Block just laid off nearly 4,000 employees - cutting its workforce almost in half - and CEO Jack Dorsey says it’s not because the company is struggling. In this edition of the Web News, we break down Jack’s X post explaining the decision and what it signals about AI-driven productivity, flatter teams, and the future of tech companies. Is this a one-off restructuring - or the beginning of a major shift in how companies are built? Matt and Mike also discuss how to remain ready for market changes and how to avoid the fear of what seems like career-level existential threats.
As I dive deeper into React and AI-assisted development, I’ve realized something uncomfortable - my JavaScript fundamentals weren’t as solid as I thought. In this episode Matt and Mike revisit ES6 and modern JavaScript concepts like let vs var, const and mutability, arrow functions, this binding, destructuring, and more. We also explore how frameworks and AI tools can add layers of abstraction that quietly distance us from core fundamentals. If you’re working with React, Svelte, or modern tooling, this episode is a reminder that mastering JavaScript fundamentals is still one of the best investments you can make as a developer.
Are mobile apps really “dead”? With the rise of AI-generated micro apps and vibe coding tools like Google Opal, some believe users will stop downloading traditional apps and instead generate exactly what they need on demand. But is that realistic? In this edition of the Web News, Matt breaks down the growing narrative around AI-generated apps and questions whether everyday consumers actually want to prompt-engineer their own tools. He explores the hidden costs of app generation - bug fixing, long-term maintenance, shared user experiences, and platform longevity - and explains why general-purpose apps aren’t disappearing anytime soon.
AI tools are becoming a core part of modern development workflows—but they come with serious risks most developers aren’t thinking about. In this episode, Matt and Mike break down five AI security threats that are already happening in the real world. From prompt injection attacks and rogue AI agents with access to your email, to runaway API bills and poisoned models slipping into your stack - these aren’t hypothetical problems. If you're using AI in production, in your codebase, or inside your company workflows, this episode will help you understand what can go wrong - and how to protect yourself before it does.
The pace of AI model releases is becoming almost impossible to follow. In just two weeks we saw GPT-5.3-Codex, GPT-5.2 updates, Gemini 3 Deep Think upgrades, Claude Opus 4.6 with a 1M context window in beta, Qwen3-Coder-Next, GLM-5, MiniMax M2.5, Cursor Composer 1.5, and even Kimi 2.5 just outside the window. This isn’t a quarterly product cycle anymore - it’s a daily arms race. In this episode Matt and Mike break down what this acceleration means for developers, open source, frontier labs, and the broader industry. Are we witnessing healthy innovation, or unsustainable velocity? At what point does this stabilize - if it ever does? If you’re trying to build, learn, or compete in AI right now… this conversation is for you.
Most website project delays aren’t caused by bad code - they’re caused by communication and decision-making issues.
In this episode, Matt and Mike flip the script and talk about how clients can be better partners to their web developers. From vague feedback and false urgency to scope creep and decision-by-committee, we break down the most common developer pet peeves, why they matter, and what small communication changes can dramatically reduce costs, speed up timelines, and improve final results.
This isn’t about blaming clients - it’s about understanding how modern web projects actually work.
As AI tools and instant search become more embedded in our daily workflows, it’s getting easier to outsource our thinking instead of working through problems ourselves. In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss whether AI is making us lazier thinkers, how constant access to answers is changing problem-solving habits, and why struggling with a problem might still be an important skill to protect.
In this episode Mike and Matt discuss how code review is becoming one of the most important developer skills as AI takes on more of the actual code writing. With AI generating larger and denser pull requests, reviewing code effectively has become harder - and more critical - than ever.
They break down the real cognitive limits humans face when reviewing code, including how many lines can realistically be reviewed at once and why reviews should be timeboxed to avoid missed issues. The conversation focuses on how to anchor reviews around what truly matters in a codebase, such as security, performance, testing, reliability, and user experience.
