You know that “it’s a simple fix” task that eats your entire sprint?
If you liked this episode or if this saved you a sprint: like, subscribe, and share with your team. Comment your worst “simple fix” story! We’ll feature a few next episode!
This episode is about going from “just parse the RSS” to a real system with cron jobs, a database, SSR, caching, pagination, title-matching pain, and a YouTube Data API gotcha where deleted videos still show up and break your counts. We unpack the technical rabbit hole, the product/process mistakes that made it worse, and the practical fixes you can ship today.
SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Highlights
- Why YouTube RSS only returns ~15 items, and when to switch to the Data API
-The sneaky “deleted video” entries that broke episode matching (and the 4-line filter that fixed it)
- Cron + DB to avoid on-request parsing delays, with lazy loading/pagination for perf
- Levenshtein vs. AI scraping for cross-platform title matching (and tradeoffs)
- SSR for SEO: hydration pitfalls, view-source reality checks, and caching strategy
- Process: ticket sizing gone wrong, sprint rituals that would’ve saved weeks, and a fallback plan when APIs fail
- Career bit (Huntober): the highest-ROI job-hunt moves—ask directly for referrals and quantify your wins so AI can actually write a good resume
What You’ll Learn
When RSS is fine—and when you must use YouTube Data API v3
Designing a resilient ingestion path (cron triggers, rate limits, cost control)
Secure API key handling and avoiding accidental exposure
Concrete heuristics for matching episodes across platforms
The “fallback first” mindset when upstream services go down
Stack & Tools Mentioned
Next.js/SSR, Tailwind/CSS (retro radio UI), cron + DB ingest, YouTube Data API v3, Spotify RSS, Levenshtein distance, AI/LLM parsing workflow, lazy loading/pagination, caching.
Chapters
00:00 It’s “simple”… until it isn’t (cold open)
02:00 50 episodes milestone + data-driven intros
03:20 New personal site goals (personas, UX, content routing)
06:04 Rotary-dial content hub idea
07:42 Plan A: “Just use Spotify/YouTube RSS”
08:56 Parsing delays → cron + DB ingest
11:00 Release cadence (Thurs AM CT) & autosync plan
12:07 YouTube RSS ≈ 15 items?!
13:19 Enabling YouTube Data API v3 (the missing step)
14:22 Title matching fails; publish vs. upload date mismatch
16:31 AI scrape workflow vs. deterministic pipelines
17:13 Levenshtein distance for fuzzy matching
18:53 The painful bug: deleted YouTube videos still in API
20:20 Security considerations for API keys
21:08 Retro CSS “radio” UI + Tailwind
23:01 From 2 points to full sprint (scope creep lessons)
24:03 Rate limits, CORS, and API cost control
24:54 SSR for SEO, hydration errors, caching
26:24 Web creativity is back (experimentation talk)
27:29 Sprint Zero / refactor time that saves real sprints
28:24 Resilience: API fallback to RSS
29:18 Perf: lazy loading & pagination
30:01 Tests vs. cowboy deploys (real talk)
31:20 Takeaways: when to keep it simple vs. do it right
36:01 What is Huntober?
37:41 Highest-ROI job hunt move: ask for referrals
39:07 Make AI useful: quantify your work
41:15 Outro
AI is writing more code than anyone expected. Some of it is great. A lot of it is just okay. In this episode, Danny Thompson and Leon sit down with Matt DeBergalis, CEO of Apollo GraphQL, to unpack what it will take to move from a gold rush of mediocrity to production-grade agentic experiences that users can trust.
Guest Co-Host: Matt DeBergalis
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debergalis/
https://www.apollographql.com/
@ApolloGraphQL
SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
We dig into the real gap behind AI project failures and it is not the models. Matt explains why agentic development stalls inside enterprises, how microservice sprawl blocks useful AI, and where GraphQL functions as the control plane that unifies data, streaming, and context so agents can actually do work. We cover the early hype around MCP servers, why many of them ship without OAuth, and a concrete checklist for securing costs and credentials before you flip the switch.
You will hear where shopping, search, and SEO are headed as prompt boxes replace search boxes. We get into the gravity that pulls models toward stacks with the most public code, what that means for React, Rust, Python, and the long tail, and how developers can future proof their careers by mastering fundamentals like orchestration, context control, and system design instead of chasing every weekly model benchmark.
We wrap with a practical path for job seekers. Breadth over tool loyalty. Weekly small projects. Use AI for the first 75 percent, then own the last 25 percent with clear prompts and better workflows.
Who this episode is for
- Engineering leaders trying to turn AI prototypes into products
- Senior and staff engineers learning agent orchestration
- Devs curious about MCP, GraphOS, and secure tool calling
You will learn
- Why 95 percent of agentic projects fail and what capability is missing
- How GraphQL unifies fragmented systems for agents, including streaming and precise context selection
- A security and cost control checklist for MCP style tool calling
- How hiring rubrics are shifting toward communication, systems thinking, and curiosity
- A weekly practice plan to build portfolio proof fast
Highlights
Gold rush of mediocrity and what to do about it
From REST to stateful agents and why the old web stack creaks
Every search box becomes a prompt box
The 75 and 25 rule for productive AI assisted coding
Tool breadth over tool loyalty for career advantage
Chapters
00:00 Cold open. Why most agentic projects fail
01:00 Theme setup. The gold rush of mediocrity
01:30 Host and guest introductions
03:00 MCP excitement vs reality. From laptop tools to real products
06:15 Security and spend. OAuth gaps, scoped keys, rate limits, audit logs
09:00 Distribution shift. Generative SEO and agentic checkout
13:10 Centralization gravity. Why models favor stacks with more public code
18:00 Foundations. Unifying services with GraphQL and streaming tokens
24:10 Controlling the context window with field selection
26:30 Should developers learn this now
31:30 Fundamentals over benchmarks. MCP, RAG, evals
42:00 Hiring in the agent era. Communication, systems thinking, curiosity
48:00 Prompt quality and the last mile
53:00 Audience question. Tools to explore and a weekly practice plan
59:30 Closing recap and CTA
Senior engineers don’t “wing it.” They use mental models to turn plans into production—faster, safer, and with less drama. Danny Thompson, Leon Noel, and Kent C. Dodds break down the exact models they use: decision docs, second-order thinking, reducing cognitive load, Occam’s Razor, leaky abstractions, feature flags vs. staging, chaos engineering, AI context windows (and rot), MCP, onboarding docs, blind code reviews, and more. If you’re pushing from mid → senior (or trying to sound senior in interviews), steal these.
