The document discusses the evolution of service-oriented architecture (SOA) and APIs. It notes that SOA aimed to better integrate distributed systems through standards like XML, SOAP, and WS-*, but it became associated with complex implementations. In contrast, APIs are business-driven, defined as products by developers to generate revenue, and focused on simplicity and self-service. The document argues that APIs have succeeded where SOA failed because of their developer-centric approach compared to SOA's enterprise focus on control and standards compliance.