Decentralized API Model Cuts Development Time by 80%
Transitioning to a platform-based API approach helps product teams scale independently.
Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Business Strategy
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TBC received the 2026 Top Kong Innovator - Developer Experience award for its shift to a decentralized API platform. This architecture shift now supports 150 internal teams and processes over 8 billion monthly requests.
Why it matters
By moving away from a centralized team model, TBC addressed a bottleneck where a single group could not scale to meet growing product requirements. This transition allows product teams to independently manage their own APIs, directly improving speed and operational autonomy.
TBC transitioned to a decentralized API model now utilized by 150 internal teams. The platform processes more than 8 billion requests per month and cut integration development time by 80% compared to previous centralized management.
The players
TBC
An enterprise organization that develops and maintains a large-scale decentralized API ecosystem.
Kong
A software company that provides API management and connectivity solutions for enterprise developers.
The details
TBC pivoted from a bottlenecked central integration team to a platform-based approach that enables product teams to discover, publish, and manage APIs autonomously. The company implemented an internal portal to host an API catalog, facilitating this self-service model. This structural change eliminated the need for a central authority to approve every integration, allowing individual product teams to scale their development speed without waiting on core support.
Timeline
2026: TBC won the Top Kong Innovator - Developer Experience award at the Kong Innovator Awards in Los Angeles.
Market Landscape
TBC's structural shift aligns with the industry-wide trend toward decentralized API governance documented at the Kong API + AI Summit. This model marks a departure from traditional, siloed integration teams toward self-service internal API marketplaces.
Operators managing high-volume API environments should evaluate whether their centralized integration teams are creating hidden bottlenecks in product cycles. Consider shifting to a self-service portal to allow individual product teams to manage their own API catalogs.
The takeaway
Decentralizing API management can yield significant efficiency gains when product volume outstrips the capacity of a central team. Companies should track API request volumes and integration lead times to determine when to move from a centralized model to a self-service platform.
Further reading
For more on evolving operational models for technical teams, see Business Strategy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBW.
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