Guest: Kent C. Dodds!
https://kentcdodds.com/
https://x.com/kentcdodds
@KentCDodds-vids
SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
You’ll learn
→ How to communicate invisible work like a senior (impact vs activity)
→ Decision documents: making tradeoffs explicit
→ Second-order thinking to prevent “future bugs”
→ When to ship fast with flags vs. slow with staging
→ Designing for onboarding—humans and AI assistants
→ Using AI without nuking your circle of competence
→ Local job tactics (Memphis example), recruiters, and “entry-level” framing
If this helped, hit 👍 and subscribe. Drop your favorite mental model in the comments
Chapters
00:00 Cold open — “When plans break in prod”
00:36 Why mental models matter for seniors
02:45 Define “mental model” (map vs. territory)
05:22 Intros + episode setup
07:05 Decision documents & guiding principles
10:48 Coaching moments: easy vs. right solutions
12:56 Second-order thinking (caching, short links, spam)
15:58 Occam’s Razor in real engineering decisions
18:12 Onboarding for Future-You (and your AI)
20:44 Tests as guardrails for humans + LLMs
22:18 AI context windows, “context rot,” and structure
24:55 Circle of competence in the AI era
27:18 Should juniors use AI? The real risks
30:06 Shipping fast vs. learning deep: when to limit AI
31:55 Interviews are changing: system design vs LeetCode
33:42 Confidence traps: getting gaslit by your prompts
36:00 Too many abstractions → leaky abstractions
38:40 Blind code reviews & cross-team learning
41:20 Google-style anonymous reviews (tradeoffs)
44:00 Feature flags vs. staging (the spicy debate)
46:52 Chaos engineering & safe rollouts in prod
49:10 Pragmatism over dogma: what actually ships
50:58 Kent’s Epic AI cohort & MCP primer
54:20 Listener Q&A: local vs. remote, .NET vs. Node
1:00:45 Ask Danny, Leon, And Kent!
Are you studying for hours but still not retaining anything? 🧠 It's probably not your fault, you've likely been taught to learn all wrong.
In this landmark episode, we sit down with the legendary Dr. Barbara Oakley, a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Oakland University, a globally recognized expert on the science of learning, and the creator of the world's most popular online course, "Learning How to Learn," which has reached millions worldwide. Dr. Oakley shares her incredible journey from flunking math and hating school to becoming a world-renowned expert on the neuroscience of learning.
Get ready to have your mind blown as Dr. Oakley debunks the biggest myths about studying, reveals the simple, science-backed secrets to mastering any subject, and explains how to beat procrastination for good. You'll walk away with actionable techniques to unlock your brain's true potential.
She is best known for making complex concepts from neuroscience and cognitive psychology accessible to a mass audience, empowering millions to learn more effectively. Her own life story is a testament to her core message: anyone can learn anything.
Dr. Oakley is most famous as the co-creator of "Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects," one of the most popular massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the world. Hosted on Coursera, the course has enrolled millions of learners from every country, teaching them practical, science-backed strategies for learning.
Her work has been featured in major publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She is also the author of several books, including the bestseller "A Mind for Numbers," which serves as a companion to her course.
Places you can follow Dr. Barbara Oakley
📚 Dr. Oakley's Book | A Mind for Numbers: https://barbaraoakley.com/books/a-mind-for-numbers/
🎓 The "Learning How to Learn" Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Chapters
0:00 - A Teacher's Powerful Introduction to Dr. Barb Oakley
4:05 - From "I Will Never Learn Mathematics" to Distinguished Professor
5:42 - The Single Most Critical Skill in the Age of AI
8:12 - How Learning a Language Unlocks Your Brain for Math & Science
9:58 - The #1 Mistake We All Make When Learning a Difficult Subject
14:30 - The Unconventional Path to Becoming a Professor
23:11 - The 2 Brain Modes You MUST Understand (Focused vs. Diffuse) 🤯
29:22 - A Modern, Scientific Twist on the Pomodoro Technique
32:38 - WARNING: This Popular Study Method is a Waste of Your Time
34:18 - The Surprising Problem with "Student-Centered" Classrooms
40:12 - Proof That Your Phone is Destroying Your Ability to Focus
45:35 - The Neuroscience of Dyslexia & Autism: Your Brain's Secret Superpower
51:11 - The Emotional Side of Learning: Dealing with Fear, Shame & Procrastination
56:33 - Why Impostor Syndrome is Actually a GOOD Thing
1:07:28 - How to Use Sleep to Supercharge Your Memory 😴
1:15:17 - The Future of Learning: How AI Will Change Everything
1:23:36 - How to Use AI to Learn (Without Cheating Yourself)
1:32:32 - Q&A: The Best Way to Create a Daily Structure for Learning
1:44:52 - Dr. Oakley's Final Inspiring Message
What do JSON and conversational AI have in common? They are the glue behind ordering coffee, booking flights, and talking to support. In our tests, about 1 out of 3 replies missed the intent until we enforced structured JSON outputs. In this episode, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel break down how to move from “cool demo” to production systems that route, escalate, and self-audit reliably.
SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
Changing careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!
https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
What you’ll learn
- Why freeform paragraphs fail backends and how JSON fields fix routing
- A simple schema pattern: department, sentiment, confidence, reply
- Confidence floors that trigger automatic retries before users ever see a response
- Context windows: why rules are read every call while context gets dropped
- MCP basics and how domain context avoids bad translations and metaphors
- Where voice agents work today (predictable conversations) and where they do not
- Practical tool choices for text, code, and voice workflows
- Real labor impacts, retention insights, and reskill advice
- Salary negotiation quick hits: the two lines that matter
Chapters
0:00 JSON as the glue + the 1-in-3 miss
0:30 Intro & episode promise
1:10 Quick defs — JSON / NLG / NLU / MCP
3:00 Why structured JSON beats paragraphs
7:36 Confidence scores & auto-retries
9:02 Sponsor
11:34 Prompts for image/video models that actually work
15:01 Context windows & durable rules
16:32 Repo trees, PRDs & dev logs to reduce spin
20:02 MCP in practice, local dialects & domain knowledge
26:03 Voice agents, predictable vs unpredictable conversations
32:43 Voice mode as a research partner & model picks
33:01 Jobs impact, retention stories & reskilling
37:10 Conversational AI 101, coffee shop flow to backend
40:05 Connectors & phone/drive-thru stacks (Agora, 11 Labs)
46:04 Real-world rollouts, employee retention boost
48:13 Call centers & debt collection case study
51:27 Predictable vs messy conversations — where AI fails
53:24 Career CTA, learn JSON, MCP, voice stacks
57:01 Ask Danny And Leon A Question
1:07:10 The Developer's Guide To AI
Stop leaving tech conferences with just a free t-shirt and some stickers. It's time to leave with a job offer. 🚀
The difference between a successful conference and a waste of money isn't luck, it's strategy. In this episode, we break down the ultimate conference survival guide for software developers and tech professionals. Learn how to shift from a passive "Tourist Mindset" to a proactive "Architect Mindset" to build real opportunities.
SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
Changing careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!
https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
We cover everything you need to know to turn your next conference badge into a massive career investment, including:
✅ The pre-conference blueprint: How to research, set measurable goals, and connect with speakers before you even arrive.
✅ On-site execution: Master the art of the three-minute conversation, ask questions that make you memorable, and build genuine connections.
✅ The follow-up formula that actually gets you a response and leads to interviews.
✅ Actionable advice for both extroverts and introverts to network with confidence.
Whether you're looking for your first tech job or your tenth, this is the playbook you'll want to reference time and time again.
YouTube Chapters
00:00 - Job Offer vs. Free T-Shirt: The Real Difference
01:41 - Turning Online Connections into Real Relationships
03:22 - What is Your "Why"? Defining Your Conference Goal
04:25 - The #1 Mistake: Don't Get Lost in the Hallway Track
05:52 - A Simple Trick to Connect With Any Speaker
07:32 - It's Not Luck, It's Strategy
08:15 - The "Tourist" vs. "Architect" Mindset
09:13 - Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
10:18 - The True Cost of Attending a Conference ($2,200?!)
12:27 - The Pre-Conference Blueprint for Job Seekers
13:40 - The Genius "Coffee Chat" Calendar Invite Strategy
15:25 - Champions Are Made in the Pre-Season
17:13 - How to Research Attendees (Not Just Speakers)
18:20 - Mastering the 3-Minute Conversation
20:04 - The Secret Magic of Tech Conferences
22:34 - Setting Measurable Goals for Your Conference
25:22 - How (and When) to Bravely Ask for a Referral
28:26 - The Psychology of Asking for a Favor
30:38 - How to Talk About Yourself Without Being Salesy
33:27 - The Long-Tail Game of Networking
34:26 - A Counterintuitive Tip: Don't Introduce Yourself First
35:22 - Questions That Make You Unforgettable
40:48 - Networking Tips for Introverts
43:51 - Pro Tip: Never Eat Alone
46:36 - The Most Valuable Part of a Conference: The Follow-Up
49:03 - Ask Us Anything: Following Up With a VIP You Met
One phishy email to an npm maintainer set off a supply-chain scare that could’ve torched the web—yet the real on-chain damage was… cents. In this episode, we break down how a fake npm 2FA reset (from npmjs.help) led to malicious releases of popular packages like chalk and debug, how the payload hijacked browser crypto flows (monkey-patching window.ethereum, fetch, and XHR), why the blast radius stayed small, and what teams did right (shoutout to Aikido & Vercel).We finish with a rapid “Career Corner” on how to follow up after an interview—with copy-ready lines you can use.SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!You’ll learn:- Spotting modern phishing (look-alike TLDs, urgency cues)- What the malware did and why front-end focus limited impact- The minute-by-minute timeline from phish → publish → takedown- Practical defenses: pin versions, lockfiles, audits, password managers, least-privilege tokens- How to write a follow-up email that closesIf this helps, hit 👍 and share with a teammate.Chapters0:00 – The phish that “almost destroyed the internet” (cold open)0:24 – Who clicked: maintainer behind big OSS (chalk, debug)0:44 – Payload in plain English (browser wallet-drainer)1:04 – Actual impact vs. potential blast radius1:20 – Intro + what we’ll cover2:23 – Why this story is everywhere & our plan3:43 – What you’ll know by the end (safety + lessons)4:20 – Act 1: The Email — npmjs.help and urgency tactics6:08 – Phishing 101: quick checks before you click8:25 – Psychology of scams (filtering + anecdotes)12:17 – Act 2: The Payload — monkey-patching fetch/XHR/window.ethereum14:44 – Why front-end focus limited the damage16:41 – How it was caught (Node fetch ReferenceErrors)17:52 – Six–eight hours to fix: containment recap20:04 – Magic links & password managers (practical wins)22:15 – Act 3: The Timeline — 18 packages, what happened when23:39 – Minutes matter: publish → detection → takedown25:12 – Community/GitHub issues light up; npm intervenes26:48 – Root-cause analysis & related accounts28:32 – “System worked” takeaways (+ why that’s good)31:18 – Dev hygiene: pin versions, audits, reduce deps33:10 – Myths debunked (no, every machine wasn’t “fully owned”)35:04 – Shout-outs: Aikido, Vercel, others that responded fast38:22 – Career Corner: following up after interviews (templates)53:22 – Wrap-up & next stepsHelpful links (add your URLs)Aikido write-up / detection notesVercel incident summary + cache purge notesnpm/GitHub advisories for affected packagesPassword manager recommendations / setup guide
Two devs. Same stack. Same years in. One gets three on-sites a week; the other gets ghosted. The difference isn’t talent—it’s process. We audit your job hunt like production: inputs & controls, bottlenecks, scripts that actually get replies, and the one KPI (MC/W) that predicts interviews.
SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
What you’ll learn:
- Build a targeted, local-first company list (even if there’s no open req)
- Warm outreach that prints: one-to-many LinkedIn, comments → DMs, “6-minute call” & 11:02 invites
- Remove bottlenecks: Resume → Recruiter, Phone screen → Behavioral (STAR/CAR), Recruiter → Manager
- The THRIVE framework to turn interrogations into conversations
- Why proof vs promises (and why you shouldn’t sign exclusive recruiter agreements)
- The audit loop: track MC/W, notes, weekly reviews, tiny improvements
- If this helped, drop MC/W in the comments so others find it. 👇
Chapters
00:00 Two devs, same stack—process beats talent
02:13 Act I: Inputs & Control (ideal companies, local-first, research, coffee chat prep)
05:15 Activity vs quality (don’t just click apply)
08:00 Burnout fix: focus on controllables
09:35 Don’t sign exclusive recruiter agreements
10:48 Warm vs cold outreach; break the pattern
14:02 One-to-many on LinkedIn (comments that warm leads)
15:54 DM makeovers that get replies
17:58 Pattern breakers: 6-minute call, 11:02 invite
21:03 Comment → DM handoff without bait-and-switch
22:41 Great question → instant referral story
24:54 Anti-DMs to avoid (“pick your brain?”, resume dump)
27:34 Act II: Bottlenecks in your pipeline
28:44 Resume → Recruiter (lead with outcomes, not fluff)
33:03 Cut jargon the recruiter can’t repeat
34:22 Phone screen → Behavioral (STAR/CAR)
37:28 Recruiter → Manager (narrative + “tell me about yourself”)
40:32 Act III: The Metric—MC/W (meaningful conversations per week)
43:32 Networking beats blind applying
45:10 Act IV: Playbook & Audit (THRIVE recap)
47:26 Practice w/ AI voice role-play (recruiter, EM, meetup)
50:27 Small improvements compound
51:04 Tracking system: spreadsheet, notes, weekly reviews
53:02 Systems vs motivation (James Clear callback)
55:38 Listener Q: “The Chosen One” progress explained
1:02:01 Technical skills ≠ job-getting skills
1:04:13 Wrap
49,000 developers just crowned Full-Stack the #1 software developer role of 2025. We dig into the Stack Overflow Developer Survey (2025) and turn the data into an actionable career roadmap: what to learn, what to ignore, and how AI actually fits into your workflow.
NEW SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
Changing careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!
https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
We break down:
- Why Full-Stack leads (and what skills to stack to stay hireable)
- The SQL vs NoSQL reality (Postgres on top) and how to pivot if you’re Mongo-first
- Languages & frameworks that matter in 2025 (JS/TS, React/Next, .NET/Spring)
- Tools to master: Docker (near-universal) + AWS (still the gap)
- IDE reality: VS Code dominance, Cursor surge, where JetBrains fits
- LLMs in practice: GPT usage, Claude’s rise, and smart model-routing
- Agents, “vibe coding,” and where AI saves real time (tests, data, docs)
- Pay & jobs snapshot + a blunt Q&A: CSS fundamentals vs Tailwind
Chapters
00:00 Cold open — the #1 role reveal
00:36 Why this survey still matters (and its biases)
01:55 Intros + Commit Your Code plug
03:14 Who answered: 49k respondents, pros, age, country
07:03 How devs learn in 2025: docs, AI tools, videos, bootcamps
11:07 The reveal: Full-Stack is #1
12:42 What that means for careers (front-end-only is shrinking)
14:28 Languages: JS/TS, Python, C#/Java — what to prioritize
17:29 Sponsor — Level Up Financial Planning (levelupfinancialplanning.com)
18:34 Databases: SQL dominance (Postgres first) + Mongo in context
20:27 Cloud & dev tools: Docker as default, the AWS gap
21:41 Web frameworks: React/Next, jQuery still huge, .NET & Spring
23:11 IDEs: VS Code, Cursor surge, JetBrains, Vim/Neovim
24:42 LLMs in practice: GPT vs Claude + model routing
29:00 Team tools: GitHub/Jira/Miro + new Git alternatives
30:24 OS choices: Windows vs macOS, WSL split
31:16 Admired vs used: Rust/Elixir, Supabase, reality check
37:02 AI adoption & where it helps most (search, tests, data, docs)
41:41 Accuracy, complex tasks, and human-in-the-loop
44:20 Dealing with “almost right” outputs (mindset shift)
46:40 Agents & “vibe coding” + the Goose demo story
50:32 Jobs, remote, US pay snapshot
51:34 Q&A: CSS fundamentals → then Tailwind
55:12 Outro
On this episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel unpack the biggest programming myths that confuse developers at every level. From “AI will take all dev jobs” to “DRY at all costs,” they separate hype from reality and share hard-won lessons from real teams in production.You will hear why paper Big-O is not the whole story, how cache behavior and data size impact real performance, and why map/reduce vs for loops is a wash on modern engines. We get into testing culture too: why E2E does not replace unit tests, how to use AI for test scaffolding without losing your engineering brain, and what actually improves product reliability. Danny also tackles the myths that Java is slow and GC is always bad, and both hosts talk about the cost curve where cloud is not cheaper than on-prem.The conversation closes with an “Ask Danny and Leon” mailbag on what really separates junior, mid, and senior engineers: independence, guardrails, impact, and the quality of questions you ask.If this helped, drop a comment with a myth you want us to tackle next, and subscribe for more practical, no-fluff engineering talk.Topics include:AI as a productivity tool vs one-click magicBig-O vs real-world performance and memory behaviorjQuery, Deno, Bun, and the hype cycleJavaScript the language vs browser APIsmap/reduce vs for loops on modern enginesUnit tests, integration tests, E2E, and using AI wiselyJava performance and garbage collection tuningDRY vs duplication and over-abstractionAccessibility as a defaultCloud costs vs on-prem at scaleCareer ladder: junior, mid, senior traitsHosts: Danny Thompson (Director of Technology, This Dot Labs; Commit Your Code Conference) and Leon Noel (Managing Director of Engineering, Resilient Coders; instructor at 100Devs)Chapters00:00 Intro and why myths still persist00:58 Host intros and setup for “Gem City” episode02:00 Myth 1: “AI is taking all dev jobs”03:33 When AI image gen goes sideways and why it is a tool, not a replacement06:03 Leon’s motion-blur trick for more believable AI images07:08 Myth 2: Big-O vs real performance in the wild09:52 Cache misses, allocation, data size, and why paper math can mislead11:30 Myth 3: “jQuery is dead” and the reality in legacy estates12:23 Deno and Bun hype vs actual employer adoption13:32 Why jQuery still ships and what we lost chasing complexity15:30 JavaScript the language vs DOM and host environment APIs16:58 Myth 4: “map/reduce are slower than for loops” on modern engines18:11 Myth 5: “E2E replaces unit tests”20:57 When testing cultures go wrong and how to course-correct22:46 Using AI for tests without losing critical thinking25:03 The 80-20 way to use AI on tickets and test suites27:01 Danny gets baited, Leon laughs28:01 Myth 6: “Java is slow” and “GC is always bad”30:30 Region and concurrent collectors, and why allocation patterns matter31:02 Engine differences and mental models across stacks31:58 Myth 7: “Everything must be DRY” vs useful duplication33:01 Strong opinions held weekly and leaving dogma behind34:22 How dev opinions evolve with experience34:52 Accessibility as a default, not a later task36:29 Myth 8: “Cloud is always cheaper than on-prem”37:17 Real-world cost surprises and pulling workloads back38:30 Hype cycles, Jamstack memories, and maintenance pain41:56 On-prem done right and budget realities43:49 Mailbag: junior vs mid vs senior, company variance45:25 Danny’s framework for levels: guardrails, impact, and ownership51:10 The power of high-quality questions at senior and staff levels52:10 Leveling up from mid: own initiatives and become the firefighter53:31 Wrap-up and sign-off
6,000 Applications. 0 Jobs. What Went Wrong?
