ConTejas Code

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- GeekyAnts: https://geekyants.com

- Sanket on X: https://x.com/sanketsahu

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Sanket Sahu, founder and CEO of GeekyAnts, built a successful IT consulting company focused on web and mobile app development. Starting as a freelancer, he scaled the company to over 400 people, emphasizing problem-solving and strong culture. GeekyAnts began contributing to open source with NativeBase, transforming from a web shop to a mobile and web shop. This boosted their reputation, leading to global requests and organizing the largest React Native meetup group.

They developed GlueStack, a full-stack framework, and GlueStack UI, a component library prioritizing accessibility and performance. GeekyAnts explores AI for code generation and AI-driven workflows, building an engineering studio with a user-first and AI approach. They emphasize evolving every six months, customer focus, and quarterly OKRs. The future involves productized services, dev tools, and internal products.

In this episode, you will learn how Sanket Sahu built GeekyAnts from freelancing to a 400+ team, contributed to open source with NativeBase, and leveraged AI for growth. Discover their emphasis on problem-solving, culture, evolving every six months, and future plans involving productized services and dev tools.

Takeaways

1. Problem-Solving Attitude: Building a successful IT consulting company requires a problem-solving mindset at every level.

2. Open Source Contributions: Contributing to open source can build your brand and establish credibility, as seen with GeekyAnts' release of NativeBase.

3. Balancing Processes and Speed: Processes are essential for scaling but should not impede speed and innovation.

4. AI Integration: Exploring AI for code generation and AI-driven workflows can positively impact business by increasing efficiency and problem-solving capabilities.

5. Continual Evolution: Regularly evolving and rebuilding your company, as GeekyAnts does every six months, is crucial for sustained growth and adaptation.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

05:46 Starting Geeky Ants and Scaling to 400+ People

10:15 Transition from Developer to Founder

13:44 The Importance of Problem-Solving and Culture

19:05 Adapting to Changing Environments and Roles

26:04 The Role of Open Source Contributions

32:01 GeekyAnts' Journey into Open Source and React Native

38:15 The Impact of Open Source on GeekyAnts' Reputation

41:16 GeekyAnts: From Web Shop to Mobile Plus Web Shop

48:03 Solving Fragmentation and Unifying React Native

52:27 Introducing GlueStack: A Framework for Full-Stack Applications

56:15 GlueStack UI: Prioritizing Accessibility and Performance

01:03:59 Focusing on Visual Accessibility and AI

01:05:45 Exploring AI in Code Generation and Workflows

01:08:08 The Impact of AI on Business

01:10:05 Building an Engineering Studio with a User-First and AI Approach

01:20:10 The Importance of Evolving and Rebuilding

01:26:57 Using Quarterly OKRs for Planning and Objectives

01:29:57 The Future of GeekyAnts: Productized Services, Dev Tools, and Internal Products

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Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Shruti on X: https://x.com/shrutikapoor08

- Slack Kit design system: https://slack.engineering/the-gradual-design-system-how-we-built-slack-kit/

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Shruti Kapoor, a member of technical staff at Slack, discusses her role, the impact of Slack on users, and recent redesign efforts. She covers the patenting process, technical implementation of features like clips and huddles using Amazon S3 and Chime SDK, and front-end development practices at Slack.

Shruti also shares insights into Slack's interview process and compares it to Tejas' experience at Spotify, discussing the use of 'for' loops in interviews and her approach to code review. She concludes with thoughts on choosing between startups and big tech companies and the importance of diversity and inclusion in the industry.

