Today we welcome YK Sugi—engineer, educator, and the mind behind CSS Dojo—for the final episode of season two.

We talk about his journey from YouTube dev tutorials to building one of Sourcegraph’s most-used AI tools, and how the role of DevRel has changed (and in some cases, disappeared). YK also breaks down how senior engineers are actually using AI, why fundamentals still matter, and how Agent Chat was born during a company hackathon.

If you’re curious about AI devtools, the future of DevRel, or just want to hear how a former YouTuber accidentally shipped a flagship feature—this one's for you.

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player - https://www.backendbanter.fm

YK’s X: https://x.com/ykdojo

YK's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykdojo/

Sourcegraph's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Sourcegraph/featured

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro and Meeting YK

03:05 - Starting Out with CSS Dojo

05:36 - DevRel Burnout and Market Whiplash

11:40 - Building Agent Chat at Sourcegraph

13:52 - Claude, Cursor, and AI Tool Comparisons

21:52 - AI Use: Juniors vs. Seniors

26:22 - Designing Dev Tools That Think

37:56 - Will AI Consolidate the Tooling Ecosystem?

44:21 - Should Codebases Change for AI?

50:52 - Advice for Learners, DevRels, and Job Seekers

01:07:02 - Outro and Where to find YK's work

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In this episode, we sit down with Quincy Larson, founder of Free Code Camp, to explore his incredible path from high school dropout to influential tech educator. Quincy shares his unconventional journey — from living in his car and working fast food jobs to building one of the most impactful coding education platforms in the world.

We discuss the power of self-learning, the evolution of coding education, and the philosophy behind building meaningful skills. Quincy also dives into his productivity habits, structured routines, and why he prioritizes lifelong learning over traditional memories.

Lane's interview on Free Code Camp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/getting-a-developer-job-lane-wagner-podcast-157/

Free Code Camp podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLDCm3bPfU&list=PLWKjhJtqVAbm04DK8TSUCRheRjW2P9TR7

Learn back-end development: boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: backendbanter.fm

Follow Quincy on X/Twitter: @ossia

Free Code Camp: freecodecamp.org

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro and Meeting Quincy

01:05 - Running a charity

03:58 - Getting deep into podcasts

11:58 - Quincy's lifestyle

17:47 - The Birth of Free Code Camp

25:47 - What has freecodecamp been working on

27:40 - Building Skills vs. Chasing Shortcuts

30:20 - How to Stand Out in Today's Tech Job Market

50:44 - What changed since Quincy wrote his book

54:06 - Obligatory AI talk

1:12:01 - Where to find Quincy

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Today we welcome Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp and creator of Ghostty, a new terminal emulator built in Zig. In this episode, Mitchell shares the story behind Ghostty, how his curiosity about terminals evolved into a full-fledged project, and why Zig became his language of choice.

We also dive into Ghostty’s unique features, the role of libghostty, and why Mitchell believes native-feeling apps are essential for developer experience. Plus, we explore his insights on computer science education, dynamic linking, and what really matters when learning to code.

If you’re into terminals, low-level programming, or just love hearing how great software gets built, this one’s for you!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player - https://www.backendbanter.fm

Mitchell's X/Twitter: https://x.com/mitchellh

Ghostty: https://ghostty.org/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro and Meeting Mitchell

01:06 - Mitchell’s Journey at HashiCorp

03:13 - What is Ghostty and Why Build It?

08:35 - Native Performance and Zig’s Advantage

15:25 - Why Mitchell Chose Zig Over Rust

31:15 - Ghostty’s Road to Package Repositories

52:00 - Future Plans for Ghostty

1:04:02 - Where to Find Mitchell and Ghostty

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Today we welcome Malte Ubl, CTO of Vercel, to discuss the evolution of frontend development and the role of AI in shaping modern engineering workflows.

Malte dives into V0, Vercel's innovative tool for generating frontend code using AI, and explains how it empowers developers—especially backend engineers—to build full-stack applications.

We also explore the concept of verticalization in engineering roles, the challenges of balancing innovation with infrastructure, and how AI is redefining productivity in tech.

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Malte's X: https://x.com/cramforce

Vercel: https://vercel.com/

V0: https://v0.dev/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro and Meeting Malte

01:23 - What is V0 and Why Did Vercel Build It?

04:00 - The Technical Challenges Behind V0

10:34 - How V0 Leverages Tailwind and TypeScript

19:15 - AI's Impact on Frontend Development

23:20 - Verticalization of Engineering Roles

32:01 - How AI is Changing Development Workflows

37:09 - The Future of Full-Stack Engineering

44:08 - How Vercel Balances Product Innovation with Core Infrastructure

46:06 - Final Thoughts and Where to Find Malte

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Today we welcome Madison Kana—a self-taught dev who defied the traditional path. From dropping out and navigating a world of homeschooling to launching the Code Book Club, Madison transformed her unconventional journey into a thriving community of coders. In this episode, she shares how bypassing the typical education route fueled her passion, the real challenges of learning on your own, and the power of mentorship in building a dynamic tech career. If you’re ready to break the mold and carve your own path in software development.

