PodRocket

Ripple.js with Dominic Gannaway

October 23rd, 2025  |  31 mins 43 secs

framework, ripplejs

Dominic Gannaway joins us to talk about RippleJS, a new TypeScript-first UI framework built with its own templating language and a focus on clarity and reactivity. We explore how RippleJS handles fine-grained updates through its track and block system, why it avoids global state, and how context plays a key role. Dominic also walks us through the developer experience, from the language server and VS Code integration to syntax highlighting and the Prettier plugin, plus how the framework handles error boundaries, server-side rendering, future plans, and more.

Source maps: how does the magic work? with Nicolo Ribaudo

October 21st, 2025  |  25 mins 51 secs

css, javascript, source maps, typescript

Ever wondered how source maps actually work? In this episode, Nicolo Ribaudo, Babel maintainer and TC39 delegate, breaks down how source maps connect your JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS back to the original code — making debugging, stack traces, and observability smoother in Chrome dev tools.

We dive into how source maps help in both development and production with minified code, explore tools like Webpack, Rollup, Next.js, and Svelte, and share when you should turn off source maps to avoid confusion.

WASM 3.0 with Andreas Rossberg

October 16th, 2025  |  40 mins 11 secs

wasm

Andreas Rossberg unpacks WASM 3.0, covering new capabilities like garbage collection, exception handling, tail calls, and support for 64-bit addressing with multiple memories. The discussion explores deterministic profiles following relaxed sim, WebAssembly’s capability-based security model, and advances in sandboxing and module design. Andreas connects these features to practical use cases in JavaScript engines and applications like Google Sheets, then looks ahead to experimental work on threading, stack switching, and async programming models shaping the next phase of the WebAssembly ecosystem.

Semantic HTML still matters with Jono Alderson

October 8th, 2025  |  26 mins 52 secs

html

Jono Alderson joins the podcast to discuss why semantic HTML still matters today. He shares how thoughtful markup can improve accessibility and performance, from using the picture tag and responsive images to optimizing with content-visibility CSS. The conversation dives into common pitfalls like div soup, the shift toward more template-centric design, and techniques for improving the critical rendering path. Jono also discusses preloading, HTTP early hints, and the evolving role of structured data, LLMs, and Google’s trust signals in shaping a more meaningful and efficient web.

State of CSS in 2025 with Adam Argyle and Kevin Powell

October 1st, 2025  |  43 mins 26 secs

css

In this episode of PodRocket, Adam Argyle and Kevin Powell discuss the results of the latest State of CSS survey and share how new capabilities like functions, mixins, nesting, and container queries are changing the way developers approach styling. We dive into the ongoing conversation around Tailwind and pre-processors, and look at the practical impact of features such as scroll driven animations, view transitions, and cascade layers. Adam and Kevin also explain how advances like relative color syntax and app property are making CSS variables more dynamic and reliable. Along the way, we touch on browser interoperability and imagine what’s ahead for CSS, from motion blur to fit text and beyond.

Google’s antitrust win, AI mandates, npm attacks and robots.txt

September 25th, 2025  |  41 mins 10 secs

ai, browsers, panel, security

Is the web breaking under the weight of AI crawlers, platform consolidation, and nonstop security breaches? We dive into the state of browsers, developer burnout, and whether tech regulation can actually keep up.

In this panel discussion:

• We debate if robots.txt and AI licensing standards like RSL can realistically control how AI scrapes the web.

• The fallout from DIA’s acquisition by Atlassian and what it means for indie browser innovation in a Chromium-dominated world.

• Why Google’s antitrust victory might embolden other tech giants, and what that means for competition.

• How supply chain attacks like the NPM malware and Shai Hulud worm are exploiting GitHub workflows and package vulnerabilities.

• The pushback against AI mandates at work, including Coinbase’s controversial policy requiring developers to use Copilot.

Unpacking the NPM supply chain attacks with Feross Aboukhadijeh

September 23rd, 2025  |  40 mins 9 secs

security

Feross Aboukhadijeh, founder of Socket, joins us to break down the recent wave of NPM supply chain attacks hitting the JavaScript ecosystem, including how attackers used phishing to target developers, snuck malware into popular packages like Prettier and "is", and even abused tools like Claude, Gemini, and TruffleHog.
We dig into how GitHub Actions vulnerabilities were exploited, what makes postinstall scripts risky, and and what you can do to protect yourself from future attacks.

Mark Dalgeish on mastering RSCs with React Router

September 18th, 2025  |  Season 4  |  31 mins 36 secs

react

Mark Dalgleish joins us to talk about the latest in React Router, including its growing support for React Server Components (RSC). He breaks down what RSC data mode, framework mode, and declarative mode mean for developers, and how features like the middleware API and route module API are simplifying work across tools like Vite and Parcel.

We also dive into how React 19, static site generation with RSC, and smarter data batching are reshaping performance and the future of server-side rendering in React apps.

Modularizing the monolith with Jimmy Bogard

September 11th, 2025  |  32 mins 28 secs

modular architecture

Jimmy Bogard joins Pod Rocket to talk about making monoliths more modular, why boundaries matter, and how to avoid turning systems into distributed monoliths. From refactoring techniques and database migrations at scale to lessons from Stripe and WordPress, he shares practical ways to balance architecture choices. We also explore how tools like Claude and Lambda fit into modern development and what teams should watch for with latency, transactions, and growing complexity.

