home. Um, my favorite, which is the Broadway show backstage and
00:27:56.960
meeting dinner with the cast. Um, and then also a number of donated items from
00:28:02.080
individuals in the community. So, thank you to everyone in the community who donated the items.
00:28:07.919
You can scan the QR code. It's also available at our Ruby booth. However, if you cont if you prefer to
00:28:14.320
contribute directly if none of those items um move you, we are welcoming donations via our live donation link.
00:28:21.279
Any amount matters and helps. Um you can donate by scanning this QR code. It is
00:28:26.720
available at the Ruby Central booth or you can text Rails comp to 5355
00:28:32.240
and the number of individuals that we have here registered at the conference. If everybody donated $13, we would reach
00:28:38.799
our um goal. So keep that in mind. With that, I just want to thank you all for
00:28:44.799
again being gracious, allowing me to welcome you to RELSC, sharing my story,
00:28:50.880
all of that. I'm now going to pass over the mic and introduce two people who
00:28:55.919
have poured their heart, time, and efforts into this year's program. So, please join me in welcoming UFO, current
00:29:02.720
Ruby Central board member extraordinaire, and Chris, current community extraordinaire, who's going to
00:29:08.399
say a few words and walk you through today's activities. Thank you all again.
00:29:16.880
Hello. Good morning. I'm Hey, how's everyone doing?
00:29:22.320
Great. Okay. Uh, my name is Zofok. I'm Chris Oliver. And we want to welcome
00:29:28.880
you to Railscom. Uh, welcome to RailsCom Philadelphia, everybody.
00:29:36.559
Uh, that that's that's Detroit. What? Oh, dang it. Andy left that slide from
00:29:44.159
last year. Always blame Andy. I mean, it's his fault. always. Yeah. Oh, okay. That's better. Welcome to
00:29:51.440
RailsCom Philadelphia again.
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Okay. The name Philadelphia originates from ancient Greek meaning brotherly love. It's a combination of the Greek
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words felos mean um which means loving and adulos which means brother. William
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Penn, the city's founder, chose this name to reflect his vision of a city
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where people of all faiths could live together peacefully. We think that is
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important for this year's event. You know, too often, uh, the world kind
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of feels like a dumpster fire floating down the river sometimes. You know, um,
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things are changing fast all around us and we feel like it's harder and harder to keep up with the pace of change and
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all the chaos. Uh so it's times like this that it's important for us to come together as a community and support each
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other throughout all these challenges. And that's why we think these conferences are so important to cut
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through the noise. During times like these, it's easy to
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give in to negative emotions like anger, hate. Moreover, online platforms make it
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easier for us to amplify the negativity with other people around us.
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However, we want our community to define itself with positive emotions instead.
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For example, we want to come together around our shared love of Ruby and
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Rails, not our dislike of other languages or frameworks. It's only
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through these in-person interactions and the face-to-face dialogue that we have
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at events like this that we can achieve that. And that's why we think it's extra
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special that this historic final Railscom is being held in Philadelphia.
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So, welcome again to Railscom 2025 in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly
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And before we get on with anything else, let's do Wi-Fi first. The network name is Railscon 25 and you will need an
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access code which is the name of our Wi-Fi sponsor Typesense.
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Everybody got it? You good?
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Yeah. So once you're on the Wi-Fi network, uh
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you can scan this QR code uh which will take you to the welcome guide which is full of information uh that will help
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orient yourself during the conference. Everybody got that?
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Yeah. So everything is going to be happening on this floor and the one below the
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mezzanine level. This is the main stage on the ballroom level where you're at right now. You've already seen the
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sponsor booths outside. Um, and the breakout rooms are on the mezzanine level below, kind of in the same
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location down there. Okay, we need to talk about our code of
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conduct. This event has been in production for over a year now with the help and contributions of Ruby Central
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staff, our sponsor companies, our program committee, everyone who has spent sent in a talk proposal, all of
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our speakers who have prepared top-notch content for you all to enjoy and a group
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of volunteers who are helping us to put on the event. We also have all of you who have paid
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for their conference tickets, hotel rooms, flights, and have taken time away from your loved ones to be here to enjoy
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the conference and this amazing community. For that reason, we value the
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right for everyone in this conference to enjoy the event without interruptions,
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intimidation, or harassment. And this includes everyone from speakers to staff, attendees to volunteers. Anyone
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who who prevents others from enjoying or participating in the conference or
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causes a disruption to our programming will be in violation of the code of conduct and will be removed from the
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conference immediately. So, please make sure you read and
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understand the code of conduct so you can spot any violations. If you need to report something, you can do so on our
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Slack channel or in person. If you see anybody wearing a pink shirt like I am,
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uh, any member of the staff, you can contact or email ruby on or railscon at ruby central.org.
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Um, thank you all for making this a historic Railscon. We sold out early bird tickets in 36 hours and the
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remaining tickets the week before the event. Thank you.
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There there are about 800 attendees here at the conference. I'm sure you can feel
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it. Uh we we're thrilled to share our amazing programming with all of you. Please note that this event will be cozy
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with so many of you in attendance. So we ask you to listen to the instructions from guides and volunteers. Please move
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away from aisles, creates room for others to sit and make sure to make some new Ruby friends along the way. Uh,
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hallway track is great. I love it. But please don't block walkways, entrances, or make noise outside of breakout rooms.
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So, we want to give a really warm welcome to all of our scholars here, uh, who are part of our scholars and guides
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program. Uh, the scholars and guides program is a mentorship program for aspiring rubists. So, we want to welcome
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them, help them navigate, and feel just like a a part of the Ruby community like
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you feel. So if you run into any of the scholars who say hi, introduce yourself and make a new Ruby friend.
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The theme of this year's conference is the past, the present, and the future of Rails. This theme was brought to life
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through the work of this amazing group of people on this year's program committee. All aspects of programming
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including talk selection, scheduling, lightning talks, speaker engagement, planning of hack spaces and more have
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been put together through the efforts of of these fine folks. So thank you David,
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Adriana, Boommy, Drew, Null, and Rosa.
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So today we have our opening keynote next followed by a 15-minute break.
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Afterwards you can stay here to catch any of the talks happening in the main stage Liberty. Um or you can head
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downstairs to the breakout rooms to go to any of those talks. And we're going to do things a little different uh the
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today for lunch and on Thursday. It's going to be a 2-hour walk away lunch starting at 12:45. So you can explore
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the city of Philadelphia, the beautiful city of Phil Philadelphia and all the
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amazing food it has to offer. Um so refer to the welcome guide for some recommendations like reading terminal
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market or chat in the hangout plans uh channel in Slack to make uh plans with
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other people. Keep an eye on the time and make sure you're back by 2:45 to enjoy the afternoon talks. And at the
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end of the day, you can come back here to the main stage for the fireside chat, followed by a happy hour sponsored by
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Power Home Remodeling right outside in the sponsor foyer.
