This is typical for a high-importance API that a company starts as private or closed. Generally these are big B2B partnerships. They might go public eventuall

This is typical for a high-importance API that a company starts as private or closed. Generally these are big B2B partnerships. They might go public eventually with it, but until then most people will probably experience this. Source: Have run (and do currently help run) a couple of private API programs for large companies. EDIT: Part of the reason they are doing it is because their API might be crap right now, or rife with potential security/use case holes. They don't want open apps out there either yet. Basically they are trying to control the experience.