Mostly Technical

Ian and Aaron talk about why neither of them shipped this past week, how to surface features in an application, tweets going viral....oh, and they're starting a new podcast. Welcome to Token Town.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, & Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Ian Didn't Ship (06:33) - Aaron Didn't Ship (11:48) - Solo & MCP (21:16) - Surfacing Features (32:45) - Is AI Hype Dying Down? (37:42) - Viral Tweets (50:29) - Filter Out vs. Filter In (01:01:07) - Claude vs. OpenClaw (01:15:29) - Durable Objects & Databases (01:27:04) - Welcome to Token Town Links:Aaron's tweet about getting to 120fpsAaron's viral tweet about the astronautNate Silver vs. Nikita Bier on TwitterIan's viral tweet about Claude & OpenClawOpenAI acquires TBPNAaron's course on durable objectsLaravel Cloud MySQLToken Town

Ian and Aaron talk about setting a release date (!) for Outro, huge updates to Solo, a new Cloudflare course, exciting news on the real estate front, and so much more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - It's Shill Season (04:02) - Ian's Gotta Ship Outro (15:00) - Superpowers Are So Good (20:15) - Cloudflare Durable Objects Course (31:32) - Cloud Pricing (36:41) - MCP Servers (47:23) - Solo Updates (01:00:18) - Aaron Francis Empire Update Links:ModalSlingshotSuperpowersUConn vs. Duke - Final two minutesProducer DaveCloudflare Durable ObjectsVoid

Ian and Aaron talk about choosing between Faster.dev & Solo (which one is more likely to pay off?), the pros and cons of using AI to build bespoke internal apps, youth sports, Project Hail Mary, and so much more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Kids Sports (05:19) - Building Internal Tools (17:23) - Empire of Scripts (24:41) - Everybody Wants CLI & MCP (29:46) - Solo Will Never Be Done (45:46) - Faster.dev vs. Solo (59:36) - Vibe Coding An App To $10k (01:06:11) - Project Hail Mary Links:Aaron on the baseball fieldProject Hail MaryJason Fried on TwitterLaravel AI SDKLaravel MCPSoloWill KingAaron's video on YouTubeEric Barnes' new venture

Ian and Aaron talk about more poker adventures, transcoding videos at scale, escaping the permanent underclass, worktrees vs. copy on write, and so much more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, Laravel Live DK, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Ian Keeps Winning (10:00) - Transcoding Videos (25:33) - Superpowers (39:40) - A Parade In Boston (47:36) - Run Dangerously (55:20) - Ire of the Worktree Maxi's (01:02:56) - Escape the Permanent Underclass Links:Daniel CoulbourneChris MorrellModalMuxHTTP Live StreamingSuperpowersJason BeggsFast User SwitchingWorktrees

Ian and Aaron discuss their trip to Laracon EU, the all-new Solo, using the AI SDK for Outro, "poker propaganda", Gen-Z Abby's 2004 camera, and so much more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Europe Can't Contain Us (07:04) - Poker Propaganda (12:34) - Laracon EU Recap (17:42) - Good Feedback (23:07) - Big Solo Update (42:03) - What's Next for Solo (01:01:20) - The Worktrees Question (01:10:57) - The Finalized Skill (01:17:28) - Outro & Gopher (01:26:43) - New Deadlines Are Coming (01:31:25) - 2004 Camera Links:SinnersJetBlue MintEncore Boston HarborDaniel CoulbournePete HeslopSoloXtermTyporaFasterOutro

Ian and Aaron discuss Ian shipping (!) the HelpSpot website and cooking on Outro, Aaron's complete overhaul of Solo, why it's nice to have a wife, and so much more.Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Hell Week 3 (12:01) - The Haters Were Right (22:09) - Ian Shipped! (27:09) - Does Aaron Know Who Snoop Is? (32:29) - Cooking On Outro (46:17) - Counselors Update (01:05:28) - The Learning Skill (01:16:47) - It's Nice To Have A Wife (01:19:23) - Gamification of Software Links:OpenCodeXterm.jsWill KingJason BeggsHelpSpotOutroSoloCounselors

