Front End Happy Hour
Episodes
Portraits of an Artist
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special episode featuring an interview with Shirley Wu from a brand-new podcast series, Portraits of an Artist. In this new series, Ryan Bur...
Beyond the Bingo Card: Leadership Lessons with Karen Catlin
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, we’re joined by Karen to dive into an essential conversation about allyship and inclusion in the tech indus...
Revisiting Server-Driven UI: Scalable Approaches in Large Companies
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, we explore the benefits and challenges of Server-Driven UI, especially in the context of large-scale applicat...
Recruiting to Global Leadership: Taylor Desseyn Interview
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour’s Sips of Wisdom, Ryan Burgess sits down with Taylor Desseyn, a long-time recruiter turned leader, to discus...
Scaling Startups and Navigating Product-Market Fit with Emre Baran
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, we sit down with Emre Baran, Co-founder and CEO of Cerbos, to dive deep into the world of startups, product-m...
Amazon’s Office Mandate: The End of Remote Work?
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We dive into Amazon’s recent decision to end its hybrid work policy and require employees to return to the office five days a week. We discuss the i...
Episode 211 - Ken Wheeler Unfiltered - Sips of Wisdom Interview
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, Ryan Burgess sits down with Ken Wheeler for a no-holds-barred conversation about the tech industry’s evolut...
Episode 210 - Film to Tech - Jason Torres Sips of Wisdom Interview
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this Sips of Wisdom episode of Front End Happy Hour, Ryan Burgess interviews Jason Torres, who made the bold leap from a 15-year career in the film...
Episode 209 - How promotions really work in tech
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Front End Happy Hour podcast, we’re diving deep into the realities of getting promoted in the tech industry. It’s not just ...
Episode 208 - Why most new developers struggle: The missing skills you need
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, Ryan Burgess, Jem Young, Brian Holt, and Dan DiGangi dive deep into the challenges faced by junior developers...
Episode 207 - Sips of Wisdom: Interview with Kent C. Dodds
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the remarkable career journey of Kent C. Dodds, a passionate educator and entrepreneur. Kent shares insights from his ea...
Episode 206 - What is it like to work in Silicon Valley?
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore the unique experiences of living and working in Silicon Valley. From the culture shock of constant tech talk and startup h...
Episode 205 - After attending a coding Bootcamp
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, we're joined by Shashi Lo, a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft, to explore our thoughts on the journey af...
Episode 204 - Sips of Wisdom: Interview with Angie Jones
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the career journey of Angie Jones, the Global Vice President of Developer Relations at Block. Angie shares her experienc...
Episode 203 - Normalize taking a break
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the topic of taking a sabbatical and its impact on personal and professional life. Our special guest, Jennifer Tieu, a f...
Episode 202 - Summer vacation - Online teaching courses
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While the Front End Happy Hour crew takes a much needed summer break, we revisit the topic of online education with Josh W. Comeau, who’s had a lot ...
Sips of Wisdom: Interview with Shaundai Person
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this latest episode of our 'Sips of Wisdom' series, Ryan Burgess sits down with Shaundai Person, Senior Software Engineer at Netflix. Shaundai shar...
Episode 200 - Exploring Isograph
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we welcome Robert Balicki, the creator of Isograph, to discuss how this innovative UI framework can transform your development projects. Ro...
Episode 199 - Sips of Wisdom: Interview with April Wensel
30 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this latest episode of our 'Sips of Wisdom' series, Ryan Burgess sits down with April Wensel, founder of Compassionate Coding. April shares her uni...
Episode 198 - Leveraging SQLite in the Cloud
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Front End Happy Hour podcast, we are excited to welcome special guests Brian Holt and Marco Bambini. Join us as we delve into t...
Sips of Wisdom: Interview with Chris Bautista
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this inaugural episode of our new "Sips of Wisdom" series, Ryan Burgess, host of the Front End Happy Hour podcast, sits down with Chris Bautista, a...
Episode 196 - Breaking the typecast: Growing beyond frontend and backend labels
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, we dive into the topic of being typecast as a frontend or backend engineer. Is it really a bad thing? Our pan...
Episode 195 - Revisiting Server-Driven UI
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, we dive back into the world of server-driven UI with fresh insights and experiences. Our special guest, Sherm...
Episode 194 - Serverless AI
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by Rita Kozlov, VP of Product at Cloudflare, Developer Platform & AI, to talk with us about serverless AI. Rita shares ...
Episode 193 - Implementing authentication in your app
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Authentication can be difficult to implement in your app. To help us better understand the authentication ecosystem, we were joined by our guest, Bra...
