Dev Jobs, Burgers, and AI with Spotify’s Taylor Poindexter

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, Robbie and Chuck welcome back Taylor Poindexter, an engineering manager at Spotify, to discuss a range of topics from web development, career advice, and job market trends to fitness supplements, making the perfect burger, and, of course, whiskey. They dive into the complexities of AI and the future of development, the importance of taking breaks to prevent burnout, and the pros and cons of management versus individual contributor roles.

In this episode:

• (00:00) - Intro
• (03:16) - Whiskey: World Whiskey Society Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• (14:36) - Hot takes
• (14:59) - Is jQuery better than Laravel
• (15:34) - Is creatine vaporware?
• (19:32) - Are Bombas the best socks
• (23:38) - Were fillers in crab cakes a mistake?
• (26:12) - AI and the future of dev jobs
• (31:42) - The role of AI in development
• (34:21) - How to impress Taylor in the interview process
• (39:20) - Management vs individual contributor
• (45:25) - Promotion politics
• (53:40) - Football season
• (55:45) - Burnout and taking breaks

Links

• Spotify: https://spotify.com
• World Whiskey Society: https://worldwhiskey.com
• George Motz: https://www.georgemotz.com
• jQuery: https://jquery.com
• Laravel: https://laravel.com
• Bombas: https://bombas.com
• Chevy Chase: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Chase
• Stan Smith: https://www.adidas.com/us/stan_smith
• Web3: https://web3.foundation
• ChatGPT: https://openai.com/chatgpt
• Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot
• Ben Holmes: https://bholmes.dev
• Ken Wheeler: https://x.com/ken_wheeler

Connect with Taylor

• Website: https://www.poindexter.dev
• X / Twitter: https://x.com/engineering_bae

Connect with Chuck and Robbie

• Robbie Wagner: https://x.com/RobbieTheWagner
• Chuck Carpenter: https://x.com/CharlesWthe3rd

Subscribe and stay in touch

• Website: https://whiskey.fm
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whiskey-web-and-whatnot/id1552776603
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19jiuHAqzeKnkleQUpZxDf
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1552776603
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskeyWebAndWhatnot

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Veteran web developers RobbieTheWagner, Charles William Carpenter III, and Adam Argyle host this informal, whiskey-fueled fireside chat with your favorite web devs. They discuss all things web development including JavaScript, TypeScript, EmberJS, React, Astro, SolidJS, CSS, HTML, Web3, and more. They take a unique approach and focus on getting to know the human side of developers and their hobbies outside of work, all while sampling a new whiskey that they rate on their unique tentacle scale.