Building API security for the MCP + agent era

“Don’t leave security as an afterthought — forcing it in later will never be as good as designing it in from the start.” — Buchi Reddy

APIs have become the nervous system of modern applications, yet most teams still treat security as a bolt-on. In this conversation, Ravi Madabhushi sits down with Buchi Reddy, founder & CEO of Levo.ai, to unpack the evolving challenges of API security and how the rise of AI agents and MCP servers changes the game.

You’ll hear:

• Why engineering leaders often underestimate security until compliance or a breach forces the issue.
• The hidden risks of internal APIs and unauthenticated admin endpoints.
• Why API keys persist despite their flaws, and what stronger authentication should look like.
• How agents and MCP servers amplify existing API vulnerabilities.
• The practical hurdles of taking an MCP server from local to enterprise production.
• Why API and security teams must rethink collaboration as product security teams emerge.

The episode closes with a call to engineering leaders: build security into your APIs from day zero, and automate it wherever possible.