In this episode, Danny & Leon break down the recent New York Times article about the collapse of $165,000 tech jobs — and why so many new computer science graduates are struggling to find work.
This one gets personal. We dig into salary expectations, the rise of AI coding tools, offshoring, and the real reasons grads are stuck. Plus, we share how bad advice keeps job seekers trapped, and why networking + projects matter more than ever.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This episode is heavier than usual. We felt deeply for the people featured in this article — so much so that we reached out to one of them, Zach, who applied to nearly 6,000 jobs, and spent 90 minutes helping him reframe his job search strategy. Our goal isn’t to mock, but to help anyone who feels stuck right now.
If you’re in the middle of the job hunt, or just want to understand what’s happening in tech careers in 2025 — this is a must-listen.
NEW SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Disclaimer & why this episode is different
03:19 – Why we reacted to the NYT article live
05:25 – Setting the stage: “Goodbye $165K tech jobs”
06:59 – The salary inflation problem
08:03 – Networking: why tech is no longer a free pass
10:10 – Purdue grad struggles despite strong background
15:23 – The promise (and failure) of the CS degree
18:18 – The “learn to code = six figures” myth
20:22 – FANG vs. reality: most jobs aren’t like that
22:01 – Is AI really taking developer jobs? (spoiler: no)
23:53 – Offshoring is the real threat
25:39 – Headcount growth vs. layoff panic
26:32 – Unemployment rates: myth vs. reality
29:20 – The hidden flaw in applying to 6,000 jobs
32:21 – “Clickers” & why mass-applying doesn’t work
34:02 – Bootcamps & the cycle of bad advice
35:38 – Ghosting, coding assessments & job search burnout
39:02 – Zach’s story: 5,762 applications, 0 jobs
41:01 – Why customizing your resume matters
43:08 – The wrong vs. right way to job hunt
46:13 – Reddit resumes & bad job hunt advice
47:23 – Misreporting AI tools (CodeRabbit example)
49:24 – The AI doom loop in job search
52:12 – Government jobs, hiring freezes & policy shifts
53:00 – The Purdue grad pivots to tech sales
55:03 – Why the article fails its own subjects
57:22 – Offshoring vs. AI (the real culprit)
58:00 – What job seekers should be doing now
59:32 – Listener Q&A: networking while still learning
01:03:46 – The power of small, intentional networking
01:06:11 – Balancing a non-tech job & coding journey
01:09:49 – Final advice & episode wrap-up
In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Leon Noel and Danny Thompson dive deep into the wild, twist-filled journey of Figma, from a college side project that almost became a meme generator to a $58 billion IPO.We break Figma’s story into five acts, uncovering the pivotal moments, technical breakthroughs, and business decisions that made it one of the most beloved design tools in the world. From WebGL wizardry to multiplayer design magic, early skepticism to industry adoption by giants like Uber and Notion, we explore how Dylan Field and Evan Wallace built a browser-based platform that changed design forever.NEW SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial PlanningChanging careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!You’ll hear about:- The origin story and near-misses (drones, memes, and more)- Technical innovations with WebGL, WebAssembly, and real-time collaboration- The leadership and hiring lessons learned the hard way- Figma’s breakout moments during Adobe Fireworks’ demise and the pandemic- The $20 billion Adobe acquisition that never happened — and the $1 billion breakup fee- How Figma stayed true to its vision and went public with massive momentumWhether you’re a designer, developer, startup founder, or just curious about how tech products scale from scrappy beginnings to global dominance, this is a masterclass in perseverance, timing, and execution.🎧 Listen in, drop a like, and let us know in the comments if you use Figma!Chapters00:00 – Intro & Setting the Stage01:14 – Figma in Five Acts02:54 – Act 1: The Idea Maze – Drones, Memes, and Crossroads06:13 – The Best Meme Generator Nobody Needed08:56 – WebGL Breakthroughs and Browser-Based Design12:29 – The Power of GPU Rendering & WebAssembly15:53 – Key Performance Tricks – Batch & Delta Rendering17:57 – Building a Custom Text Engine & Multiplayer Vision27:00 – The Adobe Fireworks Discontinuation Moment29:12 – Naming the Product – Why “Figma” Stayed31:13 – Act 2: Building and Struggling with Perseverance33:40 – Early Management Struggles and Leadership Pivot36:33 – Choosing Urgency Over Perfection37:14 – Early Launch Without Multiplayer39:18 – Harsh Early Feedback and User Skepticism40:59 – Securing New Funding & Preparing for Multiplayer41:23 – Act 3: Unlocking Multiplayer Design42:41 – Design Parties and Winning Over Skeptics44:27 – Big-Name Adoption: Uber, Notion, and Market Validation46:44 – Series B & C Fundraising Momentum46:50 – Act 4: Scale and Impact47:04 – Engineers Handling Support for Deep Empathy48:22 – Browser-Based Updates and Rapid Iteration49:43 – Monetization Debate & Investor Pushback51:44 – Act 5: The Pandemic Changes Everything52:57 – Figma’s Remote Collaboration Advantage54:37 – The Launch of FigJam55:39 – Capitalizing on Two Key Market Moments56:39 – Adobe’s $20B Acquisition Attempt58:08 – Regulatory Block & $1B Breakup Fee59:31 – Secondary Funding and IPO Readiness1:00:41 – Dylan Field’s Final Lessons & Closing Thoughts1:02:02 – Outro
If you're learning JavaScript in 2025, **this is the definitive roadmap** you didn’t know you needed. Whether you're just opening your first `.js` file or you’ve been dabbling and finally want to get serious, this episode of *The Programming Podcast* with Danny Thompson and Leon Noel is a *masterclass in what actually matters*.