Ian and Aaron discuss Aaron's new AI tool Counselors, something called "Hell Week", what's new with Solo and Outro, and so much more.Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Achieving The Impossible (11:26) - Making Things Easy For Humans (19:53) - Ian's Hyperkey Setup (28:59) - Aaron's Hell Week (44:42) - The Future (51:38) - Outro Is Cooking (58:36) - Valentine's Day & Other Updates (01:09:26) - OpenClaw Links:CounselorsHyperkeyRaycastSpace Cadet KeyboardSoloFaster.devOutro.fmAaron's cardboard box saw

Ian and Aaron talk about the launch of Solo, Aaron's new terminal app for the desktop (!) plus Ian's return to Twitter and so much more.Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Back On Twitter (08:20) - Mute The Super Spreaders (23:51) - HVAC Guys (28:40) - AI.com Ad (32:23) - The Launch of Solo (45:39) - Questions About Solo (56:53) - An Ode To Laravel's Queues (01:00:18) - Even More About Solo (01:06:35) - Behind The Scenes Links:Ian on TwitterIan on BlueskyPeter Steinberger on TwitterAI.com's Super Bowl AdOnions.comSoloMary Perry on TwitterTauriNativePHPBehind the scenes of Aaron's videoMemento Mori

Ian and Aaron talk about the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU (!), Aaron's new desktop app (!!), sleeping on planes, and so much more.Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Burn The Candle at Three Ends (06:12) - We Got Some Feedback (12:31) - Laracon India & AI SDK (17:49) - Tell The Machine To Do It (25:10) - Boost & Skills (29:55) - The Big Announcement (38:25) - Business Class Stage of the Castle (43:25) - Sleeping On Planes (49:33) - Unofficial Claude Code Meetup (01:00:09) - Aaron's Desktop App Links:AfrinNyQuilNeti PotCasey Neistat's video on NYC trashLaracon IndiaLaravel Live JapanZoolander - MagnumLaracon EUUnofficial Claude Code MeetupVisakan VeerasamySara DietschyAaron's Desktop AppTauri

Ian and Aaron talk about being stuck at home due to the weather, major updates to Outro.fm and Faster.dev, an important update to the Laravel New experience, and more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, and Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - No True Texas? (05:42) - Plow Problems (13:57) - Outro & HelpSpot Update (23:44) - Promotions (26:38) - Laravel AI SDK (31:27) - Faster.dev Update (44:49) - Ian's Got Problems With Amp (58:30) - Laravel New Gradient Links:Yarbo SnowblowerOutroLaracon IndiaLaracon EULaravel AI SDK tweetMatt StensonFaster.devLaravel Boost v2Claude SkillsAmpAmp's Oracle

Ian and Aaron recap their trip to San Francisco to see the first demo of the Laravel AI SDK before going in-depth on the Faster.dev announcement!Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, and Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Aaron Watched A Movie! (02:28) - Last Week In San Francisco (17:20) - Laravel AI SDK Announcement (26:23) - Who Listens To Podcasts? (31:17) - Announcing Faster.dev (49:49) - Logo Design (57:08) - Aaron's Stripe Video Links:The Accountant 2Ben Affleck & Matt Damon on the limits of AIBrowserbaseAmpTartineAaron & Leah YouTube ShortFaster.dev launch video

Ian and Aaron are joined by Taylor Otwell for their first ever in-person episode of Mostly Technical to talk about everything from the Laravel AI SDK to Private Cloud to vibe coding MUD's and so much more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Mastering Laravel, and Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Imaginary Tech Stuff Is Real (04:01) - Taylor's Journey With AI (12:18) - Laravel AI SDK (24:48) - Coding In The AI Era (32:51) - Laravel Private Cloud (37:06) - Cloud CLI (38:48) - First Year of Cloud (43:05) - Sprites.dev (46:30) - What's Next (50:02) - Post Credit Scene Links:Multi-user DungeonLaravel SimplifierElevenlabsPrismWelcome to Gas TownSprites.dev

Ian and Aaron talk about opinionated frameworks in the era of AI, Aaron's new pivot (!), Ian being right, and so much more.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments & Bento.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Ricotta? Regatta? (02:46) - Ian Was Right (10:09) - Laravel vs. Rails (21:32) - AI Education! (48:15) - Do You Wanna Win? Links:Laravel's AI DocsTaylor's tweet thread about Laravel's opinions being good for AIA Software Library With No CodeRalph Wiggum, explainedDHH - Promoting AI agentsTanstackNativePHPProducer Dave's blog post about Billboard

