Why Open Source Might Be Your Best Career Move w/ Shruti Kapoor

Recorded at All Things Open 2025, Robbie Wagner and guest co-host Jason Lengstorf chat with developer-turned-creator Shruti Kapoor about her leap from Slack and PayPal to YouTube, the joys and pitfalls of open source, and eternal web dev debates. In this episode: * (00:00) - Intro * (01:37) - Wine rating & review: Fre Sparkling Brut * (06:33) - Hot Take: git rebase vs. git merge * (09:11) - Hot Take: Is HTML a programming language? * (09:41) - Hot Take: Is CSS a programming language? * (10:20) - Hot take: classes vs. functional components * (11:13) - Hot Take: Remix, TanStack, or Next.js? * (15:02) - Hot Take: console.log vs debugger * (16:11) - Hot Take: Were React server components a mistake? * (20:42) - How open source changed Shruti’s career * (22:23) - The real value of contributing to open source * (26:05) - What is the React Foundation and why it matters * (28:58) - Highlights from React Conf and new features * (31:01) - From Slack engineer to independent creator * (34:34) - Choosing what content to make (and why) * (37:58) - Shruti’s dog, discipline, and life lessons * (40:01) - What would Shruti do if not in tech? * (40:30) - Where to find Shruti online Links * Fre Sparkling Brut: https://www.frewines.com/ [https://www.frewines.com/] * Wes Bos: https://wesbos.com/ [https://wesbos.com/] * Syntax: https://syntax.fm/ [https://syntax.fm/] * Slack: https://slack.com/ [https://slack.com/] * PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/ [https://www.paypal.com/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com [https://www.youtube.com/] * React: https://react.dev/ [https://react.dev/] * JavaScript: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript] * HTML: https://www.w3schools.com/html/ [https://www.w3schools.com/html/] * CSS: https://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/ [https://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/] * Ember: https://emberjs.com/ [https://emberjs.com/] * TanStack: https://tanstack.com/ [https://tanstack.com/] * Next.js: https://nextjs.org/ [https://nextjs.org/] * Remix: https://remix.run/ [https://remix.run/] * Astro: https://astro.build/ [https://astro.build/] * VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/ [https://code.visualstudio.com/] * All Things Open: https://allthingsopen.org/ [https://allthingsopen.org/] * GitHub: https://github.com/ [https://github.com/] * React Conf: https://conf.react.dev/ [https://conf.react.dev/] * React Foundation: https://react.dev/blog/2025/10/07/introducing-the-react-foundation [https://react.dev/blog/2025/10/07/introducing-the-react-foundation] * Linux Foundation: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/ [https://www.linuxfoundation.org/] * Vercel: https://vercel.com/ [https://vercel.com/] * Google Home: https://home.google.com/welcome/ [https://home.google.com/welcome/] * Primeagen: https://x.com/ThePrimeagen [https://x.com/ThePrimeagen] * ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/ [https://chatgpt.com/] * MCP: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/ [https://modelcontextprotocol.io/] * Shruti's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@shrutikapoor08 [https://www.youtube.com/@shrutikapoor08] * 16 Common React useEffect Mistakes You’re Making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGOPO2V6MHI [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGOPO2V6MHI] Connect with Jason * Website: https://jason.energy/ [https://jason.energy/] * X / Twitter: https://x.com/jlengstorf [https://x.com/jlengstorf] *   Connect with Shruti * Website: https://shrutikapoor.dev/ [https://shrutikapoor.dev/] * X / Twitter: https://x.com/shrutikapoor08 [https://x.com/shrutikapoor08] Connect with the hosts * Robbie Wagner: https://x.com/RobbieTheWagner [https://x.com/RobbieTheWagner] * Chuck Carpenter: https://x.com/CharlesWthe3rd [https://x.com/CharlesWthe3rd] * Adam Argyle: https://x.com/argyleink [https://x.com/argyleink] Subscribe and stay in touch * Website: https://whiskey.fm [https://whiskey.fm/] * Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whiskey-web-and-whatnot/id1552776603 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whiskey-web-and-whatnot/id1552776603] * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19jiuHAqzeKnkleQUpZxDf [https://open.spotify.com/show/19jiuHAqzeKnkleQUpZxDf] * Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1552776603 [https://overcast.fm/itunes1552776603] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskeyWebAndWhatnot [https://www.youtube.com/@WhiskeyWebAndWhatnot] Whiskey Web and Whatnot Merch Enjoying the podcast and want us to make more? Help support us by picking up some of our fresh merch at https://whiskey.fund [https://whiskey.fund/].