From Clean Code to Koog: KotlinConf 2025 in a Nutshell

May 21–23, 2025 — Copenhagen

During these days, KotlinConf turned the charming streets of Copenhagen into a playground for developers, dreamers, and code lovers. This wasn’t just a tech conference. It was a full-on Kotlin vibe: clean syntax, evolving tools, AI frameworks, bold ideas and a community that’s shaping what modern development feels like.

Yusuf Ekiz, Nuno Martins and Carolina Brásio were some of the MB.ioneers that represented Mercedes-Benz.io at this year’s event, bringing back not just notes and updates but clarity, excitement, and a renewed belief in what Kotlin can do.

And while some were there in person, others still left their mark: Tiago Santos made an appearance on the big screen, featured in a KotlinConf’s video. A proud moment that put MB.io right at the heart of the main stage.

Let’s unpack what clicked!

The Shift: From Java Devs to Kotlin Believers

Carolina has always been a Java fan until now. Seeing Koog, a new Kotlin-native framework to build AI agents, changed everything. “We’re already working with Spring AI in my team, so watching how Koog works with it, with that clean Kotlin syntax? That was the moment it all clicked.”

Koog showed her that Kotlin isn’t just for backend services anymore. It’s entering new territory: Artificial Intelligence (AI), agent systems, better tooling, and a friendlier developer experience.

Yusuf had a similar moment when watching Michail Zarečenskij’s talk on Kotlin’s new rich error style. “It will definitely change how I handle errors in Kotlin. It just made so much sense.”

In short: Kotlin isn’t standing still, and neither are its developers.

What They’re Bringing Back: Plugins, Progress, and Perspective

• AI meets Kotlin
  Both Carolina and Yusuf pointed to AI integrations as a major theme. From tools like Junie, to language-level support that actually makes building AI apps more intuitive.
  The message? Kotlin is becoming a serious contender in the AI race and we’re here for it.
• Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP)

For Yusuf, seeing the evolution of KMP reinforced how fast things are moving and how Kotlin is positioning itself as a flexible, future-ready choice for everything from mobile to backend.

• System Thinking, Not Just Syntax
  Carolina’s favourite “non-Kotlin” talk came from Diana Montalion, who reframed good software through a systems lens not just code quality, but resilience, self-organisation, and hierarchy.
  It was a reminder that tools matter, but how we work matters even more.

Final Thoughts

After KotlinConf, it’s not just about writing better code, it’s about thinking differently.

The experience brought new clarity on how fast the language is evolving, how community-driven it is, and how much potential it holds across services, AI, and system design.

Yusuf said it best: “After KotlinConf, writing Kotlin means flexibility and fast progress.” Carolina agreed but added: “Kotlin isn’t just a clean language. It’s a confident one. The community is building for developers, not just for hype.”

Kotlin isn’t just a tool, it’s a mindset: clean, curious, and quietly powerful. And that mindset is now coming back into the daily work at Mercedes-Benz.io, helping build things that are not only efficient, but future ready.