Takeaways

1. Slack ships code frequently, even on Fridays, and rolls back quickly if issues arise.

2. The redesign aims to reduce cognitive overload and enhance user experience.

3. User feedback is crucial and actively gathered from social media, Zendesk tickets, and user research.

4. Slack's interview process includes breaks and at-home assignments, focusing on both technical skills and empathy.

5. Diversity and inclusion are vital, with efforts to ensure equal representation in technical discussions and panels.

Chapters

00:00 Shruti Kapoor

09:39 Working at Slack and Impact on Users

18:35 Redesigning Slack and User Feedback

33:00 Patenting and Inventing

42:39 Clips and Huddles

51:40 Design System and Front-end

56:02 Testing and Iteration

57:59 Career Journey and Joining Slack

01:00:38 Slack's Interview Process

01:01:38 At-Home Assignment

01:02:35 Comparison with Spotify's Interview Process

01:03:34 Technical Interview Experience at Spotify

01:05:02 Preference for Functional Programming

01:05:43 Using 'for' Loop Instead of 'reduce'

01:06:39 Approach to Code Review

01:08:35 Code Review as a Learning Experience

01:09:58 Testing Code during Code Review

01:11:10 Choosing Between Startups and Big Tech

01:11:39 Advantages and Trade-offs of Big Tech

01:16:57 Advantages and Trade-offs of Startups

01:18:47 Changing Teams in a Big Company

01:22:51 Navigating Conversations about Changing Teams

01:25:40 Role of Diversity and Inclusion in the Job

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Links

- CodeCrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Frame: https://brilliant.xyz/products/frame

- Bobak on X: https://x.com/btavangar

Summary

In this episode, Bobak Tavangar, founder of Brilliant Labs, discusses the creation of the AR device Frame and the open-source assistant Noah. He shares his journey from working at Microsoft and Apple to founding his own AR company, emphasizing innovation, simplicity, and user transformation in AR. He highlights the limitations of relying on large companies and big budgets, and the unique focus of Frame on AI, user experience, security, and privacy. Frame aims to create open, hackable smart glasses, offering distinctive, lightweight designs and future style variations. The glasses integrate with smartphones, and the assistant Noah extends developer capabilities. Tavangar reflects on the lessons from Google Glass, the challenges of hardware creation, and the importance of design and purpose.

Takeaways

- Innovation in AR comes from taking unique paths.

- Noah, an open-source assistant, enables a broader developer ecosystem.

- Frame smart glasses focus on user experience, security, and privacy.

- Combining openness with quality and curation is key.

- Learn from Google Glass's successes and failures.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Background

10:02 - The Genesis of Brilliant Labs and AR

14:52 - The Missing Ingredient in AR

28:18 - Noah: An Open-Source Assistant for Frame

31:20 - Differentiating Frame from Other AR Devices

35:09 - Creating Open and Hackable Smart Glasses

38:51 - The Third Path: Combining Openness with Quality and Curation

41:41 - Networking Human Experience

45:42 - The Dangers of Subsidizing Product Sales at a Loss

57:31 - The Future of Glasses: Smart and Indispensable

01:01:01 - Designing for Thinness, Weight, and Distinctive Style

01:04:49 - Local Models: Balancing Functionality and Hardware Constraints

01:08:03 - Lessons from Google Glass and the Importance of Purpose and Design

01:12:20 - Advice for Aspiring Hardware Founders

01:21:44 - Specifications of Frame: Battery Life and Charging

01:27:08 - The Only Rules That Matter: God and Physics

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Links

- CodeCrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Daniel on X: https://x.com/danieljcafonso

- Daniel's comic book talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBxipPwGvHY&list=PL6EW34-Kvy8UfigafIhb5l4thKqOvMgIF

Summary

Daniel Afonso shares his journey as a developer advocate, emphasizing his passion for educating developers through conference talks and comic books. He discusses using storytelling and entertainment to explain complex technical topics, including fine-grained reactivity with Marvel's Watchers as an analogy. He addresses overcoming imposter syndrome by learning and presenting topics he initially struggles with and offers tips for creating effective Call for Proposals (CFPs). This episode educates listeners on how tech conferences work and how to secure speaking spots, highlighting the importance of passion, authenticity, and personal experiences in talks, the role of storytelling, and the need for diversity and empathy in developer relations. We also discuss the significance of growth and change in professional environments.

Takeaways

- Embrace opportunities for growth and learning to overcome imposter syndrome.

- Use storytelling and entertainment in presentations to make them engaging and memorable.

- Passion and authenticity are key in delivering engaging talks.

