I Built a News API Before I Had Users. Here's What I'm Learning.

The API went live on a Tuesday. I had no idea who would use it.

I was building NewTqnia, a bilingual technology publication in English and Arabic, and the requirements kept expanding. Website, RSS, JSON API, embeddable widget, browser new-tab page, structured timelines—each one wanted the same content delivered differently.

That raised a question I still don’t have a clean answer to:

How do you support six delivery surfaces without building six disconnected products?

This is not a success story. It’s a set of tradeoffs, some working, some questionable, and a few I’m actively looking to undo.