Ian and Aaron are dealing with the liminal space of the holiday season, talking about their upcoming trip to San Francisco to see the Laravel AI SDK demo, and making even more predictions for 2026.Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments & Bento.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.Links:Texas de BrazilDelucca PizzaDemolition ManRicotta Cheese'Notes from the sick ward'SF Meetup: First Look at Laravel AI SDKjetBlue Mint

Ian and Aaron are answering your questions about what's coming in 2026, covering everything from AI shrinking dev teams to Elon becoming a trillionaire and so much more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and NusiiInterested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - No Rest For The Weary (03:39) - Manager of Agents (14:44) - Predictions! (30:57) - Ian's Personal Productivity System (40:17) - More Predictions! (58:02) - Vibe Code vs. Buying (01:03:17) - Even More Predictions! (01:17:15) - Christmas Presents Links:Aaron Levie's TweetParkinson's LawGroq's deal with NvidiaClaude's 2x Holiday PromotionObsidianPhilip K DickCursor migrated from SanityAir Span 2Stan Smith's

Ian and Aaron talk about Santa (obviously), do you still need an MBA (maybe not so obvious), why Ian isn't burning as many tokens as possible to get Outro out the door, what people are building with the Telegram API, and more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and NusiiInterested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Magically Better (08:59) - Pre-Holiday Adventures (17:17) - Burning The Midnight Tokens (25:35) - Outlasted By AI Agents (38:06) - Thinking Businessy (44:34) - Advent of SQL Update (50:39) - Telegram Bots Links:F150 LightningRivian Digital KeyVW Atlas1995 4 RunnerLos Tacos No. 1Bass Pro Shop's Santa's WonderlandCodex 5.2PHPStanAdvent of SQLJeffrey Way's post on building a Telegram BotNutgram

Ian and Aaron discuss how Aaron's orchestrating fly.io boxes for Database School, why sometimes you need to use AI to help AI, and why Costco is truly a great place. Plus an all-time Ian resume rant and so much more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and NusiiInterested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Classic Little Kid Disease (04:14) - Weekend Update (18:29) - Ian's Resume Rant (33:57) - Advent of SQL (46:50) - Using AI to Help AI Links:Google ClassroomNorthPark CenterDanbury Railway MuseumMelissa & DougThomas & FriendsAdvent of SQL on Database SchoolCodeRabbitStratechery

Ian and Aaron discuss all things AI this week - from Claude Max to pairing Gemini with Claude to why people want to code but they don't want to sell and so much more. Plus Aaron's secret soccer past and why the game (of getting a job) isn't fair.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and NusiiInterested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - OD on AI (09:40) - Product vs Distribution (15:29) - Alcove (21:21) - What's Ian Building With AI? (27:18) - Using Claude With Gemini? (37:38) - Google or ChatGPT? (46:51) - Old Puritan Aaron (58:21) - The Game Is Unfair (01:03:20) - What's New With Database School? (01:07:13) - Sportsball! Links:Claude MaxAaron's tweet about a design tool he builtAlcoveLaravel Wrapped 2025Radix ColorsAmpCodeRabbitPrimeagen - 1 year, no jobHassan Nazari

Ian and Aaron discuss Claude vs. Gemini, *another* Laravel New idea, drama on Thanksgiving, and so much more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and NusiiInterested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Happy Cyber Monday! (01:39) - Follow Up (07:24) - AI Update: Claude vs. Gemini (24:43) - Laravel New, Again, Again? (36:30) - Ian's 🐕 Drama (43:25) - Kids & Parks (48:47) - A Childlike Server (52:50) - Even More Follow Up Links:Indie Hacker who had his wedding sponsoredMillion Dollar HomepageIntroducing Claude Opus 4.5JMac's 'child-like' $20/month DO box

Ian and Aaron talk about the launch of Database School - the branding, everything he did the morning of the launch, building the site with Gemini, and so much more. Plus the world championship of….bagels?Sponsored by Bento, Flare, No Compromises, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Every Second Mattered (08:40) - The Morning Of (15:30) - The Last Launch? (18:07) - Walking With Adam (20:01) - Pricing (28:28) - Doing It Live (36:21) - We're Talking Logos (44:14) - Closing Thoughts On The Launch (49:21) - Built With Gemini (01:06:23) - World Championship of Bagels Links:NightwatchOG KitForgeLaravel CashierJamey Gannon on TwitterAaron's Blooper ReelAdam's Morning WalkLaravel VPSNano Banana ProGemini 3FilamentStarship Bagel

