The text discusses the benefits of using a GraphQL-first development approach. This approach involves designing the schema first, which acts as a contract between frontend and backend teams, and then building the app in parallel with both teams working on separate components. The authors present their philosophy for GraphQL-First development, which they learned from building open-source tools for the GraphQL community and experience going from zero-to-GraphQL in two production applications. They provide real-world examples of designing a schema, streamlining workflows, loading data into UIs, and monitoring apps in production. The text highlights the benefits of using GraphQL, including easier parallelization of development, improved performance, and more detailed insight into API performance. It also discusses the importance of open-source tools for GraphQL development and monitoring, such as graphql-tools and Apollo Client.