Better Stack Podcast

In this episode we sit down with Elliot, the developer behind the Dreams of Code and the Dreams of Autonomy YouTube channels, for a conversation about where software development is heading in the age of AI. We dig into why he's gone all-in on Rust for 2026, the reality of building a cross-platform video editor with unsafe FFI, and why he ditched Claude Code for Codex. Elliot shares how he actu...

In this episode of the Better Stack Podcast, we sit down with Chris Pennington, DX Engineer at Resend and creator of the Coding in Public YouTube channel. Chris shares his unlikely journey from a documentation role with no professional coding experience to becoming the 10th hire at Resend, all sparked by a YouTube video about React Email. We dig into how Resend gets Claude to recommend them ~70% o...

In this episode, Ben from Warp joins us to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-powered development tools. We explore his journey from creating whiteboard programming shorts to working on Astro, his honest take on React Server Components, and how the rise of coding agents is reshaping what matters in API design. Ben also dives deep into Warp's vision for the future of terminals, transf...

In this episode, we dive deep with Tom Krcha, former Adobe Flash evangelist and creator of Pencil.dev, about the evolution of design tools and the future of AI-powered design. From his early days building Flash games and Adobe XD to creating a visual design interface that bridges the gap between human creativity and LLMs, Tom shares insights on multi-agent orchestration, model benchmarking with Op...

In this episode, Amin Astaneh shares his journey from open source enthusiast to SRE expert, discusses the impact of AI on DevOps, and offers insights on building reliable, fast-moving teams. He also talks about his nomadic lifestyle and adventures on the road, providing a holistic view of technology and life. Show notes: Certomodo.io: https://certomodo.io/The Field Guide to Understanding Human Err...

In this episode, Evan You, creator of Vue.js and Vite, shares his journey from building Vite to founding VoidZero and developing a complete Rust-based JavaScript toolchain. He discusses the evolution from Vite's ESBuild+Rollup hybrid to Rolldown, the 50-100x performance gains with OXC (linter, formatter, parser), and how Vite Plus aims to simplify the entire JavaScript onboarding experience. E...

In this episode, Bashbunni shares her journey from mastering terminal tools to joining (and leaving) Charm, to building inclusive coding communities. She discusses her transition from Vim to Doom Emacs, the impact of AI on coding education, and why balancing shortcuts with hands-on learning is crucial for developer growth. Bash also loves to coding in public and she regularly streams to encourage...

Join David Flanagan, founder of Raw Code Academy and 20-year cloud native veteran, as he shares his journey of building a completely over-engineered education platform using GraphQL Federation, Cloudflare Workers, and extreme microservices architecture. Discover how he's creating developer content for senior engineers, runs a one-man business powered by AI agents, and maintains his sanity with...

In this conversation, Sarah Benson discusses the current state of Web3 and crypto, emphasizing that the industry is not dead but has matured significantly. She highlights the evolving role of blockchain as a foundational infrastructure layer in various applications, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like AI.

In this episode, we sit down with Ben, the founder and engineer behind Spec - an OS-level AI assistant for your Mac. Ben shares how he built Spec almost entirely himself, why he pivoted from robotics to personal AI, and what he’s learned across his previous startups. We cover Spec’s architecture, privacy model, and the future of “personal intelligence.” If you’re a developer or founder curious abo...

In this episode of the Better Stack podcast, Richard, James, and Andris are joined by Beto, a Developer Success Engineer at Expo. They discuss Beto's role at Expo, the benefits of using Expo for React Native development, and the future of Expo. Beto shares insights about over-the-air updates, the CI/CD pipeline for app deployment, and his journey from Walmart to Expo. The conversation also covers...

In this episode of the Better Stack Podcast, James, Richard, and Andris delve into the latest developments in AI, focusing on OpenAI's Sora 2 video model and its features, including the cameo function. They discuss the invite process for accessing Sora 2, user experiences with video generation, and the implications of copyright and training data. The conversation shifts to the business model behin...

In this episode, we dive deep into MCP UI - the revolutionary technology that could transform ChatGPT from a text-only experience to a rich, interactive interface where brands can bring their own UI components directly into AI conversations. We explore the implications for e-commerce, user experience, and whether this is the future of human-AI interaction or just over-engineering. Plus, we discuss...

In this episode of the Better Stack Podcast, we sit down with Hao Sheng, founder of Expertise.ai, to talk about how AI can transform the way businesses interact with their customers. Hao shares his journey from building early chatbot systems at Google to creating “human business interfaces” that turn static websites into dynamic, personalized experiences. We also explore what’s next for conversati...

In this episode of the Better Stack Podcast, the team dives into the latest developments in AI tooling and models. They explore the new AI SDK and AI Elements library, discuss the stealth release of Sonic (aka Grok’s CodeFast), and break down OpenAI’s GPT real-time API and its potential uses. Andris takes us behind the scenes of LLMs, sharing the hilarious Golden Gate Bridge neuron story and his o...

Join James, Richard, and Andris as they dive deep into the explosive ChatGPT-5 release that left developers fuming! Discover why the "PhD-level coding AI" fell flat in real-world tests, the controversial router system that routes to older models, and how OpenAI's Apple-style marketing backfired spectacularly. Then buckle up for a wild ride through the AI coding tools battlefield—why...