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Madison's X: https://x.com/Madisonkanna

Website: https://madisonkanna.com/

Learn out loud: learn0utloud.com

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:30 - Where did it all start?

01:40 - Dropping out

08:42 - How Madison started learning code

22:00 - Team leading

30:30 - Code Book Club

38:50 - Learn out loud

46:20 - AI talk

54:18 - Book recommendations

56:05 - Outro

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This time Elliot from  @dreamsofcode  joins us to talk about building his own course platform we dive into why he chose to go custom, the tech stack behind his platform, and the philosophy of building vs. buying in software.

We also discuss the challenges of teaching programming, the role of AI in development, and what it really takes to create a great online course. If you're into coding, education, or the intersection of both, this one's for you!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.devListen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Elliott's Youtube:  @dreamsofcode 

Elliott's Course: https://dreamsofcode.io/

Elliott's X: https://x.com/dreamsofcode_io

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro and Meeting Elliot

02:36 - Why Build a Custom Course Platform?

08:13 - The Challenges of Serving Video Content

20:16 - The Build vs. Buy Debate

28:20 - What Was Bought vs. Built?

33:28 - How AI Is Changing Development

45:12 - GDPR, Privacy, and Analytics

54:19 - Tech Stack Behind the Platform

1:06:33 - AI’s Real Impact on Developer Jobs

1:13:16 - Where to Find Elliot and His Work

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Today we bring Sam Aaron, the creator of Sonic Pi, a free code-based music creation and performance tool that lets you use simple code to turn your computer into a fully networked live coding music studio! It is also used to engage students in computer science and programming through music creation!

In this episode, we explore the origins of Sonic Pi, its deep connection with Raspberry Pi, and how it enables live coding for music creation, starting from it's Ruby-based language features, we discuss how Sonic Pi has evolved, the challenges of maintaining it as a sustainable open-source project and if you’re curious about coding, music, or both—this one’s for you!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Sonic Pi - https://sonic-pi.net/

Sam's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/samaaron

Sam's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samaaron/

Sam's X/Twitter: https://x.com/samaaron

DJ Dave: https://www.youtube.com/@dj_dave____

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:11 - Sonic Pi Origin Story

03:03 - Connection To Raspberry Pi

04:23 - But What Is Sonic Pi?

06:25 - Is Ruby The Primary Language Used In Sonic Pi?

10:25 - A Small Sonic Pi Showcase

17:53 - Collaboration through Git

23:12 - How Did Sam Get Involved In All Of This?

25:14 - The Feedback Loop of Sonic Pi

26:56 - How Does The Live Coding Experience Work In Sonic Pi?

32:01 - The Two Different Working Modes Of Sonic Pi

33:42 - How Does Debugging Work In Sonic Pi

38:55 - How Do The Different Components Fit Into The Architecture Of The Project

51:33 - Has Sam Been Full-Time On Sonic Pi Since Its Inception?

53:25 - Does Sam Want To Try Something Different?

56:25 - How Is Sam Finding More Sustainable Revenue?

Today, we bring a very special guest, one whose face you might recognise, one that appears on your homepages with a sporadic video and seemingly disappears. His name is Benjamin Burke, or simply Ben, he’s the co-creator of KRAZAM, a channel that consists of sketches that combine grotesque and absurdist humor with technological anxiety, satirizing the tech industry and the modern alienation of the corporate life in general.

In this episode, which admittedly is a bit different from the usual, we’ll focus on KRAZAM and its origins, creative process, and what future plans and ambitions the duo has. Both Ben and Shiva started in software engineering, met in college and started doing sketches just for fun, not expecting this project to explode in popularity in the way it did. Ben will also share their unique approach to content and why KRAZAM prioritizes loyal viewers over virality, comedic inspirations. Stay tuned!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

KRAZAM'S Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@KRAZAM/videos

KRAZAM's X/Twitter: https://x.com/krazamtv

KRAZAM'S Website: https://www.krazam.tv/

Krazam's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/KRAZAM

Ben's X/Twitter: https://x.com/bb_fresh

Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bnjmnbrk/

Shiva's X/Twitter: https://x.com/shivakilaru

Shiva's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivakilaru/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:58 - KRAZAM Origin Story

03:59 - How Much More Footage Is Left After the Recordings?

05:12 - Are Both Ben and Shiva Programmers?

06:46 - Inspiration Behind "The Hustle"

08:47 - Has Ben Read Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations"?

09:25 - The Actual Introduction to KRAZAM

10:49 - Microservices

14:04 - Sending Birthday Messages Is HARD

19:06 - On Shiva Not Being in the Microservices Video

20:48 - Favorite KRAZAM Videos

22:22 - Most Underrated KRAZAM Video

32:00 - KRAZAM's Viewers Are Very Loyal

36:03 - Ambitions for the KRAZAM Channel

39:04 - How Did You Know KRAZAM Had Product-Market Fit?

