January 2026 Summaries

AI agents are increasingly integrated into software development, assisting with tasks like coding, debugging, and feature deployment. Anthropic has introduced "Agent Skills," an open standard that enhances AI agents' expertise without expanding their context window unnecessarily. These skills are available across major AI development platforms and include detailed instructions, metadata, and optional resources in a human-readable format, allowing agents to perform tasks autonomously using expert knowledge. Three initial skills released are designed to aid in email system development: the Email Best Practices Skill for scalable email systems and compliance, the React Email Skill for creating HTML emails using React components, and the Resend Skill for efficient email sending via the Resend API. These skills aim to improve both agent and developer experiences by ensuring agents execute tasks with precision and reliability, helping developers accelerate their work effectively without additional configuration. The skills are dynamic and regularly updated to align with evolving best practices, with user feedback encouraged to enhance their functionality.

Email platforms like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, and Apple use tabbed inboxes to sort messages by intent rather than penalizing marketing emails, with Gmail's Promotions tab frequently misunderstood as a negative deliverability factor. Despite a common misconception that landing in the Promotions tab reduces visibility, industry data indicate that this placement can enhance engagement by aligning messages with user intent, leading to increased open rates, click rates, and conversions while reducing spam complaints and unsubscribe rates. Attempts to manipulate email placement into the Primary tab can degrade trust and harm long-term deliverability because Gmail's categorization reflects user behavior more accurately than artificial adjustments by senders. The Promotions tab provides unique features such as deal annotations and visual branding, which marketers can leverage to improve message scannability and engagement. Embracing Gmail’s natural sorting process, where promotional content appears in the Promotions tab, helps maintain trust with inbox providers and aligns marketing emails with user expectations, resulting in better performance and deliverability.

Slater Smith has joined Resend as the company's first hire in the APAC region, bringing over six years of experience in email automation, most recently from Customer.io. Fascinated by software development since 2018, Slater's career path led him to customer success roles where he combined his strategic background with coding. At Resend, he appreciates the company's ability to simplify technical work for developers and make deliverability topics approachable. Living in New Zealand since 2021, Slater finds inspiration in both people who uplift others and in the serene landscapes such as the Tam McArthur Rim trail. Outside of programming, he might have pursued running a digital agency, and he holds a fondness for tools like Notion and places like the Zealandia nature reserve. He advises software engineers to engage regularly with customer-facing colleagues to foster collaboration and innovation.

Warming up a domain involves gradually building trust with inbox providers to ensure emails consistently reach the inbox, rather than relying on third-party warmup services that promise guaranteed deliverability improvements through artificial engagement. While these services may simulate positive interactions, inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook can detect synthetic patterns, which can harm a domain's reputation rather than enhance it. True deliverability improvements stem from consistent and organic engagement with real recipients who genuinely want the emails, alongside proper authentication and predictable sending behaviors. To effectively warm up a domain, it is crucial to cultivate genuine interactions by securing proper consent, sending relevant content, and gradually increasing email volume to enhance the domain's reputation over time.

Zá Scalon is joining Resend as a Brand Designer, bringing over a decade of experience in graphic design and branding, with notable work for companies like Olist and Pipo Saúde. She attributes her passion for design to her early exposure to art through her mother, an art teacher, and a fascination with media like blogs and magazines. Zá became interested in Resend after observing its brand evolution and is eager to contribute further to its development. She draws design inspiration from everyday surroundings, including her daughter's books and daily encounters, and favors tools like Figma and Adobe Illustrator for her work. If not a designer, Zá would have pursued a role as an extracurricular teacher for children, appreciating the creative problem-solving skills she learned from them. Her favorite travel destination is Bombinhas-SC, Brazil, known for its picturesque beaches and serene environment. She advises aspiring designers to surround themselves with inspiring individuals to foster personal and professional growth.