NEW SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
Changing careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!
https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
We break down:
* ✅ What to learn (and **why** each concept matters)
* ✅ How to structure your learning path without getting overwhelmed
* ✅ The **hard truths** about JavaScript in the real world
* ✅ Mistakes that beginners make (and how to avoid them)
* ✅ How to go from *tutorial nightmares* to building projects that actually get you hired
“You don’t need 50 tutorials, you need 20 projects that work your brain in the right way.”
We cover everything from fundamentals (variables, loops, functions) to advanced topics like async/await, the event loop, testing, and working with frameworks like React and backend tools like Node.js. We don’t just tell you *what* to learn — we tell you *how to think like a developer*.
Whether you're headed toward a front-end career, full stack mastery, or just want to build real apps, this roadmap will serve you today and 10 years from now. No fluff. No hype. Just honest, actionable advice from two developers who have taught thousands of devs to land six-figure jobs.
Leave a comment with the word (gotta watch to the end) if you made it to the end. We want to shout out the real ones.
🔔 Subscribe for more episodes, and drop a like if you got value, it costs nothing but tells us to keep going.
Chapters
00:00 – Why This Roadmap Had to Be Made
03:15 – The Only Reason to Learn JavaScript in 2025
06:30 – What Companies Actually Use JavaScript For
10:00 – The Big 4: Variables, Loops, Conditionals, Functions
17:00 – Arrays, Objects, and the Must-Know Methods (Map, Filter, Reduce)
23:30 – Practice Over Theory: Codewars, Repetition & Your First 20 Projects
29:00 – Async/Await, APIs, and What the Event Loop Actually Does
35:00 – DOM Manipulation vs. JavaScript: What’s Really Going On
38:30 – When to Learn React, Node, and TypeScript
44:00 – Why Testing (Especially Unit Testing) Makes You Stand Out
51:00 – Git, GitHub, and Getting Comfortable with Deployment
56:00 – Stop Being Scared of Errors — Learn to Debug Like a Dev
01:00:00 – Building the Mindset to Learn Forever
01:05:00 – Final Thoughts + Community Q&A Prompt
Struggling to land software engineering interviews—or worse, landing them but not getting the callback? In this game-changing episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel break down the THRIVE framework—a strategy designed to help you crush behavioral interviews and stand out as a top-tier candidate.Danny reveals his THRIVE acronym:Targeted ResearchHonest NarrativesResults FocusInteractive EngagementValidation of AlignmentElevate Impact & Extend the DialogueThey walk through real-world examples, mock interview experiences, storytelling mistakes, and practical ways to improve your resume, LinkedIn, one-on-ones, and technical communication.You'll learn how to:Own the “Tell Me About Yourself” questionUse STAR/CAR frameworks to articulate your impactRead between the lines for team pain pointsTurn interviews into conversations, not interrogationsFollow up like a pro and leave a lasting impressionIf you're tired of sending resumes into the void or bombing interviews despite knowing your stuff—this is the episode you bookmark. Whether you’re a junior dev, mid-level engineer, or transitioning into tech, this episode is packed with actionable strategies that can change your job hunt trajectory.🧠 Bonus: We also answer a question on how to break into global remote jobs as a junior developer.🎙️ Subscribe for more developer career advice, technical breakdowns, and real talk from Leon and Danny.📍 Chapters / Timestamps0:00 - Intro: Why You're Not Getting Interview Callbacks1:16 - Real Stories from Struggling Devs2:14 - Why Behavioral Interviews Matter More Than You Think4:55 - Introducing the THRIVE Framework5:17 - T = Targeted Research: Dig Deeper into the Company13:03 - H = Honest Narratives: Tell Stories with Purpose24:00 - Using STAR and CAR Frameworks for Impact28:07 - R = Results Focus: Show Business Impact with Metrics32:26 - The Developer Log: Document Your Wins Weekly35:00 - Use 1:1s to Get Promoted, Not Just Managed36:59 - I = Interactive Engagement: Make It a Conversation43:04 - Practice Interviewing Like Sales Conversations45:03 - Why Sales & Communication Skills Matter in Tech46:11 - V = Validation of Alignment: Are You the Fit They Need?48:22 - Advocating for Yourself in Interviews52:08 - E = Elevate Impact & Extend the Dialogue54:00 - What to Say When They Ask: “Do You Have Any Questions?”56:45 - Bookending Interviews to Leave a Strong Final Impression1:01:27 - Effort-to-Reward Ratios in Job Hunting1:04:01 - Ask Danny & Leon: Can You Land a Global Remote Job?1:10:14 - Final Thoughts & Outro: Play the Game, Don’t Just Watch
