RobbieTheWagner 
Charles William Carpenter III Episodes
187: What Makes a Good Job in Tech?
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about career moves and tech transitions. They discuss Robbie’s new role at HashiCorp and Chuck’s dive into cybersecurity. They also debate legacy tech quirks, open-source updates, and the ever-evolving world of AI. In this epi...
186: Why Most Developers Overcomplicate Everything w/ Aaron Francis
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Aaron Francis about developer education, Laravel vs. Rails, and the evolution of full-stack development. They explore the trade-offs of opinionated frameworks, the practicality of PHP, and why simplicity often wins. Plus, ...
185: Tailwind 4, DeepSeek AI, and the End of the Old Web
This week, Robbie and Chuck cover a wide range of topics, including AI and its impact on web development. They discuss DeepSeek, Tailwind’s latest updates, and whether Stack Overflow is still relevant. Plus, a detour into skiing, college sports, and Nintendo's...
184: Is jQuery Really Dead? And Other Hot Takes w/ Travis Wagner
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Travis Wagner about his career move from Universal Music to Crunchyroll and the nuances of backend development. They discuss a wide range of hot takes, including whether jQuery is still relevant in 2025. In this episode: ...
183: Is This the End of Tech Conferences? w/ Dax Raad
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Dax Raad about his evolving career from software engineer to open-source advocate and content creator. They dive into his work on SST, explore the bizarre economics of tech conferences, and get into Dax’s next big move—man...
182: From JavaScript to PHP: Josh Cirre’s Unexpected Dev Journey
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Josh Cirre about his journey from JavaScript to PHP, working with the Laravel team, and creating content for developers. They also discuss the value of opinionated frameworks, whether React was a mistake, fast food whatnot...
181: The Future of Web Dev: Are We Overcomplicating Everything?
This week, Chuck and Robbie talk about the neverending evolution of web dev tools and frameworks. Over a Hatozaki Japanese whiskey, they dive into ORMs, the pros and cons of Prisma, Drizzle, and AstroDB, and how modern dev tools shape the ecosystem. Plus, a de...
180: The React Debate No One Wants to Have (But Should) with Ken Wheeler and Typecraft
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Ken Wheeler and Chris Power about everything from React and fantasy football to bizarre Airbnb experiences. They debate React’s evolution, lament the quirks of hooks, and revisit the infamous React t-shirt incident. Plus, ...
179: How to Make a Podcast Worth Listening To with Dan Blumberg
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Dan Blumberg about his journey from radio producer to product manager and podcaster. They explore the art of building great software, podcasting essentials, and the changing landscape of podcast platforms. Plus, Dan shares...
178: Is Cereal Soup?, the FG Scale, and JS vs CSS with Adam Argyle
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Adam Argyle about the quirks of CSS and JavaScript tooling, and modern web development. They discuss why JavaScript often takes center stage over CSS, the funding disparities between them, and what this means for developer...
177: Authenticity in a World of Algorithms
This week, Robbie and Chuck dive into the delicate balance between authenticity and adaptation, both in tech and everyday life. They unpack the challenges of staying true to their passions—like whiskey and web development—while navigating the pressures of broa...
176: What Makes a Christmas Movie? Plus, a Toast to New Beginnings
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk about Christmas traditions, from sweaters and trees to classic holiday movies and music. They dive into various light-hearted hot takes, holiday preferences, gift-giving etiquette, and more. Along the way, they review a Cream o...
175: Decentralized Identity: The Future of Privacy and Security with Angie Jones
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Angie Jones, Head of Developer Relations at TBD, about verifiable credentials, decentralized identity, and the potential of Web 5. They discuss practical applications like mobile driver’s licenses, privacy preservation, as...
174: Navigating Career Pivots and Politics with Kelly Vaughn
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Kelly Vaughn, Director of Engineering at Spot AI and a “recovering entrepreneur.” They discuss career evolution, the challenges of hiring and job-seeking, career politics, and Kelly’s unique perspective on leadership. In ...
173: Building Reputation in Tech with Adam Stacoviak and Jerod Santo
This week, Robbie and Chuck talk with Changelog’s Adam Stacoviak and Jerod Santo about content creation and its role in web development careers. They discuss the nuances of reputation-building, the pitfalls of interview culture, and how developers can navigate...
