- 56 minutes 6 seconds1010: No one cares anymore?
On this episode, Scott and Wes dig into the messy reality of modern front-end work, from struggling to find skilled devs and navigating team chaos to questioning code quality, testing, and even whether AI is stealing the joy of programming.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax
- 01:06 The Challenge of Finding Skilled Front-End Developers
- 05:11 Understanding Design Mode and Its Applications
- 10:33 Navigating Team Dynamics and Code Quality
- 12:37 The Importance of Testing Strategies
- 13:39 Learning and Growing as a Developer
- 18:11 Consolidating Multiple Animation Libraries
- 21:16 Draw UI with Code Only
- 22:38 Avoiding Interview Scams
- 26:40 Embracing Change in Tech Careers
- 32:21 Why People Don’t Do Software Updates
- 41:04 AI Kills my Joy of Programming
- 49:18 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
- Scott:
- Wes:
Shameless Plugs
- Scott:
- Wes:
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3 June 2026, 11:00 am - 54 minutes 32 seconds1009: 54% AI-Generated and Climbing — State of AI
Scott and Wes react to the freshly released State of AI 2026 survey, covering everything from skyrocketing AI adoption and the rise of coding agents to the pain points, job security fears, and big philosophical questions developers are wrestling with right now.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 00:06 Introduction to the State of AI in Web Development
- 02:47 Survey Insights: AI Coding Adoption and Sentiment
- 06:55 Models and Providers: Usage and Sentiment Analysis
- 09:14 Paid Agent Usage: Who’s Paying for What?
- 11:31 Agents and Assistants.
- 15:21 Personal Experiences with AI Tools
- 20:33 Paid Agent Usage
- 22:36 Programming Languages: Trends in AI Coding
- 23:54 Image Generation Tools: A Shift in Usage
- 26:48 The Evolution of Image Generation Tools
- 28:44 The Future of Video Generation
- 29:42 AI in App Development
- 30:54 Code Review Tools
- 31:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 34:59 AI’s Role in Code Generation and Review
- 35:50 The Financial Impact of AI Tools
- 38:03 Local AI: Trends and Misconceptions
- 41:28 AI Risks and Pain Points
- 45:13 User Sentiment Towards AI
- 48:44 The AI Bubble: Current Perspectives
- 50:52 Survey Insights and Future Directions
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1 June 2026, 11:00 am - 59 minutes 56 seconds1008: Diffs, Trees, and VS Code 2.0
Scott and Wes sit down with Alex Sexton and Amadeus De Marzi from Pierre Computer to dig into the gnarly performance challenges behind building blazing-fast code review tools, covering virtualization, progressive rendering, and why GitHub’s UI feels so sluggish. They also chat about how major AI coding tools like Claude, Codex, and Cursor are adopting Pierre’s diffs library, plus the role of web components, benchmarking, and what it takes to build “VS Code 2.0.”
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 04:00 The Need for Better Infrastructure
- 05:53 Understanding Diffs and Trees
- 08:16 Performance Challenges in Code Review
- 10:49 Virtualization Techniques for Smooth Scrolling
- 15:04 In-Page Find and Virtualization Limitations
- 17:00 Browser Limitations and Content Visibility
- 19:29 Progressive Rendering and Syntax Highlighting
- 23:05 Tools and Techniques for Performance Testing
- 33:35 Optimizing Performance with AI
- 36:31 Mastering Auto Research for Efficiency
- 42:00 Exploring Web Components and State Management
- 44:05 Innovations in Rendering and Virtualization
- 49:12 Business Insights and Future Directions
- 53:58 Sick Picks
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27 May 2026, 11:00 am - 17 minutes 1 second1007: 8 Tech Choices to Lock In Before Agentmaxxing
Wes and Scott talk about the foundational decisions that make AI-assisted coding actually work—database schemas, validation, routing, CSS structure, and more. They explore why consistency matters more than specific tools, and how a little upfront planning can keep agents from turning your codebase into chaos.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 03:19 Planning your database schema before AI touches it
- 06:08 Picking a validation strategy that won’t drift
- 07:18 Mapping your routing structure and auth flow
- 08:48 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 10:52 Locking in your CSS methodology and UI framework
- 13:31 Choosing how your client and server communicate
- 15:03 Creating a folder structure agents can follow
- 16:16 Don’t be afraid to switch up your AI setup later
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25 May 2026, 11:00 am - 35 minutes 4 seconds1006: Can AI Make Good Design?
Wes and Scott talk about whether AI can actually create good design, or if it just remixes the same patterns over and over. They dig into AI-generated UX, design systems, YouTube thumbnails, Google’s design.md spec, programmatic design, and the tools designers are actually using today.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 03:20 Can AI actually make you creative?
- 08:52 Why AI-generated YouTube thumbnails all look the same
- 10:34 Can good design be extrapolated from patterns?
- 13:46 Google’s design.md and AI steering documents
- 16:57 Can AI make good UX?
- 19:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 21:03 Can good design be programmatic?
- 23:57 Can AI optimize design for outcomes and conversions?
- 27:40 Should designers use AI to enhance their work?