Join hosts Danny Thompson (Director of Technology at This Dot Labs) and Leon Noel (Managing Director of Engineering at Resilient Coders) on The Programming Podcast as they dive into the AI-powered tools transforming their daily workflows—everything from productivity boosters and prompt engineering to hands-free coding and customizable models. They reflect on why "strong opinions held weakly" is a winning mindset, the integration of tools like Whisper Flow, Superhuman, Claude Code, Cursor, Warp, and more, each tailored to their distinct working styles and unique needs. Stay tuned as they unpack how AI is not here to replace developers, but to accelerate them, and demystify which tools offer real ROI versus mere hype. Plus, hear insightful advice on re-entering front-end development, guided by real-world experience from the Dallas tech landscape. Whether you’re an entry-level coder or a seasoned engineer, you’ll walk away ready to rethink your toolbox and workflow in today’s AI-infused environment.⏱️ Chapters & TimestampsTime Segment0:00 Intro: expectations & mindset of “strong opinions held weekly”0:51 Hosts’ intros: Danny & Leon—what they do3:34 Why healthy debate matters—on the podcast and in teams4:27 AI adoption: evolve when evidence shows a better way5:21 Overview: today’s topic — their AI stacks6:08 Leon: AI saving him from legacy code headaches7:39 Tools Leon uses: Whisper Flow, prompts, local LLMs10:06 Leon’s AI-enhanced code stack: Canva, Remove BG, Cursor12:54 Danny: voice-to-text workflows, prompt strategy14:00 AI for communication tone-checking18:18 Superhuman: email automation and sponsorship workflow21:51 Concerns & control: bring-your-own AI models at work24:00 Danny’s model breakdown: strengths of GPT, Anthropic30:58 Claude Code: top performer for coding31:59 DIY dev experience: VS Code + Root Code extension34:45 Copilot resurgence: Microsoft’s comeback36:26 Cursor Web wins: background agents & ADHD workflow40:27 Warp terminal: infrastructure that keeps tasks running43:45 How they evaluate AI tools—time savings, not perfection46:56 Context & prompt engineering: build better templates first48:51 Q&A: returning to front-end—React + Next.js advice50:31 Market demand: full-stack vs. front-end only roles51:50 Learn by doing: tutorials + personal projects52:40 Outro & farewell🔗 Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Whisper FlowSuperhuman (via Grammarly)Claude Code (Anthropic)Cursor & Cursor WebRoot Code extension (VS Code)GitHub CopilotWarp terminal & AI agentsPrompt templates and AI Dev Task repo👍 If you found this discussion helpful:Hit LikeSubscribe for weekly episodesDrop your thoughts or questions in the commentsFollow us on [Twitter X] for updates & bonus content🎧 Available on: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Google Podcasts • YouTube
In this special three-act deep dive of The Programming Podcast, hosts Danny Thompson (Director of Technology at This Dot Labs) and Leon Noel (Managing Director of Engineering at Resilient Coders) unpack the roller-coaster saga of Windsurf’s attempted acquisition.- Act I covers the OpenAI offer, a jaw-dropping $3 billion deal that promised to supercharge OpenAI’s IDE ambitions, only to be derailed by Microsoft’s pre-existing IP clause granting co-ownership of any new code.- Act II explores Google’s strategic “halo hire”, where Verun Moan sidestepped a full buyout in favor of a $2.4 billion non-exclusive licensing deal that bolsters Gemini without triggering antitrust alarms. - Finally, in Act III, we analyze Cognition.ai’s employee-first acquisition, where key Windsurf engineers joined the Devon team under an ownership-stake model, keeping Windsurf alive and profitable.Stick around for our “Ask Danny & Leon” segment, where we lay out an actionable AI roadmap from advanced prompting techniques and RAG/vector database strategies to core programming principles to help you stay relevant in today’s AI-driven dev landscape.Stay in Touch:📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!Danny Thompsonhttps://x.com/DThompsonDevhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDevwww.DThompsonDev.comLeon Noelhttps://x.com/leonnoelhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/https://100devs.org/📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!📖 Chapters / Timestamps0:00 Intro & Three-Act Structure Overview 1:04 Act I Meet Windsurf (What & Why It Matters) 3:47 OpenAI’s \$3 B Acquisition Talks & Market Context 6:01 Windsurf’s \$100 M ARR & IDE Wars Dynamics 8:38 Microsoft’s Hidden IP Co-Ownership Clause Explained 11:40 Deal Collapse: 48 Hours to Ruin 12:05 Act II Google’s “Halo Hire” Strategy 13:27 Licensing vs. Acquisition: Financials & Antitrust 19:03 Google’s Non-Exclusive License & Gemini Integration 23:04 Impact on Enterprise Adoption & Customer Base 24:09 Act III Cognition.ai Acquires Key Talent 26:00 “Aqua Hire” vs. Full Buyout: Talent Over IP 29:03 Employee-First Ownership Model & Vesting 30:52 Meta & the Broader AI Talent Arms Race 33:43 What This Means for AI Tooling Market 36:52 “Ask Danny & Leon” Building Your AI Roadmap 44:03 Deep Dive: Prompting, RAG, Caching & Pre-Fetching 49:08 Core Dev Principles for Effective AI Use 53:12 Sneak Peek: *Practical Developer’s Guide to AI* 54:01 Outro, Viewer Giveaway & Next Episode Teaser
Is it WRONG to work at 4 different tech companies at the exact same time!? This is a very spicy episode, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel dive into the viral story of Soham Parekh—the engineer who somehow landed four tech jobs at the same time., multiple times. We unpack:
Ethics & Overemployment: Is it right or wrong to juggle multiple full-time roles?
Viral Playbook: How Soham’s informal outreach email and Harvard-style resume “gamed” early-stage startups.
Interview as a Game: Why knowing the rules—and playing them—is your biggest advantage.
Networking Secrets: Low-noise, high-signal tactics that beat out 60,000 applicants.
Audience Q&A: Your burning questions on representing yourself vs. outright lying in interviews.
💡 Want more insider tips? Hit Subscribe, smash that Like button, and drop your questions in the comments below!
00:00 Intro & Episode Overview
02:27 Meet Your Hosts: Danny & Leon
04:04 Who Is Soham Par?
05:07 Viral Mixpanel Tweet Breakdown
09:36 Anatomy of the Outreach Email
13:40 Why Early-Stage Startups?
17:05 Can You Really Juggle Four Tech Jobs?