Episode 192 - Do you need to work more than 9 to 5 to get promoted?
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we discuss Jem's tweet about feeling like you have to work more than 40 hours a week to get promoted. Jason Lengstorf joins us to deb...
Episode 191 - More AI and layoffs
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we jump right into things we are seeing in AI and what the job market is like for software engineers. Panelists: Ryan Burgess - @bur...
Episode 190 - At the bar with Whiskey Web & Whatnot
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special crossover episode, Robbie Wagner and Chuck Carpenter from Whiskey Web and Whatnot join us to toast and discuss AI, Apple Vision Pro, A...
Episode 189 - Why does Wordpress dominate the web?
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode, we do a deep into the world of WordPress! Whether you're a seasoned developer or a newbie just starting out, this episode is pa...
Episode 188 - Unlocking WordPress: Exploring the powers of WPGraphQL
03 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into the intricate world of WordPress, specifically focusing on the powers of WPGraphQL, which is transforming how we interac...
Episode 187 - Social media platforms - where's the party at?
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social media continues to impact us in some way or another. In this episode, we discuss what platforms we use and what value we get from them. We shar...
Episode 186 - Module Federation - Module Mixology
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Companies and teams are increasingly leveraging Module Federation to split applications into smaller, more manageable pieces. In this episode, we are ...
Episode 185 - Quitting a job - flipping the bar table
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Burgess recently left his job at Netflix after being there for 8.5 years. In this episode, Ryan shares some of his thoughts on leaving, and we al...
Episode 184 - Online learning on the rocks
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many options to learn about software development and how to code. In this episode, we are joined by the CEO of Frontend Masters, Marc Graban...
Episode 183 - Aged to perfection: crafting your internship experience
31 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by Mark Benliyan to learn about his experiences at tech companies as an intern. Mark shares some interesting insights ...
Episode 182 - Documentation - Where is the menu bartender?
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Good documentation is so important but we don’t always put enough focus on it as we should. In this episode, we talk about what makes great quality ...
Episode 181 - 2023 reflections - looking through the bottle
19 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we reflect on 2023, what's changed in tech, and how we think about our careers. Panelists: Ryan Burgess - @burgessdryan Jem Young - ...
Episode 180 - Online teaching courses - proof of knowledge
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s an art to teaching a technical course or workshop. In this episode, we are joined by Josh W. Comeau, who’s had a lot of experience teachin...
Episode 179 - Security - what's your favorite happy hour beverage?
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are going to be talking about an important feature that so many applications require, login. We are joined by Tony Edwards, Charles...
Episode 178 - Organizing a conference
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are fans of conferences and have spoken a lot about the value we see in attending conferences, but what goes into organizing a conference? In this...
Episode 177 - CSS - Cascading Sips of Sangria
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CSS has been quickly evolving. In this episode, we are joined by Estelle Weyl and Eric Meyer to explore the new properties that are now available. Gu...
Episode 176 - How is AI maturing? - Always intoxicated by augmented intelligence
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard to avoid the topic of AI. The ecosystem of AI is quickly maturing, and we are seeing more use cases and products popping up. In this episo...
Episode 175 - Modern CSS - Drinking in style
16 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the current state of CSS in 2023? Chris Coyier joins us to talk with us about the current landscape of CSS and what we should be excited abou...
Episode 174 - Networking - Net-whiskey-ing
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At a networking event, one of our listeners asked us to cover the topic of networking. In this episode, we will share our thoughts on networking and t...
Episode 173 - Drag & Drop - drop a drink here
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever thought much about the feature, Drag & Drop? In this episode, we are joined by Atlassian Principal Engineer, Alex Reardon, to share some...
Episode 172 - RenderATL Day 2 Recap
03 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Burgess and Jem Young are at RenderATL 2023 conference in Atlanta. While at the conference, they recorded a podcast episode to recap day one and ...
Episode 171 - RenderATL Day 1 Recap
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Burgess and Jem Young are at RenderATL 2023 conference in Atlanta doing a panel discussion on stage. While at the conference, they recorded a pod...
Episode 170 - Micro-interactions - micro-brews
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do micro-interactions impact the user experience? In this episode, we are joined by Evan Purkhiser from Sentry to talk with us about micro-interac...
Episode 169 - Recruiting - Fill the glass to the correct level
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Recruiting, interviews, and hiring is always a great topic for us to discuss. In this episode, we are talking with Hillary Mager and Chris Running f...