Mike and Matt also share practical tips for becoming a better code reviewer, including creating checklists around critical paths, doing multiple review passes, encouraging smaller cascading PRs, and relying on tools like linters, formatters, and AI to handle nits. They wrap up by exploring how AI can assist with code reviews - summarizing diffs, identifying risky areas, and generating edge cases - while leaving final decisions and tradeoffs firmly in human hands.
AI is still in its “build at all costs” phase, but the pressure to turn a profit is growing fast. With reports suggesting OpenAI could burn through billions in 2026, the question becomes clear: how does AI actually make money? We dig into subscriptions, potential future monetization models, and the looming threats of regulation, copyright, and data access.
Site owners are seeing traffic to their websites drop considerably as users begin asking AI questions, instead of searching for solutions on individual sites. Value-based websites seem to be getting hit with the worst of it, as tutorials and listicles are easily presented right inside an LLM's chat window. This leaves many site owners with a dilemma - should they continue to chase SEO trends, or should they reach for something more tuned to AI, like AEO and GEO? With many websites being run by just a few staff members, resources are tight - so every missed pageview matters. In 2026, should site owners worry about SEO, GEO, or AEO? Or maybe even all of them at the same time?
In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss Ryan Dahl's recent comments regarding software engineers in the world of AI. Ryan recently shared his viewpoint via a post on X where he stated that he thinks the era of humans writing code is over - meaning that SWEs may still have work to do, but that writing syntax won't be it. We unpack this viewpoint and further discuss the world of software engineering as AI continues to invade the coding space for hobby coders, professionals, and vibe coders. For those of you that don't know, Ryan Dahl is the creator of Node.js - so his voice carries some weight in the web development space.
AI tools are changing how software is written - but what does that actually mean for developers right now? In this episode, Matt and Mike dig into whether AI will replace developers or simply reshape the role, all while the tech job market remains challenging for juniors and experienced devs alike. They discuss why developer documentation and tutorial content is seeing traffic declines, how this moment echoes past tech panic cycles like automation in the trucking industry, and what today’s uncertainty means for aspiring developers. The conversation also explores career pivots, skill diversification, and whether this is an overreaction - or a genuine turning point for the industry.
Despite Tailwind CSS usage continuing to grow, the company recently revealed a sharp revenue decline tied to the rise of AI coding tools. Founder Adam Wathan explained how tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT reduced documentation traffic, cutting off Tailwind’s primary revenue funnel. In this edition of Web News, Matt and Mike explore what this means for Tailwind, the broader open-source ecosystem, and how open-source projects actually make money in 2026.
In this episode of the HTML All The Things Podcast, Matt continues his experiment to see whether AI can actually teach him React - or if it just leads straight into tutorial hell. After taking Mike’s advice to step away from AI and try writing code manually, Matt quickly realizes how hard it is to apply new concepts without guidance, especially when unfamiliar JavaScript ES6 features enter the picture.
The discussion dives into learning React through AI-assisted tutorials, the struggle of truly understanding concepts versus simply following along, and how easy it is to fall into endless side-quests like array and object destructuring. Along the way, Matt also reflects on the content-creator dilemma: when learning in public, should you slow down to deeply explore every concept, or push forward and learn what you need as you go?
Microsoft has been pushing Copilot into nearly every corner of its ecosystem - Microsoft 365, Windows 11, Xbox, and even PC branding - but the reaction from developers and users feels strangely muted. In this edition of the Web News, Matt takes the lead as we check in on Microsoft Copilot, the state of Windows 11, and how the broader Microsoft ecosystem is being perceived heading into 2026. Is Copilot actually useful, or is it just another feature being forced into products people already feel lukewarm about?
In this episode of the HTML All The Things Podcast, Matt and Mike look back at the biggest web development trends of 2025 before making predictions for what’s coming in 2026. From the explosion of AI-assisted tooling and supply-chain security incidents to framework fatigue, React Server Component controversies, and Svelte 5’s momentum, the landscape is shifting fast. They also discuss why design engineering roles are rising, why exploits and CVEs may accelerate, and how AI will continue to reshape developer workflows in the year ahead.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was one of 2025’s most celebrated games - until the Indie Game Awards stripped it of Game of the Year and Debut Game honors. The reason? The use of Gen AI placeholder assets during development, some of which accidentally shipped and were later patched out. In this Web News, we break down what happened, why the IGAs took such a hard stance, and what this controversy says about Gen AI disclosure, tooling, and modern game development.
