As 2023 gets played off and 2024 eagerly awaits its turn in the spotlight, let’s look back at the past 365-ish days in the land of Kong. It’s the year's final post, and we’re playing nothing but the hits! Read on for a recap of the biggest Kong news from 2023.
1. From tuna noodles 24/7 to $100 million
Kong Inc. surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR)
For those of us who only know “ARR” as the sound a pirate makes, why’s that a big deal? Only 4% of companies that reach $10 million ARR ever make it to $100 million ARR. This is a huge accomplishment for an idea born in a tiny garage in Italy years ago. Want to hear more about Aghi’s original vision and what’s next for Kong? Check out this interview on theCube.
Check out this post from CEO and king Konger Aghi for a little taste of what those early days were like. (Turns out it tasted a lot like tuna and noodles.)
2. Kong Konnect emerges as first unified API management platform
Kong Konnect can manage services from API management, service mesh, and Ingress controllers
In 2023, we announced that Kong Konnect can now bring together all API runtimes under one, single cloud management plane. Translation: With a single pane of glass, you can now manage services from API gateway, Ingress Controllers, and service mesh. Check out Aghi’s overview of the new Kong Konnect for a deep dive.
We also announced the tech preview of Dedicated Cloud Gateways, Kong Mesh 2.5, Kong Gateway Enterprise 3.5.
Check the product updates page to peruse all the product news from the year.
3. We did the math: Projecting the economic impact of APIs and attacks
Calculating the economic impact of APIs and the rising cost of API security attacks
Given you’re here, you probably know that APIs form the foundation upon which digital experiences (and Global 2000 businesses) are built. But did you know that by 2027, APIs will have a projected global economic impact of $14.2 trillion? Now you do!
In the 2023 API Impact report, we dug into the numbers around the massive impact of APIs on the economy, including how APIs will help drive economic growth through innovations like generative AI and API monetization.
We also reported on the rise (and rising cost) of API-related security attacks in exploring why APIs are now mission-critical. For more on that, check out the eBook penned by Kong CTO and Co-founder Marco Palladino, Becoming a Secure API-First Company.
4. AI and APIs: We explored what’s next at API Summit
We looked at how AI and APIs will shape the future
At API Summit 2023, we put a spotlight on all things API innovation. And since you can’t talk about innovation in 2023 without talking about AI, AI was a hot topic.
You can watch API Summit sessions on demand to see more. But one of our favorite sessions watching Marco chat with Martin Casado, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), about AI in the enterprise. It was a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from the "good or evil" nature of AI and why companies should avoid being like '90s orgs that banned the browser in the workplace.
5. Kong tops list from Gartner, GigaOm, Forbes
Kong recognized in Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ and GigaOm® Radar for Service Mesh
In 2023, everything was coming up Kong! We had a few honors we wanted to showcase here. To the bulleted list!
- Kong was named Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for API Management for fourth consecutive year
- Kong Mesh was named a Leader and Outperformer in the 2023 GigaOm® Radar for Service Mesh report
- Kong was named a Customers Choice in the 2023 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer: API Management
- Forbes once again featured Kong on its annual Cloud 100 list of the world’s top private cloud companies.
- Kong was included in Inc. Magazine’s List of California’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
6. We’re big in Japan (and all around the globe)
Kong gets even more global with expansions in Japan, Singapore
From the start, Kong has always been a global company, but our worldwide footprint is only getting bigger.
- In March, we expanded to Singapore with a new office.
- In November, we announced a partnership with Japan Cloud to establish a local subsidiary in Tokyo to accelerate growth in the Japanese market — the world’s third-largest economy and one of the largest enterprise software markets.