Episode 168 - Component libraries - cocktail ingredients
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Component libraries continue to be a growing trend for companies. In this episode, we are joined by Kate Wardin to talk with us about Netflix has adop...
Episode 167 - Learning - time to wine down and learn
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all approach learning in different ways. In this episode, we are joined by Madison Kanna to discuss ways we continue to learn as software engineers...
Episode 166 - Backstage - Behind the bar
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We typically don't talk enough about building internal tools. In this episode, we are joined by Jason Palmer to talk with us about Spotify's open-sour...
Episode 165 - The art of estimates - how many drinks have we had?
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Estimating software development is a challenging task. In this episode of the podcast, we discuss ways to approach estimating and how to produce more...
Episode 164 - Engineering levels - our glass level is full
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do engineering levels mean at companies in Silicon Valley? In this episode, we discuss our experiences with levels and promotion criteria. Pane...
Episode 163 - Patents - Drinks pending
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
August and his team at Twitch were recently awarded a patent for their work. In this episode, we will learn more about what patents are and the proces...
Episode 162 - Micro Frontends - Micro Brewing
05 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There has been a lot of buzz about micro frontends. In this episode, we are joined by Ruben Casas to talk with us about the pros and cons of leveragin...
Episode 161 - Engineering with AI - Always Intoxicated
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
AI has been around for awhile but has really exploded in the last few months. We are seeing AI that creates art, code, and all forms of writing. In th...
Episode 160 - Efficient drinks - staying productive in 2023
08 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a new year, a new you. How do you stay productive in 2023? In this episode, we discuss how we are productive and what tools we leverage to help u...
Episode 159 - Drinks on stage - live at Jamstack 2022
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a while since we've done a live episode on stage at a conference. In this episode, we were on stage at Jamstack in San Francisco with our ...
Episode 158 - Layoffs
20 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a tough few weeks for the tech community to deal with company layoffs. In this episode, we speak about the layoffs and our experiences wit...
Front End Happy Hour Podcast Trailer
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Front End Happy Hour podcast is a panel of engineers from silicon valley companies talking about a range of software engineering topics, from tech...
Episode 157 - Public sector tech - Public bar vs private club
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are many differences between the public and private sectors. What is it like for engineering roles? In this episode, we are joined by Jasmine Ro...
Episode 156 - Sidebar interview with Brian Holt
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our sidebar interview specials interview our panelists individually to learn more about their backgrounds and careers. In this episode, we interview B...
Episode 155 - Testing cocktails at a robot bar - Automated testing at scale
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by Janaki Ramachandran and Benoit Fontaine to talk about how Netflix has approached automated testing at a large scale....
Episode 154 - Sidebar interview with Mars Jullian
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our sidebar interview specials interview our panelists individually to learn more about their backgrounds and careers. In this episode, we interview M...
Episode 153 - (Re)mixology
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you been hearing about the new framework Remix? In this episode, we are joined by Shaundai Person, a Senior Software Engineer at Netflix to talk ...
Episode 152 - Sidebar interview with Shirley Wu
19 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our sidebar interview specials interview our panelists individually to learn more about their backgrounds and careers. In this episode, we interview S...
Episode 151 - Building in 2022 and tasting the beverage trends
05 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With this ever-changing landscape of technologies, we spend this episode talking with Rhian van Esch and Carlos Castro about the current trends of web...
Episode 150 - Reorgs with a sip of spiced rum
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An organization going through a reorg is a normal evaluation to meet the needs of the business, but it can be a lot of change. In this episode, we tal...
Episode 149 - Open source software with open liquor
08 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The tech industry relies a lot on open source software. In this episode, we are joined by Jesse Tomchak to talk with us about open source. Guests: Je...
Episode 148 - Sidebar interview with Stacy London
24 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our sidebar interview specials interview our panelists individually to learn more about their backgrounds and careers. In this episode, we interview S...
Episode 147 - Debugging Asynchronous JavaScript - Awaiting My Drink
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you found debugging asynchronous JavaScript to be hard? You’re not alone. In this episode, we are joined by Jenn Creighton from Netflix to talk...
Episode 146 - Sidebar interview with Jem Young
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our sidebar interview specials interview our panelists individually to learn more about their backgrounds and careers. In this episode, we interview J...
Episode 145 - Server Driven UI - Served from behind the bar
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is server-driven UI and what are the advantages to taking this approach? In this episode, we are joined by the Netflix engineer, Cole Turner to t...
Episode 144 - Sidebar interview with Ryan Burgess
20 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our sidebar interview specials interview our panelists individually to learn more about their backgrounds and careers. In this episode, we interview R...