19:28 The Interview Process as a Game
23:50 Deep Dive: Soham’s Resume
29:11 Power of Referrals vs. 60,000 Applicants
32:09 Low-Noise, High-Signal Networking
35:04 Authenticity & Human Connection
46:26 Leading Cohort Teams: Tips & Tactics
55:34 Ask Danny & Leon: Your Questions
56:05 Q&A: Representing Yourself vs. Lying
59:48 Q&A: Humble Bragging & Self-Promotion
1:00:42 Outro & Closing Remarks
In this episode, Danny and Leon are joined by James Quick, Head of Developer Experience at BigCommerce, to unpack all the major announcements from Vercel Ship 2025. We cover:
NEW SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
Changing careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!
https://www.levelupfinancialplanning.com/
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
- The new AI Gateway and what “no vendor lock-in” really means
- Active CPU pricing and how it can save you real money at scale
- Rolling Releases vs. A/B testing for safer, incremental deployments
- Bot ID: Vercel’s AI-powered bot protection for logins, checkouts, and expensive LLM endpoints
- Micro-frontends and how they fit into your Next.js apps
- Sandboxes for isolated testing of AI agents and prototypes
- Plus, stick around for our Ask Danny & Leon Q&A on building a stand-out portfolio and getting your first software role
👍 If you enjoyed this deep dive, hit Like, Subscribe, and ring the 🔔 to never miss an episode!
💬 Drop your questions for the next Ask segment in the comments.
🌐 Follow us on Twitter: @DThompsonDev | @LeonNoel
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome & Host Introductions
01:42 – Overview of Vercel Ship 2025
07:08 – AI Gateway: One Endpoint for Every Model
10:22 – Active CPU Pricing: Pay Only for What You Use
14:46 – Rolling Releases: Safer, Incremental Deployments
20:52 – Rolling Releases vs. A/B Testing Explained
24:47 – Bot ID: Invisible AI-Powered Bot Protection
30:03 – Sponsor Break: Level Up Financial Planning
33:07 – UX & Partnership: Why Vercel’s Strategy Matters
36:05 – Sandboxes: Isolated AI & Code Testing
40:03 – The Shift to AI Cloud & Future Workflows
44:47 – Ask Danny & Leon: Portfolio, LinkedIn & Landing Jobs
53:30 – Wrap-Up & What’s Next
Enjoy the show!
In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel dive deep into three key topics that every developer should know right now:
Vercel’s Fluid Compute — What it is, why it matters, and how a single toggle can slash your cloud costs.
JavaScript .map() explained — Not just for beginners! Real-world enterprise use cases and how it protects your original data.
New CSS features — Danny brings in a fresh concept that blew his mind over the weekend.
They also share powerful insights on how to build momentum after a tech conference, including actionable tips to turn casual conversations into long-term relationships.
Finally, Danny shares his AI prompting technique that radically improves the quality of responses from ChatGPT and other tools — and you’ll want to steal this trick.
💡 Whether you're junior or senior, working on side projects or leading enterprise teams, this episode packs in practical advice, strategy, and laughs.
👇 Chapters below — don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review (or hit dislike twice 😉)!
⏱️ Timestamps / Chapters:
0:00 – Intro and janky apps vs. enterprise hacks
1:00 – Podcast kickoff & thank you for 219 5-star reviews
2:30 – Vercel Fluid Compute: Why this one toggle changes everything
4:45 – Multi-threading explained with real examples
7:00 – Impact on React apps, cost savings, and AI workloads
10:00 – Enterprise-scale architecture shifts
11:00 – JavaScript .map() – Real-world usage breakdown
13:40 – Map vs. original data: what juniors often miss
15:00 – Data protection and use cases with sensitive info
16:50 – Why .map() is like let for arrays
17:30 – React, enterprise component architecture, and separation of concerns
19:00 – CSS concept teaser (covered later or in next episode)
37:00 – How to improve your AI prompts dramatically
38:10 – Danny’s exact prompt to get better ChatGPT responses
39:30 – Ask Danny & Leon: How to keep momentum after a tech conference
41:00 – Leon’s tips: Thank-yous, Twitter lists, and coffee chats
42:00 – Danny’s pre-conference strategy and post-event follow-up
44:00 – Junior vs. senior approaches to networking
46:00 – Funny origin story: How this podcast started from a conference joke
47:00 – Building genuine relationships with thoughtful follow-ups
49:00 – Outro – Thanks for tuning in!
Struggling to learn JavaScript in 2025? You're not alone—and it's not your fault. In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Leon Noel and Danny Thompson break down the real strategies for mastering JavaScript (and TypeScript) in today’s dev landscape. From avoiding tutorial hell to embracing project-based learning, we cover everything you need to finally make progress.
Whether you're just starting out or restarting your coding journey, this episode is packed with hard truths, practical tools, and motivational gems to keep you going—even when it gets tough.
We talk about:
Learning strategies that actually work
Why visual wins matter
When to start learning TypeScript
Why floats still get taught?!
How to avoid false expectations (aka thinking you’re job-ready after one birdhouse)
🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode!
🔥 Real advice. Real experience. Real value. Hit that like & subscribe button to support more episodes like this!
💡 Sponsor: Level Up Financial Planning
Changing careers or increasing your income? Get financial clarity with Level Up Financial Planning—helping early and mid-career tech professionals secure their financial future. Visit LevelUpFinancialPlanning.com for a free consultation!
NEW SITE https://www.programmingpodcast.com/
Stay in Touch:
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
Danny Thompson
https://x.com/DThompsonDev
https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev
www.DThompsonDev.com
Leon Noel
https://x.com/leonnoel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/
https://100devs.org/
📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?
Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!
⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 – Intro: Two kinds of projects
0:50 – Learning how to learn: Dr. Barbara Oakley
4:15 – Active recall & spaced repetition
7:30 – Building through pain (the right kind)
10:00 – Why JavaScript feels hard
12:00 – JavaScript vs HTML/CSS: Mental shift
13:10 – Should you start with TypeScript in 2025?
16:00 – Project-based learning: The underrated MVP
18:30 – Learning through fumbling: Leon’s take on floats
21:00 – The ES6/legacy debate: Var vs Let/Const
25:00 – Principles over implementation in the AI age
28:00 – Starting with early wins and momentum
31:00 – Why visual feedback is addictive for beginners
34:00 – Learning from different teachers
36:00 – Debunking "learning styles"?
40:00 – Why some formats (like video) just don’t work for everyone
42:30 – Must-know JavaScript resources in 2025
47:00 – FreeCodeCamp, HeroDev, The Odin Project, Full Stack Open
50:00 – Freelancing and the 100-Hour Project
52:30 – Aligning effort with expectations
54:00 – Birdhouses and burnout: Understanding trade-offs
57:30 – Build your learning identity
59:00 – Ask Danny & Leon: Should I travel 3 hours for a first-round interview?
1:05:00 – How to ask for help (and not sound rude)
