Next.js 15.3, Altman TED Talk & Should AI Be Mandatory?

Hello!

Last week’s Shopify memo is still dominating discussions online, with many wondering if mandatory AI adoptions are a good idea. Speaking of AI, Sam Altman faced some tough questions at TED, offering answers about where OpenAI is headed and what still keeps him up at night.

On the engineering front, Netflix shows how to trace traffic across a massive system, Next.js 15.3 delivers some serious speed improvements, and we’re looking at a productivity metric no one tracks but probably should: silence.

If that sounds good to you, grab your favorite coffee and enjoy Frictionless!

In the Queue

• Exposing Vulnerability in React Router and the Remix

• Advanced React Case Studies

• Rise of AI Advisors

• Meta Antitrust Trial

• The Truth Behind AI Tools

Reduce Friction

Building a Sanity Website for an Extraordinary Hotel

Lyngen North offers unforgettable stays in glass igloos facing the Lyngen Alps, but their WordPress site wasn’t living up to the view. We rebuilt it with Gatsby and Sanity, resulting in a faster, easier-to-manage site that finally does the scenery justice.

The Interrupt Tax: Why Developer Productivity Is Measured in Silences

Forget about commits and tickets! What if the best way to measure developer productivity is silence? According to this article, fewer interruptions during tasks can protect developer' focus and increase their output. 

How Netflix Accurately Attributes eBPF Flow Logs

Tracking which service is behind which traffic at Netflix scale isn’t easy. In their latest tech blog, the team shows how they use eBPF to attribute network flows accurately, even when services shift across machines.

Tech Hiring: Is This an Inflection Point?

Tech hiring is hitting a strange moment. With AI-generated applications, interview fraud, and sluggish candidate engagement, it’s getting harder to tell who’s serious. Maybe it’s time to rethink remote interviews, or bring back in-person ones.

Deepen Your Expertise

Advanced React in the Wild: Production Case Studies from Ambitious Web Projects (2022–2025)

Addy Osmani and Hassan Djirdeh teamed up to show how companies like Vio, DoorDash, and Preply improved performance in their React and Next.js apps. Includes plenty of practical takeaways you can implement in your stack as well.

Next.js 15.3

Turbopack is now in alpha for production builds, bringing up to 83% faster builds on 30-core machines compared to Webpack. It also features new client instrumentation and navigation hooks that make observability and routing smoother.

React Router and the Remix’ed path

Remember the critical flaw in Next.js middleware? The same team is back, this time exposing a vulnerability in Remix and React Router’s Express adapter that enabled cache poisoning via manipulated headers.

Migrating Grep from Create React App to Next.js

Grep, a fast code search tool, said goodbye to the deprecated Create React App and moved to Next.js. The migration paid off. React Server Components brought faster loads and smoother transitions, all while preserving the polished feel of a single-page app.

AI Corner

OpenAI’s Sam Altman Talks ChatGPT, AI Agents and Superintelligence

At TED 2025, Sam Altman sat down for what might’ve been the most uncomfortable interview of the year. He shared that ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly users, admitted their GPUs are “melting,” and addressed criticism over OpenAI’s $300B valuation and AGI direction.

87% Faster Code Delivery with AI? Here’s What They’re Not Telling You

In a chat with Google Cloud’s VP of Product, Keith Townsend digs into where tools like Gemini Code Assist help and where they still fall short. He doesn’t hold back, arguing that most organizations still don’t have the governance or DevOps to scale safely with AI tools.

Enforcing The Use Of AI In Engineering Teams - Good Or Bad Thing?

A recent memo from Shopify’s CEO sparked debate in the dev community: Should engineering teams be required to use AI? Progress is inevitable, and adoption is growing—but forcing it might do more harm than good. Here you can read a strong case for building AI into culture, not compliance.

Why Leaders Trust AI More Than Their Colleagues

According to a new survey, 74% of execs now trust AI advice more than input from their colleagues. Let’s look at the reasons why more engineering leaders are turning to tools like ChatGPT and Claude for answers and decision-making support.

Just Cool

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Takes The Stand in Historic Antitrust Trial

Mark Zuckerberg took the stand this week in a high-stakes antitrust trial over Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC argues they were defensive moves to crush competition, but Zuckerberg says otherwise.

Let’s Stay in Touch! 📨 

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