- Diversity in conference talks is important to bring different perspectives and ideas to the audience.

- Empathy is crucial in developer relations and understanding the needs and struggles of others.

Chapters

00:00 Daniel Afonso

03:18 Introduction

06:22 Imposter Syndrome and Conference Speaking

12:14 Using Comic Books to Teach Technical Topics

25:17 Explaining Fine-Grained Reactivity with Watchers

33:12 The Process of Eliminating Imposter Syndrome

35:26 Creating Effective CFPs

01:00:43 The Importance of Diversity in Conference Talks

01:07:18 Passion and Authenticity in Speaking

01:26:23 The Importance of Empathy in Developer Relations

01:37:21 The Importance of Recognizing Personal Value

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Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Guillermo on 𝕏: https://x.com/rauchg

- Vercel: https://vercel.com

- Latency Numbers Every Frontend Developer Should Know: https://vercel.com/blog/latency-numbers-every-web-developer-should-know

- Latency Numbers Every Programmer Should Know: https://brenocon.com/dean_perf.html

Summary

In this discussion with Guillermo Rauch (creator of Socket.io, Next.js, and Vercel CEO), we cover open source, latency, software as physical systems, PPR, distributed systems, edge computing, Vercel’s data centers, AWS/Azure partnerships, reducing cold starts, and balancing quality with rapid shipping.

Takeaways

- Starting from a solid open-source background.

- Understanding latency is crucial for optimizing user experience.

- Viewing software as physical systems aids in performance and scalability.

- Partial pre-rendering (PPR) improves performance by merging static pre-rendering with dynamic server-side rendering.

- Globally distributed systems face challenges like data residency, cost, and compliance.

- Edge computing is key to enhancing website performance and user experience.

- Vercel uses edge computing for fast data transfer and performance.

- Vercel’s infrastructure includes mega data centers and partnerships with AWS and Azure.

- Reducing cold start times is a Vercel priority, with significant advancements.

- Maintaining high quality and attention to detail is crucial, even with rapid shipping.

Chapters

00:00 Guillermo Rauch

03:42 Introduction and Background

11:55 Importance of Latency

32:24 Challenges of Globally Distributed Systems

43:11 Power of Edge Computing

53:18 Edge as the Blessed Path

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Links

• Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters
• Stately: https://stately.ai
• Clerk: https://clerk.com
• Jeff on 𝕏: https://x.com/jescalan

Summary

In this episode, Jeff Escalante (Director of Engineering at Clerk.com) discusses his shift from web development to management, emphasizing replacing oneself as an IC, expanding vision, and acting at the promotion level. He covers leveling employees, handling interview ambiguity, prioritizing customer needs, using Clerk’s feedback system, and choosing tools like ProductLane. The talk also highlights evaluating tech skills, being authentic at work, and balancing honesty with team safety.

Takeaways

1. Promotions and Management: Manage current duties before moving to management; promotions should reflect demonstrated behavior and vision, with clear guidelines and support from companies.

2. Handling Ambiguity and Feedback: Address ambiguity in interviews with thoughtful analysis and solutions; prioritize customer feedback and tech debt using centralized systems.

3. Choosing Software and Partnerships: Select software based on integration and vendor responsiveness; collaborate with smaller companies for mutual benefits.

4. Tech Skills and Authenticity: Evaluate tech skills and adaptability in interviews; be authentic while adapting to work contexts.

5. Relationships and Communication: Balance honesty and trust in relationships; respect communication preferences to build genuine connections. Jeff's handbook offers valuable insights for engineering teams.

