The document discusses how to build mobile apps by developing an API using Ruby on Rails. It demonstrates creating RESTful APIs for user authentication (signup, login), managing to-do lists and list items. It shows how to test the APIs with Cucumber and RSpec. It also describes using ActiveAdmin to build an admin interface and Backbone.js to build JavaScript apps that interact with the Rails-built API, leveraging features like the asset pipeline. The presentation encourages developing mobile apps by focusing on the API layer in Rails and using JavaScript for the frontends.