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PODCAST

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and Developer Careers

Matt Lawrence and Mike Karan

HTML All The Things is a podcast for developers navigating the modern web industry. Hosted by web development agency owners Matt Lawrence and Mike Karan, the show explores web development, AI-driven industry shifts, and the realities of building a sustainable career in tech. Matt and Mike discuss foundational technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript along with modern tools and frameworks such as Svelte, Vue, WordPress, React, and Tailwind. But beyond the code, the show also dives into

technology how to

All Episodes

64:34

AI Basics for Small Businesses

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/10/06

AI can save small businesses time, reduce repetitive work, and unlock capabilities that previously required more people, but where should you actually start? In this episode, Matt and Mike break down how small businesses can introduce AI without getting overwhelmed, from identifying high-frequency, low-risk tasks and protecting sensitive business data to turning successful experiments into repeatable AI workflows. We also discuss why you shouldn't automate everything at once, how your existing

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28:38

AI Has Made Skilled Labour Almost Free (And It’s Scary)

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/10/03

Our world already has an instant gratification problem and AI has somehow made it worse. It's making skilled work faster and cheaper than ever, which in turn makes us more impatient than ever. Why should we spend a week learning a new SEO tool or a new coding method when we can just ask our AI to do it in a snap? In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss AI-powered instant gratification, the pressure to constantly build and experiment, and the strange feeling that when almost anything

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72:06

How to Prepare for a Tech Layoff

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/29

Tech layoffs can happen with little warning, even when your company is doing well. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss the warning signs that layoffs may be coming, how to prepare while you're still employed, and what to do when a layoff starts looking imminent. From building an emergency fund and keeping your resume current to documenting your accomplishments and strengthening your professional network, we cover practical ways to make an unexpected layoff much easier to navigate.Show Notes:

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22:53

AI’s Biggest Problem Isn’t Intelligence Anymore

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/26

AI models are already remarkably capable, but their intelligence doesn’t matter much if they’re too expensive, limited, or confusing to use. In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss why cheaper and faster models, higher usage limits, and a better user experience could be more important than winning the next benchmark - and why the future of AI may be about making today’s technology genuinely usable.Show Notes:

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52:10

AI Basics: Learn These Tips First

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/22

AI is easy to start using, but getting good at it takes practice. In this episode, Matt and Mike break down the AI basics everyone should learn first, from improving your prompts and knowing when AI needs to search the web to verifying important answers and avoiding AI overload. Whether you're using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or another AI tool, these tips will help you build better habits and get more useful results.Show Notes:

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20:26

Is AI Coding Making Technical Debt Worse?

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/19

Is AI coding making technical debt worse, or could it help us finally clean it up? In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike debate how tighter deadlines, unchecked code, and AI’s context limits affect maintainability - and whether clean code still matters when AI can navigate the mess.Inspired by this r/webdev discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/1wi3mi5/is_vibe_coding_creating_a_hidden_technical_debt/ Show Notes:

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61:11

My Favorite Developer and Productivity Apps Right Now

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/15

Every once in a while, a new app actually sticks and changes how you work. In this episode, Mike shares the developer and productivity apps that have earned a permanent spot in his workflow, including the Aside AI Browser, Orca Agent IDE, OrbStack, Aerospace, Raycast, and Niagara Launcher. We dig into AI-powered browser automation, managing multiple coding agents, remote development from your phone, lightweight Docker alternatives, keyboard-first macOS workflows, and minimalist Android setups. Show

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29:29

I Let AI Help Plan My Vacation... Here’s How It Went

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/12

Can AI actually plan a good vacation? Matt recently used ChatGPT and Gemini to help plan a trip to the UK, from sightseeing and transportation to fitting everything into a packed itinerary. We break down what AI got right, where it completely missed the mark, and why the best travel planning still combines AI with Google Maps, social media, and advice from real people.Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/i-let-ai-help-plan-my-vacation-heres-how-it-went

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53:15

Don't Just Vibe Code, Learn While You Code

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/08

AI coding tools can generate huge amounts of functional code in seconds, but does that mean developers no longer need to learn how to code? In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss how aspiring and junior developers can use AI coding agents as both builders and tutors - following their curiosity, learning the concepts behind generated code, and deciding how much manual coding knowledge they actually need to retain. They also explore the growing challenge of balancing traditional programming skills

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32:37

Does AGI Actually Matter to You?

