Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

1027: The Rise of the Design Engineer

Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Show Notes

Scott and Wes tackle your questions on the rise of the design engineer, why AI still lacks “taste” (and why it’s about more than just looks), and how to actually write tests in the age of AI-assisted coding. Plus: is AI a bubble about to burst, keeping coding agents efficient in massive codebases, introducing kids to AI, a Linux life update, and more!

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

01:18 The Rise of the Design Engineer Role

08:39 Why AI Has No Taste: It’s Not Just How It Looks

14:28 Brought to you by Sentry.io

14:52 Testing in the AI Era: Are We Using AI to Write Tests?

20:09 Is AI a Bubble? Will It Burst?

The AI Bubble is Bursting on YouTube

24:35 Negative Public Sentiment Towards AI and Data Centers

30:16 Update on Scott Using Omarchy and Linux

Is The Omarchy Hype Real?

38:14 Introducing AI to Kids: A Parent’s Perspective with Dr. Courtney

49:34 Getting Hired Without AI Experience: How to Catch Up

52:53 Keeping Coding Agents Efficient: Token Usage, Speed, and Accuracy

Modem.dev Article

Fallow Docs

57:10 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Scott: Kitchen Sink Brush

Wes: Magnet Fishing

Shameless Plugs

Scott: Phases Podcast, Phases Podcast on YouTube

Hit us up on Socials!

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

More from Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Oct 21, 2026

Scott and Wes talk with Adam Jacob about software factories: what they actually are, why they’re unique to each team, and how to build trust in agent-generated code. They dig into Swamp Club, black box testing, domain driven design, adversarial review for accessibility, and whether unit tests still earn their keep.

Oct 19, 2026

Deno is shutting down and the team is heading to Cloudflare — Scott, Wes, and CJ break down what that means for the runtime, JSR, and workerd. Plus OpenCode 2.0 on durable objects, TanStack Start 1.0, SubQ Snap, Gemini 4 Argon, and Wes’s accidental $50 photo frame movement.

Oct 14, 2026

Someone just clean-room ported seven Adobe apps to Rust, and Wes is shocked at how good it is. Scott and Wes break down what it gets right, what’s still missing, and why copying software is easy but inventing what comes next is the hard part.

Oct 12, 2026

Scott, Wes, and CJ break down the latest Pi updates, including durable long-running agents, Codemode, and MCP support, then debate whether pull requests are dead in favor of issues. Plus Supabase picks up Turso, Screen Studio 4 drops, JavaScript Composites bring value-based equality, and a stack of new AI models from Google, OpenAI, Cloudflare, and more.

Oct 7, 2026

Scott and Wes answer listener questions about what replaced blogging, what to do while your AI agent works, and who should pay for token costs. They also cover keeping agents from going off the rails, getting your team excited about AI, and staying motivated when AI takes the fun out of coding.

See all episodes →