Open Models, Production Agents: The New Economics of AI-Native Engineering

🌟 Join us for an insightful evening! 🌟
The era of AI-driven software development is here—are your teams ready?

Explore how open models and autonomous AI agents are transforming the economics of software engineering. As models like Kimi, GLM, and MiniMax reach parity with closed alternatives such as Claude Code and Codex at a fraction of the cost, engineering leaders are faced with a crucial question: Do you need a closed model to run production-grade coding agents?

Co-hosted by:

• OpenHands
• Ollama
• FriendliAI

This session features leading voices at the intersection of open models, coding agent infrastructure, and agentic engineering:

• Saurya Velagapudi, Principal Engineer at OpenHands
• Brian Yoo, Chief Business Officer at FriendliAI
• Jeffrey Morgan, CEO at Ollama

We'll dive into what it takes to run autonomous agents in production, covering:

• Cost and latency tradeoffs of open vs. closed models
• Build-vs-buy calculus for owning your SDLC
• Rethinking engineering stacks, headcount, budget, and vendor strategies as agents transition from laptops to production

This is a strategy-level conversation aimed at those setting the roadmap, not just coding to it. Expect lively discussions, practical insights, and networking opportunities with other CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and AI/ML leaders responsible for their organization's AI adoption and governance.

Schedule:

• 6:00 PM — Doors open (food & drinks)
• 6:30 PM — Panel conversation
• 7:00 PM — Audience Q&A
• 7:30 PM — Networking
• 8:00 PM — End

Refreshments and food will be provided.
Come ready to share questions, ideas, and your own experiences deploying AI in the real world. This session is designed for Director-and-above leaders shaping engineering strategy at their organizations.

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