This is a re-release of a super popular episode from back in 2023 - happy holidays! Learning JavaScript from scratch can be as much about syntax as it is programming concepts, especially when it's your first language. Concepts like knowing how and why you need a place to store bits of data (variables), re-using code snippets instead of writing them repeatedly (functions), making decisions (conditional statements), and working with collections of data (arrays and looping) are all second nature to experienced developers. These concepts are the foundational building blocks that let you solve problems by thinking like a computer (sometimes this is called programmatic logic). In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss these key JavaScript basics including variables, functions, conditional statements, arrays, and looping.
Choosing a browser used to be simple - pick Chrome, Edge, or Safari and move on. But in 2025, browser choice has become a much deeper decision, especially for developers and power users. With options like Firefox, Arc, Brave, Opera GX, and even AI-driven browsers entering the conversation, the question isn’t just which browser is best - it’s what are you optimizing for?
In this Web News, we break down how people choose their browser, when it makes sense to switch, and whether paying for a browser experience is actually worth it.
In this episode, Matt and Mike explore whether AI can effectively teach React through project-based learning. Using a real side project - rebuilding the Xbox 360 Blades dashboard as a web app - they walk through how React concepts like props, state, and component structure are learned through iteration, experimentation, and replacing code as understanding improves. The discussion focuses on learning by building, avoiding overwhelm, and using AI as a guide rather than a shortcut.
With modern development, we’re almost never coding alone. Google, MDN, Stack Overflow, and now AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini are always just a tab away. But what happens if that safety net disappears?
In this edition of Web News, we explore the idea of offline programming - whether it’s still realistic going into 2026, what skills it actually tests, and whether there’s any real value in trying to code without constant internet access.
In this episode of the HTML All The Things Podcast, Mike walks through his development setup in late 2025 - not just the tools he uses, but how he uses them day-to-day. From his MacBook Pro and editor setup to peripherals, travel gear, and gaming hardware, Mike breaks down what worked well over the past year, what didn’t, and why certain choices stuck.
This isn’t a sponsored or affiliate-driven rundown - it’s a practical look at a real developer setup after a year of shipping projects, recording podcasts, and experimenting with workflows.
The holidays are coming up, and for many developers that brings up a familiar dilemma - should you keep coding, learning, and building… or should you unplug and take a real break? With fast-moving frameworks, constant updates, and pressure to stay relevant, stepping away can feel risky. But burnout is real, and the holidays are often one of the few chances we get to properly recharge. In this Web News, we talk about whether developers should code over the holidays, when it makes sense to keep tinkering, and when it’s healthier to step back and reset.
“SEO is dead” has been a running joke for over a decade - but heading into 2026, the debate feels louder than ever. With AI search, shrinking Google traffic, zero-click results, TikTok discovery, Amazon reviews, Reddit research, and AI assistants reshaping how people find information, the real question isn’t whether SEO is dead… it’s what SEO has become.
In this episode, Matt and Mike break down the new world of search in 2025/2026 - where users bounce between Amazon, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, Google, and AI tools before making a purchase. We explore how platforms are stealing traditional website traffic, why “zero-click search” doesn’t mean zero opportunity, how brands build trust across multiple ecosystems, and why your website still matters more than it seems.
SEO isn’t dying - Google-only SEO is. Discover what “Search Everywhere Optimization” really looks like and how developers, creators, and business owners can adapt their strategy for 2026 and beyond.
In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike dive into the idea that consumer computing might be reaching a breaking point. With RAM prices skyrocketing, hardware getting more expensive, and the industry shifting toward cloud-powered and AI-assisted workflows, we ask a dramatic question:
Is this the end of consumer computing as we know it?
We explore how pricing, market consolidation, and changing developer expectations are reshaping the future - and whether everyday consumers will still be able to afford powerful machines in the coming years.
