March 14–15, 2026 · The Paramount Theatre
The programme.
Three tracks. Two days. Eighteen talks. Filter by day and track to find the sessions most relevant to you — or browse everything and plan your path.
20 sessions
Day 1 · Mar 14
08:00
— 09:00
BreakDoors Open & Registration
Pick up your badge, grab a coffee, and connect with fellow builders.
08:00 – 09:00LobbyDay 1 · Mar 14
09:00
— 09:25
KeynoteOpening Keynote: Why We Gather
The ASSEMBLY team sets the tone for two days of deep thinking, honest conversations, and community.
09:00 – 09:25Main StageDay 1 · Mar 14
09:30
— 10:20
DesignTalkSystems at Scale: Building Design Infrastructure for Millions
Maya Chen · Stripe
Maya Chen from Stripe unpacks how to build a design system that can sustain a company from seed to public — and the cultural work that's harder than the technical parts.
design systemsscaleculture09:30 – 10:20Main StageDay 1 · Mar 14
10:30
— 11:20
EngineeringTalkThe Edge Runtime Revolution: What It Means for App Architecture
Darius Obi · Vercel
Darius Obi from Vercel traces the evolution from server-side monoliths to edge functions, and explains why the new primitives require rethinking everything from data fetching to auth.
edgearchitectureperformance10:30 – 11:20Stage BDay 1 · Mar 14
11:30
— 12:20
ProductTalkOpinionated Software: Why Fewer Choices Make Better Products
Priya Rao · Linear
Priya Rao from Linear argues that the fastest products are the most opinionated ones — and walks through exactly how they decide which battles to fight.
product strategyUXdecision-making11:30 – 12:20Stage CDay 1 · Mar 14
12:30
— 13:45
BreakLunch Break
Catered lunch on the Paramount terrace. Sponsored by Vercel.
12:30 – 13:45TerraceDay 1 · Mar 14
14:00
— 14:50
DesignTalkMotion as Communication: Designing Animation with Intent
Kai Nakamura · Figma
Kai Nakamura from Figma breaks down the grammar of interface animation — what each type of motion communicates, when to use it, and when to resist the urge entirely.
animationmotion designinteraction14:00 – 14:50Main StageDay 1 · Mar 14
15:00
— 15:50
EngineeringTalkDistributed Commerce: Building for 100M Merchants Without Breaking
Sofia Martinez · Shopify
Sofia Martinez shares the hard-won lessons from keeping Shopify's infrastructure running through Black Friday peaks — and the reliability principles that apply at every scale.
distributed systemsreliabilityscaling15:00 – 15:50Stage BDay 1 · Mar 14
16:00
— 16:50
ProductTalkDeveloper Experience is Product Experience
James Okonkwo · Resend
James Okonkwo from Resend shows how treating docs, SDKs, and error messages as product surfaces drove Resend to $1M ARR in 90 days — without a marketing budget.
developer experienceGTMgrowth16:00 – 16:50Stage CDay 1 · Mar 14
17:30
— 19:30
BreakEvening Reception
Open bar and light bites on the rooftop terrace. All attendees welcome.
17:30 – 19:30RooftopDay 2 · Mar 15
08:30
— 09:00
BreakMorning Coffee & Networking
Start day two with coffee, pastries, and hallway conversations.
08:30 – 09:00LobbyDay 2 · Mar 15
09:30
— 10:20
DesignTalkDesigning Human-AI Collaboration That Actually Works
Elena Vasquez · Anthropic
Elena Vasquez from Anthropic shares research into what makes human-AI workflows actually improve outcomes — and the UX patterns that build trust without creating dependency.
AIUX researchcollaboration09:30 – 10:20Main StageDay 2 · Mar 15
10:30
— 11:20
EngineeringTalkCollaborative Editing at Scale: Lessons from Building Notion Docs
Marcus Hill · Notion
Marcus Hill walks through the evolution of Notion's collaborative engine — CRDTs, operational transforms, and the surprising performance challenges that came with 30 million users.
CRDTsreal-timecollaboration10:30 – 11:20Stage BDay 2 · Mar 15
11:30
— 12:20
DesignTalkBridging the Gap: What Design Engineering Actually Looks Like
Aisha Brooks · Vercel
Aisha Brooks from Vercel defines what it means to be a Design Engineer in 2026 — the skills, mindset, and workflow that make the role click, with live demos.
design engineeringCSSprototyping11:30 – 12:20Stage CDay 2 · Mar 15
12:30
— 13:45
BreakLunch Break + Workshop Sign-Ins
Lunch and optional afternoon workshop registration. Workshops are first-come, first-served.
12:30 – 13:45TerraceDay 2 · Mar 15
14:00
— 14:50
EngineeringKeynoteThe Real-Time Web: Building Multiplayer Apps for Every Category
Rafael Lima · Liveblocks
Rafael Lima from Liveblocks makes the case that real-time collaboration is the next platform shift — and shows how to add it to any app in under an hour.
real-timecollaborationmultiplayer14:00 – 14:50Main StageDay 2 · Mar 15
15:00
— 15:50
DesignTalkUtility-First Design: How Constraint Breeds Creativity
Nina Patel · Tailwind Labs
Nina Patel from Tailwind Labs explores how utility-first thinking — in CSS, in design, and in creative process — consistently produces better outcomes than open-ended exploration.
Tailwinddesign philosophyconstraint15:00 – 15:50Stage BDay 2 · Mar 15
16:00
— 16:50
ProductTalkGenerative Video: The Interface Layer for AI Creativity
Tom Withers · Pika Labs
Tom Withers from Pika Labs talks about building the interface layer between generative models and human creators — and what it taught him about the future of creative software.
generative AIvideocreative tools16:00 – 16:50Stage CDay 2 · Mar 15
17:00
— 17:45
KeynoteClosing Keynote: The Year Ahead
All speakers join to reflect on the most important themes of the conference and look ahead at what the next 12 months will bring for builders.
17:00 – 17:45Main StageDay 2 · Mar 15
18:00
— 19:30
BreakFarewell Drinks
The final send-off. Swap cards, make plans, and come back next year.
18:00 – 19:30Lobby Bar