Chapters

00:00 Jeff Escalante

04:40 Introduction and Background

07:52 Starting Out in Web Development

13:39 Transitioning to Management at HashiCorp

17:42 Working on Websites and Next.js

29:49 Promotions and Expanding Field of Vision

36:43 Navigating Promotions and Expectations

41:16 Dealing with Frustration and Finding New Opportunities

41:50 The Importance of Properly Leveling Employees

43:21 Strategies for Leveling Employees

47:09 Handling Ambiguity in Interviews

50:48 The Value of Conversation in Defining Projects

53:21 Determining Comfort Levels in Ambiguity

53:54 The Vision-Scope Leveling Question

58:23 Prioritizing Customer Needs and Tech Debt

01:01:02 Navigating the Chaos of Undefined Spaces

01:05:55 Listening to Customer Feedback at Clerk

01:12:07 Importance of Centralized Feedback System

01:12:56 Challenges in Mapping Feedback to Projects

01:15:47 Choosing Product Lane over Other Tools

01:20:17 Value of Partnerships and Investing in Software

01:23:51 The Third Pillar: Evaluating Tech Skills and Handling Ambiguity

01:29:55 Honoring Context and Being Your Full Self

01:31:43 Navigating Personal and Professional Relationships

01:39:02 Balancing Honesty and Building Genuine Relationships

01:40:05 Closing Remarks and Handbook Release

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Let's stay in touch? https://twitter.com/tejaskumar_

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Stately.ai (Sponsor): https://stately.ai

- Matt on X: https://x.com/biilmann

- Netlify: https://netlify.com

Summary

In this podcast episode, Mathias Biilmann, co-founder and CEO of Netlify, discusses the evolution of Netlify and the invention of the term "Jamstack" in the serverless landscape. Throughout this conversation, Biilmann shares essential life lessons for CEOs and aspiring entrepreneurs, delving deep into the engineering challenges and successes of building Netlify.

Takeaways

- Engineering Innovation: Netlify's journey began with a strong focus on engineering excellence, introducing innovative solutions like deploy previews and immutable deploys. This podcast highlights how Netlify revolutionized the web UI layer, now moving towards exciting uses of AI and open source technologies.

- Jamstack and Serverless Architecture: Biilmann discusses the significance of the Jamstack approach and serverless functions in scaling Netlify's architecture. The platform's ability to handle high traffic and resist DDoS attacks is emphasized, showcasing the robustness of its engineering.

- CEO Insights and Life Lessons: As CEO, Biilmann reflects on the strategic decisions made during Netlify's growth, from handling large enterprise clients like Unilever to implementing a Netlify-specific CDN. His insights provide valuable life lessons for listeners interested in technology leadership.

- AI and Artificial Intelligence: The integration of AI into Netlify's platform is a focal point, with AI features enhancing user experience and operational efficiency. The podcast discusses AI-powered features like deploy diagnostics and AI responses in tools like Slack, which align with the latest trends in artificial intelligence and VR.

- Open Source and Community Engagement: Open sourcing parts of Netlify's platform has contributed significantly to its community engagement. This podcast episode explores how open source principles are integral to Netlify's development and how they resonate with broader engineering practices.

- The Role of a Founder CEO: Reflecting on the podcast, Matt shares life lessons on the evolving role of a CEO in the tech industry. From coding to strategic decision-making, the responsibilities vary but always aim to add significant value to the business.

Chapters

00:00 Matt Biilmann

05:23 Introduction and Background

08:36 The Vision for Netlify

11:24 Challenges and Resistance

14:15 Self-Belief and Conviction

17:08 The Git-Centric Workflow

33:24 Scaling to Functions and Custom CDN

38:03 Building a Software-Only CDN

39:27 Open Sourcing Netlify

41:28 Separation of Concerns

41:50 The Role of the CEO and Founder

44:58 Handling Traffic Spikes and DDoS Attacks

54:42 The Importance of a Free Tier

56:49 Bottom-Up Approach and Enterprise Selling

01:02:54 The Evolution of Revenue Generation

01:04:42 The Power of Developer Advocacy

01:06:29 Handling Large Enterprise Clients

01:07:50 Netlify's Enterprise Customers

01:08:37 Improvements to Netlify's Local Development Experience

01:09:37 Simplifying Adapters for Frameworks

01:10:36 Improving Caching for Dynamic Content

01:11:33 New Features for Frameworks on Netlify

01:14:27 Simplified Next.js Runtime on Netlify

01:16:55 Long-Running Functions and Jobs

01:21:44 AI Features and UI 2.0

01:25:31 Using AI to Improve Netlify's Product

01:27:23 Shortening the Time from Code to Production

01:32:37 The Role of a Founder CEO

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Don't forget to share and subscribe. Follow along on 𝕏 at https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- THAT Conference (partner): https://www.thatconference.com