40:59 - Ben's Comedic Inspirations

43:08 - KRAZAM Does Not Aim for Virality

46:47 - Was It Stressful to Do a Live Talk?

49:40 - KRAZAM's Video Release Frequency

51:46 - Competitive Excel

55:34 - Site Reliability Engineer Video

57:50 - AI Bots on Spotify

01:00:27 - Self-Hosting and The Good Old Days

01:02:31 - What's the Churn in the Industry?

01:05:21 - Where to Find Ben and KRAZAM

Lane chats with Chris Ferdinandi—creator of Go Make Things and ADHD for the Win—a frontend dev, educator, and all-around expert in making JavaScript (and learning) simpler. Chris has built a career helping devs cut through the noise, level up their skills, and embrace ADHD-friendly ways to stay focused and productive.

We dive into his journey from discovering his own ADHD to reshaping how people learn to code. We talk about why so many devs have ADHD, how gamification can actually help (when done right), and how today’s tech is messing with our attention spans. Plus, we get into the psychology of learning and what actually works when it comes to staying engaged and motivated.

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

ADHD ftw! : https://adhdftw.com/backend-banter/

Go Make Things: https://gomakethings.com/

https://bsky.app/profile/cferdinandi.bsky.social

https://mastodon.social/@cferdinandi

00:00 - Intro

01:58 - Why so many devs have ADHD

03:21 - Quick explanation of ADHD

07:10 - Is ADHD actually more common now?

17:41 - ADHD, dopamine, and why we can’t put our phones down

20:50 - Trying meds for ADHD – what’s it like?

22:34 - How ADHDftw got started

24:21 - Why finishing big projects is so damn hard

25:54 - Best content styles for ADHD brains

28:40 - Gamification: What works and what’s just hype?

34:16 - Which gamer type fits ADHD folks best?

39:27 - Is TikTok basically junk food for your brain?

41:45 - Must-read books on focus and getting stuff done

43:43 - Where to find Chris and his content

46:26 - Is ADHD a gift or a curse?

59:30 - Brutally honest feedback for Boot.dev

01:18:58 - Outro

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We’re joined by Danny Thompson, currently Director of Technology at This Dot Labs and technical leader and organizer of the Dallas Software Developers Group, where he fosters vibrant local tech ecosystem through workshops, cohorts, and meetups.

With a passion to help others learn and find jobs, Danny shares his stories and insights that he gained throughout his extensive and fascinating career! From working as a cashier to now giving talks and organizing meetups for which people fly out to attend, Danny talks about how he got into coding in the first place and his progression, his advice to new developers, how does AI impact jobs now and his perspective on how it will change in the future and a lot more!

Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player - https://www.backendbanter.fm

Danny's X/Twitter: https://x.com/DThompsonDev

Danny's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dthompsondev/

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:14 - How Danny Got Into Coding

05:08 - Meetups and Affordable Conferences

23:37 - Overview of This Dot Labs

29:28 - Building Apps on Top of Stripe

30:30 - Businesses Focus on Functionality Over Aesthetics

33:00 - Danny's Career Progression

38:39 - Pros and Cons of Product vs. Consulting

43:12 - This Dot Labs Regarding AI

46:46 - Interest Rates &. AI: Impact on Developer Jobs

55:31 - The Pressure to Perform at a High Level

57:51 - Why Recruiters Do Not Call You Back

01:03:41 - Getting Feedback After Interviews

01:04:49 - Danny's LinkedIn Courses and Where to Find Him

This week on Backend Banter, we’re joined by Ryan Fleury, a talented game developer currently working with Epic Games on their Rad Debugger project. Ryan shares his journey from building games to creating powerful developer tools, offering insights into arenas, memory management, and the fascinating world of programming from the ground up.

In this episode, we dive deep into memory management, exploring the differences between stack, heap, and arenas, and how they shape modern development. We discuss the trade-offs of various allocation strategies, the magic of pointer stability, and how arenas simplify managing lifetimes in both games and other applications. Along the way, Ryan shares his approach to developing tools, insights into game development workflows, and practical tips for clean and efficient programming.

Learn back-end development: https://www.boot.dev

Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm

Ryan's Socials:

Rad Debugger: https://github.com/EpicGamesExt/raddebugger

Website: https://www.rfleury.com/

X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanjfleury

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:54 - Ryan Fleury's Path to Game Development

02:49 - From Engines to Debugging Tools

06:51 - Arenas Explained: Memory Management Basics

16:51 - Arenas vs. Garbage Collectors

27:40 - Real-World Applications of Arenas

31:39 - Why Pointer Stability Matters

42:57 - Dynamic Allocation Made Simple

48:48 - How Arenas Streamline Development

01:01:38 - Debugging Tools and the Rad Debugger

01:09:43 - Where to find Ryan