Ian and Aaron are joined by John O'Nolan, creator of Ghost, to talk about double Laravel New'ing, side projects for your side projects, building an RSS reader, mastering Claude Code, and so much more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, No Compromises, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Double Laravel New'd (08:52) - Claude Code Power User (21:26) - Queues! (32:58) - Your Side Project Has A Side Project (48:37) - All About Ghost (58:12) - Advice for Laravel New Believers Links:GhostMarco ArmentOvercastChartMogulJoel Spolsky on why you shouldn't ever do a rewrite

Ian and Aaron discuss screen time for kids, the impending launch of Database School, why Ian acquired Bootstrapped.fm, and more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, No Compromises, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - The Screen Time Conundrum (12:56) - Public Service Announcement (23:18) - Database School Is Launching Next Week! (32:26) - Thanksgiving Plans (38:29) - Acquiring Bootstrapped.fm Links:Wall StreetThe Secret Life of PetsClaude CodeBrowser testing in Pest 4Database SchoolJason Beggs"Rich enough not to waste time"Andrey ButovBootstrapped Episode 43: The UserScape DevelopersBootstrapped Episode 46: Jeffrey Way of LaracastsPluribusIs It Cake?

Ian and Aaron talk about 20 years of HelpSpot, Aaron's big week on Twitter, and....talk about burying the lede....Aaron's got ARR! Subscription revenue! It's happening!Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - A Weekend Story (15:25) - Sick Kids (20:12) - Laravel New Update (22:40) - 20 Years of HelpSpot (37:27) - Ian's Hiring (43:03) - Aaron's Big Week on Twitter (53:20) - Database School Update Links:Paperless PostFuji X100VIRicoh GR IVLaravel NewIan's hiring!Aaron's tweet"Put Food On My Family"

Ian and Aaron talk about the first ever Wire:live conference, what's new in Livewire 4, the best book Aaron's ever read, and....oh no. Oh no. Ian decided to `laravel new`. Again.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Ittybit.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (01:52) - Wire:live (10:54) - Livewire 4 (27:49) - Poker Day (34:45) - Aaron MC (36:40) - We Musn't Ship (48:54) - Best Book I've Ever Read (57:07) - Update On New Videos (01:10:44) - Advent of SQL (01:14:18) - 🐴 Update Links:Wire:liveVehiklBlazeForteRainbow BridgeDigital MinimalismThe Intellectual LifeAdvent of Vibe Coding

Ian and Aaron talk about everything from leasing horses to Aaron's new studio addition to what comes next for Database School and so much more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Laravel Forge.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Low Energy Aaron (02:01) - Downtime & Expensive Horses (19:15) - Aaron's Giant Chalkboard (31:56) - Chalk Guy (49:36) - It's Time To Eat Glass (01:06:39) - The Plan Links:"Low-energy Jeb"Behind the scenes of Aaron's new setuphttp://nyblackboard.comBlackmagic DeckLinktldrawThe DynamoDB Book@fideloper

Ian and Aaron are joined this week by Jeffrey Way, creator of Laracasts, to talk about everything from their opinions about JavaScript to the evolution of Laracasts to modeling behavior for your kids and so much more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Laravel Forge.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.(00:00) - Optimizing Everything (07:41) - Social Media, Kids, & Modeling Behavior (21:42) - Vision Quest Deep Dive (34:46) - Switch to Subscription? (39:48) - The Evolution of Laracasts (50:03) - Opinions About JavaScript (57:00) - Deciding What To Teach (01:02:59) - Chess (01:07:47) - YouTube & AI's Impact Links:AmaranTanStackRemix3 Ninjas (1992)Suno

Ian and Aaron talk about how Outro is shaping up, why we all need a handyman, why Ian is bullish on Sora, what's happening with Aaron's next batch of courses, and more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Laravel Forge.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.Links:MLB PostseasonBrickStratecherySoraLivewire BlazeTupleFocus Lab

Ian and Aaron talk about Aaron's recent "Vision Quest", accidentally inventing transcendental meditation, realizing he's addicted to Twitter, and the reaction he got online. Plus Ian went to Philly to play poker & more.Sponsored by Bento, Flare, and Laravel Forge.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more.Links:BrickTranscendental MeditationAaron's tweet about his vision questIan's Bsky post about ice creamIan's travel pillowThule compression packing cube