Rolldown and VoidZero's vision for the future of JavaScript tooling with Alexander Lichter

September 9th, 2025  |  39 mins 2 secs

rolldown

Alexander Lichter joins the podcast to talk about Rolldown, a bundler built in Rust by Void Zero that aims to replace Rollup and ESBuild with faster builds and better enterprise scalability. He dives into the power of OXC and Oxlint, the push toward a unified JavaScript toolchain, and previews what to expect at ViteConf 2024.

The useless useCallback: React performance myths unpacked, with Dominik Dorfmeister

September 4th, 2025  |  22 mins 55 secs

react, react hook, react usecallback

Dominik Dorfmeister unpacks the pitfalls of React’s useCallback and useMemo, revealing how these hooks often introduce more complexity than performance gains. He explores the promise of the React Compiler, the practical power of the “latest ref” pattern, and strategies to boost code readability and maintainability at scale.

Learn why overusing useEffect and manual memoization can do more harm than good, and how teams can level up their PR reviews and performance practices using tools like the ESLint React Compiler plugin.

Navigating the AI bubble, the 10x AI engineer, and the Cloudflare vs. Perplexity data grab

August 28th, 2025  |  44 mins 26 secs

ai, panel

Is the AI industry an unsustainable bubble built on burning billions in cash? We break down the AI hype cycle, the tough job market for developers, and whether a crash is on the horizon.

In this panel discussion with Josh Goldberg, Paige Niedringhaus, Paul Mikulskis, and Noel Minchow, we tackle the biggest questions in tech today.

• We debate if AI is just another Web3-style hype cycle
• Why the "10x AI engineer" is a myth that ignores the reality of software development
• The ethical controversy around AI crawlers and data scraping, highlighted by Cloudflare's recent actions

Plus, we cover the latest industry news, including Vercel's powerful new AI SDK V5 and what GitHub's leadership shakeup means for the future of developers.

Resources

Anthropic Is Bleeding Out: https://www.wheresyoured.at/anthropic-is-bleeding-out
The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-gui
No, AI is not Making Engineers 10x as Productive: https://colton.dev/blog/curing-your-ai-10x-engineer-imposter-syndrome
Cloudflare Is Blocking AI Crawlers by Default: https://www.wired.com/story/cloudflare-blocks-ai-crawlers-default
Perplexity is using stealth, undeclared crawlers to evade website no-crawl directives: https://blog.cloudflare.com/perplexity-is-using-stealth-undeclared-crawlers-to-evade-website-no-crawl-directives
GitHub just got less independent at Microsoft after CEO resignation: https://www.theverge.com/news/757461/microsoft-github-thomas-dohmke-resignation-coreai-team-transition

Chapters

0:00 Is the AI Industry Burning Cash Unsustainably?
01:06 Anthropic and the "AI Bubble Euphoria"
04:42 How the AI Hype Cycle is Different from Web3 & VR
08:24 The Problem with "Slapping AI" on Every App
11:54 The "10x AI Engineer" is a Myth and Why
17:55 Real-World AI Success Stories
21:26 Cloudflare vs. AI Crawlers: The Ethics of Data Scraping
30:05 Vercel's New AI SDK V5: What's Changed?
33:45 GitHub's CEO Steps Down: What It Means for Developers
38:54 Hot Takes: The Future of AI Startups, the Job Market, and More

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React beyond the DOM: exploring custom renderers with Erik Rasmussen

August 26th, 2025  |  Season 4  |  18 mins 33 secs

react

Erik Rasmussen, principal product engineer at Attio, joins PodRocket to discuss how React can be used far beyond the web. From custom React renderers for IoT and hardware to a secure plugin architecture using iframes and JSON rendering, Erik dives into platform agnostic rendering, React reconciler, xState, and how Adio empowers developers to build third-party apps with React. A must-listen for anyone curious about React's future outside the DOM.

Modern React Patterns: Concurrent Rendering & Actions with Aurora Scharff

August 21st, 2025  |  29 mins 31 secs

react

Aurora Scharff, Senior Consultant at Crayon, joins to break down how modern React development is evolving with features from React 18 and React 19.

She explores real-world use cases for useTransition and useOptimistic, highlights improvements in async UI rendering and performance, and shares insights on building responsive interfaces with concurrent rendering patterns.

The conversation also touches on server components, Next.js, and tools like Aria Kit and Redwood SDK, all shaping the next era of React development.

Poor Sleep, Big Pay Gaps, Culture Shifts: The State of Devs in 2025 with Sacha Greif

August 14th, 2025  |  Season 4  |  26 mins 3 secs

developer survey

Sacha Greif, creator of the State of Devs 2025 survey, joins PodRocket to share insights on developer life beyond the code. We talk about sleep habits, mental health, job titles, workplace culture, and shifting values across regions. Learn why "engineer" titles often pay more, what developers worldwide think about Elon Musk, and how trends differ by country, gender, and company size.

NuxtLabs joins Vercel with Daniel Roe

August 7th, 2025  |  Season 4  |  23 mins 41 secs

nuxt, nuxt labs, vercel

In this episode of PodRocket, Daniel Roe, lead dev over at NuxtLabs, joins Paul to discuss the big news: NuxtLabs is joining Vercel. They dive into what this partnership means for Nuxt, the independence of the open-source framework, and how products like Nuxt UI Pro, Nuxt Studio, and Nuxt Hub are evolving. Daniel also shares insights on zero-config deployments, maintaining choice for developers, and the philosophy behind keeping Nuxt open and flexible.