- Artem on 𝕏: https://x.com/kettanaito

- Epic Web: https://epicweb.dev

- The Golden Rule of Assertions: https://www.epicweb.dev/the-golden-rule-of-assertions

- The True Purpose of Testing: https://www.epicweb.dev/the-true-purpose-of-testing

Takeaways

- Automated testing is crucial for writing better and more reliable software.

- Testing helps developers describe the intention behind the code and ensure that the implementation meets that intention.

- Starting with a minimal functional prototype and then writing tests to verify its behavior is a practical approach to testing.

- Mocking is a technique that helps establish testing boundaries and allows developers to focus on specific behaviors in their tests. Mocking allows you to model different scenarios and create the desired context for tests.

- The testing setup phase is crucial and often underappreciated.

- The golden rule of assertion states that a test should only fail if the intention behind the system is not met.

- Mock Service Worker (MSW) is an API mocking library that uses the Service Worker API to intercept requests and supports both browser and Node.js environments. Open source sustainability is challenging, but financial support from companies can make it more sustainable.

- MSW has gained financial support through programs and partnerships, allowing for further development and support for users.

- Concurrent testing support in MSW allows for better performance and avoids shared state issues.

- Async local storage is a powerful tool in Node.js that helps solve concurrency issues in testing.

- Setting limitations and principles for open source projects helps maintain focus and manage the scope.

- Saying no to contributions is important to maintain the project's vision and scope.

- Adding tests to projects, even small ones, can provide value and ensure reliability.

- The future of testing lies in making it more accessible and having a testing strategy in place.

- Balancing speed and quality in testing requires finding a minimal viable test suite that provides value.

- Automated testing is crucial for ensuring software works reliably in different circumstances.

- The future of testing involves making it more accessible and promoting its importance in software development.

Chapters

00:00 Artem Zakharchenko

08:13 The Importance of Automated Testing

15:37 Artem's Role at Epic Web and Testing Workshops

27:02 Future Plans for Epic Web and Workshops

28:45 Understanding Mocking and Mocking Strategies

31:51 Introduction to Mocking and Modeling Scenarios

33:43 The Broad Use Case of Mocking

35:20 Finding the Right Balance in Mocking

36:40 The Golden Rule of Assertion

39:19 Creation and Iterative Process of Mock Service Worker (MSW)

45:10 Adding Support for Node.js in MSW

52:47 Mocking WebSockets with MSW

01:04:54 Open Source and Sustainability

01:05:43 Supporting MSW

01:07:16 Solving Issues with MSW

01:08:22 Concurrent Testing Support

01:10:38 Using Async Local Storage

01:13:30 Strategies for Open Source Maintainers

01:14:27 Balancing Work-Life and Open Source

01:18:50 Saying No to Contributions

01:26:03 Balancing Speed and Quality in Testing

01:29:00 Adding Automated Testing to Projects

01:33:49 The Future of Testing

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Links:

- https://tej.as/codecrafters (sponsor)

- https://daily.dev

- https://x.com/FrancescoCiull4

- https://youtube.com/@francescociulla

Join the conversation on 𝕏 at https://x.com/tejaskumar_

In this episode, Francesco Ciulla, a developer and advocate at Daily.dev, shares his journey from working at the European Space Agency to becoming a Docker captain and content creator. He discusses the role of Docker in the tech industry and the process of becoming a Docker captain. Francesco also addresses accusations and criticism he has faced as a content creator and emphasizes the importance of supporting each other on social media. He shares his experience working at the European Space Agency and the use of Docker in managing complex systems. Finally, Francesco talks about his focus on Rust and the benefits of starting a YouTube channel. Francesco Ciulla discusses his journey of learning in private and learning in public, emphasizing the value of documenting the learning process. He shares his motivation for creating content and the benefits of being an early adopter in a less crowded space.