- 32:41 The AI design tools people are actually using
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20 May 2026, 11:00 am - 43 minutes 33 seconds1005: Programatic and Skill based Video Creation with Remotion
Scott and Wes are joined by Jonny Burger, creator of Remotion, to talk about the explosion of programmatic video, going from 125k to 800k installs per day, and how AI and a new HTML-in-Canvas Chrome spec are changing the game. They dig into monetization, the wild world of video slop, motion graphics workflows, and the new Media Bunny tool.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 02:20 Monetization Strategies and Sustainability
- 04:40 The Impact of AI on Video Creation
- 07:46 User Demographics and Use Cases
- 09:49 The Future of Video Editing Workflows
- 13:14 HTML in Canvas: A Game Changer
- 16:17 Technical Challenges and Innovations
- 18:44 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 19:09 The Future of Remotion and Community Feedback
- 22:59 Rendering CSS Animations and Performance Optimization
- 27:05 The Underworld of Video Slop
- 29:12 Transition to Media Bunny
- 33:50 Motion Graphics Workflow
- 39:42 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
- Jonny: ENTTEC DMX to USB Interface
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18 May 2026, 11:00 am - 23 minutes 16 seconds1004: TanHacked
Scott and Wes break down the “Mini Shai-Hulud” supply chain attack that compromised TanStack and other popular npm packages through a clever GitHub Actions cache poisoning exploit; a self-propagating worm that stole credentials and persisted through Claude Code hooks and VS Code tasks. They also cover how developers can protect themselves using pnpm’s security defaults, dev containers, and other practical defenses.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 00:25 Understanding the Shai-Hulud Worm
- 02:47 Mechanics of the Attack: GitHub Actions and Cache
- 05:44 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 06:09 Propagation and Impact of the Worm
- 09:30 Preventative Measures for Developers
- 12:33 The Role of Package Managers in Security
- 18:39 Using Dev Containers
- 20:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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13 May 2026, 11:00 am - 25 minutes 34 seconds1003: Skills Skills Skills
Scott and Wes chat all things agent skills for web developers, sharing their favorites for everything from CSS animations and HTML generation to logo extraction, marketing copy, and video creation. Whether you’re just getting started with AI-powered development or looking to level up your workflow, this episode is packed with practical skills you can put to use today.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 01:33 Hot Tip Skill
- 05:55 CSS Motion Systems
- 08:17 Agent Browser Skill
- 09:30 HTML Skill
- 12:01 Extract Logos Skill
- 13:34 Dex Task Skill
- 14:50 Remotion and Hyper Frames Skills
- 16:22 Discussion on AI and Design Skills
- 18:50 Marketing Skills and Copywriting
- 23:01 Final Thoughts and Resources
- 24:10 Brought to you by Sentry.io
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11 May 2026, 11:00 am - 52 minutes 39 seconds1002: The Real Pricing of LLMs
In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about LLM usage-based pricing, security risks from malicious code in interviews, staying current in a fast-moving dev landscape, a new CSS linter, managing Node environments and tooling without losing your mind, and more!
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 01:17 Copilot’s new usage-based pricing and the end of cheap AI
- 08:53 Why Syntax dropped clever ad transitions
- 10:33 Debugging issues on the Syntax website with Sentry
- 12:51 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 13:01 Getting hacked through a fake recruiter and malicious repos
- 17:57 How to catch up after stepping away from dev
- 25:10 React components vs native browser APIs
- 32:41 New CSS linting tools and Project Wallace updates
- 36:06 How to interview developers in the age of AI
- 41:21 Managing Node, package managers, and dev environments
- 46:59 Sick picks + shameless plugs
Sick Picks
- Scott:
- Wes: Amaran Halo 100x
Shameless Plugs
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6 May 2026, 11:00 am - 33 minutes 18 seconds1001: Managing Deadlines + Stress
Scott and Wes tackle the all-too-real stress of crunch time as a web developer—how to handle looming deadlines, avoid sloppy shortcuts, and stay methodical when everything feels like it’s falling apart. They share practical tips on planning, communicating, cutting scope, asking for help, and preventing the chaos from happening again next time.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 02:53 The Importance of Planning and Organization.
- 05:16 Slow Down, Take a Step Back.
- 06:05 Identifying and Managing Tasks.
- 08:35 The Role of Communication in Project Management.
- 11:24 Cutting Features and Managing Expectations.
- 14:52 The Balance Between Perfectionism and Productivity.
- 16:42 Getting To Work.
- 19:31 Updating Tools and Issues As You Go.
- 22:34 Asking for Help.
- 25:29 Prevention.
- 30:22 Communicate Clearly.
- 32:57 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
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4 May 2026, 11:00 am - 1 hour 12 minutes1000: Syntax Episode 1,000!
Wes and Scott celebrate 1000 episodes of Syntax, reflecting on how the podcast started, the team behind it, memorable moments, listener stats, inside jokes, and how the show has evolved over time—from early recordings and sponsors to supercuts, spooky episodes, and what’s next.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 02:01 Intro to Kaitlin
- 03:08 Intro to Randy
- 06:16 Intro to CJ
- 09:01 Intro to Niki
- 10:08 Who “yaps” more, Wes or Scott?
- 10:28 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 18:37 Wes’ supercuts app
- 24:04 How Syntax got started
- 28:04 Joining Sentry
- 29:47 The 6-7 compilation
- 30:42 The original Syntax doc
- 38:44 Dead Nuts supercut
- 38:58 Kaitlin’s journey from Level Up to Syntax
- 45:30 Where new listeners should start
- 46:41 The Wordle episode and viral moments
- 48:24 Most popular Syntax episodes
- 48:40 The Halloween episodes and spooky stories tradition
- 50:57 Listener stats by country
- 55:22 First sponsors and early monetization
- 57:30 Who edited the early Syntax episodes?
- 59:25 Will there be a Syntax conference?
- 01:01:33 How many guests have been on Syntax?
- 01:02:58 Evolution of Syntax intros
- 01:07:54 More Syntax supercuts
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29 April 2026, 11:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App