Before they were writing code, Aji Slater was working as a vaudevillian, touring with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. As a “career changer,” their path into tech wasn’t traditional. But like many in the Ruby on Rails community, it has been driven by creativity, community, and a deep connection to the language that they were lucky enough to learn at a coding boot camp. 

Today, Aji is a Development Team Lead at thoughtbot and has a decade of Ruby and Rails experience. They call Ruby their “native language”—the programming language that truly taught them how to think like a developer.

At RailsConf 2025, Aji will take the stage with a keynote that honors the history of the ecosystem as seen through the lens of RailsConfs past: “The Keynote of Keynotes.”

What is “The Keynote of Keynotes”?

The concept for Aji’s keynote started with a simple idea: what if they went back and watched every RailsConf keynote from 2006 to today? What stories, themes, and questions would emerge about RailsConf and Rails itself?

Since being accepted, Aji has already started the process of watching two decades' worth of talks. While some of the ideas feel rooted in their time, many of the lessons, challenges, and questions raised years ago are still relevant today. 

Aji’s keynote will connect those threads, sharing distilled lessons from previous RailsConfs while offering a fresh perspective on where we’re headed.

What You’ll Take Away

As Aji says, “It is easy to use a tool every day without knowing the history behind it. But when you understand the journey and why things are the way they are, you see it all a little differently.”

Whether you have been part of RailsConf since the early days or are newer to the community, you’ll walk away with:

  • A unique perspective on nearly 20 years of Rails history
  • Insight into how the Rails community has evolved and where it might go next
  • A sense of connection to the bigger story we are all a part of

As we head into the final RailsConf, Aji’s keynote is a perfect opportunity to pause and reflect. It is a celebration of everything Rails has made possible and a reminder that the ideas that built this ecosystem are still shaping its future.

RailsConf 2025 tickets are on sale now—get yours here! 

You can hear more about Aji’s story, their personal journey in tech, and the making of their keynote by watching our full interview on the Ruby Central YouTube channel.