Francesco also talks about accepting and embracing introversion, and how it has influenced his teaching and content creation. He highlights the importance of putting pressure on oneself to grow and achieve goals, while maintaining a growth mindset and being brutally honest about one's abilities and aspirations. He emphasizes that it's never too late to pursue your passions and make a change in your career. Francesco also explains the role of a developer advocate and the importance of building trust and connections with developers. He discusses the unique model of daily.dev, a platform for developers, and how it relies on funding and community engagement. Francesco shares insights on measuring the effectiveness of dev rel work and provides tips for leveraging social media algorithms to increase visibility and engagement.

Takeaways

- It's never too late to pursue your passions and make a change in your career.

- Developer advocates play a crucial role in building trust and connections between companies and developers.

- The daily.dev platform relies on funding and community engagement to provide free content and services to developers.

- Measuring the effectiveness of dev rel work can be challenging, but metrics such as social media growth and user engagement can be used as indicators.

- Understanding the algorithms and audience of each social media platform is essential for maximizing visibility and engagement.

Chapters

00:00 Francesco Ciulla

01:06 Becoming a Docker Captain

14:08 Working at the European Space Agency

28:36 Exploring Rust and Content Creation

30:03 Learning in Private vs. Learning in Public

34:02 Teaching and Documenting the Learning Process

41:17 Accepting and Embracing Introversion

46:17 Putting Pressure on Yourself to Grow

53:51 Growth Mindset

01:03:22 It's Never Too Late

01:06:06 Understanding DevRel

01:11:30 Daily.dev and the Free Model

01:18:36 Measuring DevRel Success

01:26:00 Algorithm Tricks for Social Media

01:33:04 Closing Remarks

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Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Ujjwal on X: https://x.com/ryzokuken

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Takeaways

- TC39 is responsible for maintaining the JavaScript language specification and ensuring the evolution of the language.

- Implementing JavaScript in browsers is a collaborative effort between companies like Google, Mozilla, and Apple, with Igalia playing a significant role.

- Language evolution requires balancing the needs and perspectives of various stakeholders, including browser vendors, platform owners, and developers.

- API design considerations include security, privacy, and the ability to isolate potential risks.

- Moving slowly in language development is crucial to ensure stability and safety. The web is both a blessing and a curse, serving as a reliable and trustworthy platform for communication while also presenting challenges like disinformation.

- Web technologies have become the de facto way of building interfaces, surpassing other methods and becoming a crucial part of the tech stack.

- Internationalization in JavaScript is facilitated by the Intl suite, which provides building blocks for localizing content into different languages, currencies, and cultures.

- Participating in the TC39 process involves engaging in discussions and providing feedback on proposals through GitHub repositories.

- Respectful and inclusive discussions are essential in the TC39 process, fostering collaboration and ensuring the growth and improvement of the JavaScript language.

- Internationalization plays a crucial role in making the web more accessible and inclusive, allowing people from different cultures and geographies to engage with online content. Technology needs to be more inclusive and adaptive to accommodate the needs of all users.

- The bias in technology benefits those who are already privileged, and it is important to address this bias to create a more equitable tech ecosystem.

- The web should be accessible to all, regardless of language or cultural background.

Chapters

00:00 Ujjwal Sharma

05:00 Introduction and Background

12:49 Implementing JavaScript in Browsers

20:01 The Challenges of Language Evolution

34:57 Balancing Stakeholder Perspectives in TC39

37:45 The Importance of Moving Slowly in Language Development

38:21 The Blessing and Curse of the Web

45:11 The Journey of Temporal and Intl

53:25 Participating in the TC39 Process

01:06:38 The Philosophical Question of Accessibility

01:09:59 The Need for a Broader Perspective

01:11:00 The Bias in Technology

01:15:10 The Divide Between English and Non-English Speakers

01:19:35 The Challenge of Implementing Different Calendars

01:24:28 The Role of AI in the Web

01:30:08 Contributing to the TC39 Committee

01:38:55 Dreaming Big for the Future

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