You can’t stream the energy: A developer’s guide to Google Cloud Next ’26 in Vegas
Sure, you can wait a few weeks and watch the Next ’26 keynotes on YouTube at 1.5x speed. So why get on a plane to Las Vegas?
Because even though there’s never been a more exciting time to be a developer, the day-to-day work of software engineering is shifting rapidly. The best way to figure out the new baseline, from putting AI agents in your CI/CD pipelines to modernizing legacy architecture, isn’t by watching a stream. It’s by getting together with thousands of other developers, swapping notes and slinging some code together.
Google Cloud Next ’26 is the largest annual gathering of developers building on Google Cloud, and this year in Las Vegas (April 22-24), the focus is squarely on the building blocks of the future: agentic AI, modern infrastructure, and hands-on problem-solving.
And it’s not just about what happens on the main stage; it’s about the hallway track, the whiteboards, and the serendipitous „Aha!” moments you only get when you are in the room. Here is a look at why you need to be there in person, and a sneak peek at the technical sessions we have lined up.
Technical sessions you can’t miss
Spotlight on builders
Whether you are building for a startup or a global enterprise, put this Spotlight session on your radar. In Beyond the hype: Orchestrating end-to-end developer workflows with agents (SPTL008), you’ll see how AI tools are blurring the lines between traditional roles giving you the autonomy to expand into areas like ML and infrastructure design without waiting on other teams.
Ryan J. Salva and Aaron Wanjala will live-code a modern application directly atop a legacy system to show you how to increase your autonomy and reach with agents.
It’s the perfect primer for these 10 breakout sessions worth checking out:
Breakouts that go deep into building the agentic applications
In-depth breakouts on modern engineering at scale
Core infrastructure and platform engineers should check out these sessions.
The in-person advantage
The best interactions at Google Cloud Next rarely happen while you’re simply sitting and listening. As we shared in our preview of What to expect at Developer Meetups, this year we are doubling down on dedicated spaces and times where you can grab a coffee and pull up a chair with peers and Googler experts to discuss common challenges, share strategies and learn from others in the trenches.
We’ve packed the schedule with 20+ meetups this year serving all communities, so there is definitely something for everyone. Check out the full list of Developer Meetups
And if you’re like me and think a “live demo feels too polished without enough opportunities for things to go wrong”, check out Full stack improv: from idea to app in 45 minutes, because we should remember to have some fun too.
See you in Vegas
Yes, many sessions will be recorded. But the conversations, the connections, and the breakthrough ideas generated over a shared whiteboard? Those only happen in Las Vegas. Register now for Google Cloud Next ’26 before passes sell out.
We can’t wait to build with you.