Episode 143 - TypeScript migration - Strict type of cocktails
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Software Engineers deal with migrations at some point or another, and there are always a lot of lessons learned afterward. In this episode, we are joi...
Episode 142 - Job hunting in 2022 - Standing out in a crowded bar
23 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recruiting and interviewing isn’t a new topic, it’s one we’ve covered a few times, but this episode focuses on the changes that have happened wi...
Episode 141 - 2021 Hangover
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year! We are back with more episodes in 2022 and to start off the year, we want to reflect on changes that happened in 2021. In this episode...
Episode 140 - Crafting your cocktail mixture to learning
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by Loren Sands-Ramshaw to talk with us about education paths for software engineers. There are so many options out ther...
Episode 139 - Preparing ingredients - Interview prep
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no way around, at some point, you will likely be interviewing. Why not be prepared? In this episode, we share our thoughts and experiences i...
Episode 138 - Bar debate - Smart homes
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you've listened to past episodes, you've likely heard Ryan and Jem disagree about smart home devices or IoT. In this episode, the two of them have ...
Episode 137 - One drink and a monolithic architecture
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've often talked about micro-services and monolithic architectures on previous episodes. In this episode, we are joined by Katherine Peterson to tal...
Episode 136 - Old Fashioned, old roles, new beginnings
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s always hard to know when is the right time to make a career change. There’s likely never a perfect time, but in this episode, we talk about h...
Episode 135 - Dealing with burnout - Burnt Orange Campari
05 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who’s ever had to deal with burnout? In this episode, we are joined by two guests, Vaidehi Joshi, and Eli to share their experiences dealing with bu...
Episode 134 - Individual contributor to manager - Transitioning into a bartender
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to go from an individual contributor engineer, to an engineering manager. With Jem recently moving int...
Episode 133 - It’s 5 o’clock somewhere - Joining a remote team
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With a lot of companies now hiring more remote employees, we wanted to talk about what it’s like to join a new team being fully remote. In this epis...
Episode 132 - Test Engineering - Beverage quality assurance
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Releasing a successful product in production requires testing. In this episode, we are joined by Preethi Sitaraman to talk with us about test engineer...
Episode 131 - Diversity and inclusion - Tech(K)now Day
04 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This was a live panel discussion at the Tech(K)now Day conference that took place on March 8, 2021. We did a live episode with the conference organize...
Episode 130 - Stack and infrastructure shaping culture - Drink choice to set the vibe
06 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In previous episodes we've talked about how to choose a technical stack and figure out what works best for you and your team. In this episode, we are ...
Episode 129 - Allyship - Inviting everyone to the party
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A big way to help make a more inclusive tech industry, we need strong allies. In this episode, we are joined by Better Allies, Karen Catlin, to talk w...
Episode 128 - Branding & self-promotion - mimosa and self-promosa
09 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As you build your career, it’s helpful to think about your personal brand and how you promote yourself in the industry. In this episode, we are join...
Episode 127 - Writing a technical book - drafts on tap
25 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our very own Shirley Wu and her friend, Nadieh Bremer recently wrote a book called, Data Sketches so we wanted to learn more about what it’s like to...
Episode 126 - Core Web Vitals - Vital libations
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Optimizing websites for a quality user experience is key to the long-term success of any site on the web and Core Web Vitals is an initiative Google h...
Episode 125 - Non-traditional backgrounds - Old Fashioneds with a twist
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Not everyone starts their engineering career with a Computer Science degree, there are a lot of ways to start an engineering career. In this episode, ...
Episode 124 - Software estimating - two finger pour
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to estimating the time it takes to build any software project, it’s never easy. There’s a lot of factors that go into estimating. In...
Episode 123 - Documentation - the bartenders' almanac
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How important is documentation? In this episode, we share our thoughts and opinions on how we approach documentation and the tools that have helped us...
Episode 122 - Productivity Engineering - Ballmer Peak
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do developer teams stay productive? In this episode, we are talking with Kathryn Koehler and Andy Glover from the Netflix Productivity Engineering...
Episode 121 - Transitioning to a new role - Bar hopping
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At some point or another, we’ve all had to move to a new role or a new company. In this episode, we are joined by special guests Tara Ellis and Jare...
Episode 120 - Building side projects - Served with a tasty Sidecar
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by Evan Payne to talk with us about how we each approach side projects. Evan also shares a side project he’s built in...
Episode 119 - 2020 reflections - Fireball shots
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we will be reflecting on the past year and how things have drastically changed for how we work and how our companies have had to adap...