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/05

GPT-6 Astra is here, bringing another huge jump in AI capabilities - and once again raising the question: are we approaching AGI?But defining artificial general intelligence gets messy fast. If AGI means matching or exceeding humans across virtually any cognitive task, how do you actually test that? And as new benchmarks appear, are we discovering better ways to measure intelligence or simply moving the goalposts? In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss what AGI means from a regular

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56:00

AI Agent Skills Explained: What They Are and Which...

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/09/01

Most of us repeatedly teach our AI coding agents the same lessons: ask questions before coding, write a specification, break the work into tickets, test everything, and review the result. Agent skills let us package those instructions into reusable workflows that an agent can load whenever they become relevant. In this episode, Matt and Mike explain what agent skills are, how they differ from prompts, project rules, tools, MCP servers, and custom GPTs, and why they can make AI-assisted development

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21:53

AI Lets Me Game More - and Work Better

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/29

AI agents can handle tasks independently for minutes at a time - but what should you do while you wait? Start more work, run additional agents, or finally take a break?In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss how AI has unexpectedly created more opportunities for short retro-gaming sessions during the workday. They explore why playing a low-stakes Game Boy game can be more restorative than doomscrolling, how stepping away can improve your review of AI-generated work, and why running

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56:58

How to Design Websites for Small Businesses

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/25

A small business website doesn’t always need a fully custom design. In fact, spending too much time on bespoke visuals can waste the client’s budget without helping the business achieve its goals.In this episode, Matt and Mike explain how freelancers and agencies can choose the web design services they want to offer, determine how much design a client actually needs, and translate business requirements into an effective website. They compare fully custom designs, versatile themes, pre-made

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24:11

Are Tech Leaks Real - or Just Marketing?

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/22

Leaks have become an unavoidable part of following technology and entertainment. Unreleased phones appear online months before their announcements, unfinished games are shown without context, and spoilers can surface in your feed whether you searched for them or not. In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss the recent leak of alleged GTA VI gameplay footage and whether leaking a game is ever a reasonable form of protest. They also explore why unfinished footage can create a misleading

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43:36

How to Become a GTM Engineer: A New Career Path for...

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/18

Developer job titles are changing, and GTM Engineer is one of the fastest-growing roles at the intersection of software, data, automation, AI, and revenue. Instead of building only for product or internal engineering teams, GTM Engineers help companies find, convert, retain, and expand customers through better systems and smarter workflows.In this episode, Matt and Mike explain what GTM Engineers actually do, why being closer to revenue can make an engineer's value easier to demonstrate, and how

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32:31

Developers Are Exhausted by AI Coding

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/15

After using AI coding tools professionally and personally, Brett Codes says he is done. His viral video and blog post describe feeling detached from his work, less engaged with programming, and increasingly anxious about the future of his career. This anxious feeling is common in tech and software engineering spaces today as LLMs invade what was once a complex and manual job that required dedication and practice to learn. Matt and Mike discuss why that story resonates with exhausted developers, the

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52:21

Small Business Websites Need to Do More Than Exist

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/11

Small-business websites used to have a straightforward job: explain who you are, what you offer, and how customers can contact you. Then search became a major source of discovery, and businesses added keyword-focused pages, blogs, technical SEO, and local listings.Now AI Overviews and zero-click search are changing the equation again. Does that mean blogs and traditional websites are dead? Matt and Mike argue that they are still essential - but they are no longer the whole strategy. In this

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18:44

Can Company Mission Compete With a $100 Million...

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/08

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei reportedly worries that some new hires are joining the company for the paycheck rather than its AI safety mission. But with competitors offering top researchers compensation packages reportedly reaching nine figures, is choosing the money really surprising? In this edition of theWeb News, Matt and Mike discuss the escalating AI talent war, whether company culture can compete with life-changing compensation, and why years of layoffs have made workers less willing to put an

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49:14

From Dishwasher to Engineering Manager

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/04

Before becoming an engineering manager, Mike spent nearly two years washing dishes and another five working as a line cook. The jobs may seem completely unrelated to software development, but the lessons he learned in the kitchen continue to shape how he handles pressure, leads developers, and solves problems today. In this episode, Matt and Mike discuss how early jobs outside of tech can prepare you for a career in development. They explore thriving in chaotic situations, matching people with the

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47:05

Is AI in a Bubble? History Says It's Complicated

HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and... ·

2026/08/01

Every major technological revolution seems to come with the same question: is this a bubble? AI is no exception. In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike explore why so many people are comparing today's AI boom to the dot-com bubble, and what history can teach us by looking back at events like Railway Mania, the dot-com crash, and the 2008 housing crisis. Along the way, they discuss the difference between revolutionary technology and speculative investment, and whether those two things can

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