Will Klein

@willkle.in

Independent Developer, DX Afficionado https://www.willklein.co

“Take more ownership” is not a career plan. Neither is “think at a higher level.” Seniority deserves a more useful explanation.

These thoughts have been brewing for months and months as we’ve been rebuilding Video.js at @mux.com. Felt so good to get them on paper and present them to CascadiaJS. Hope you can learn from our mistakes!

CascadiaJS@cascadiajs.com · last mo.

What happens when your "simple" API grows into an unmaintainable mess? 😅 This talk by @darius.cool explores the tradeoffs between configuration and composition, and why the right abstractions matter more than ever in the age of AI. youtu.be/dExasNlhVKM

CascadiaJS. Darius Cepulis. The Abstraction That Broke at Scale. Photo of Darius Cepulis on stage at CascadiaJS 2026.

This group lab was really good. My takeaways: - they prioritize features based on use cases and the value it provides to users - web performance is an infinite game (never done) - the new <model> element is supported across Apple devices/browsers - spatial CSS is super exciting!

Jen Simmons@jensimmons.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Watch our live panel discussion “WWDC26: Safari and Web Technologies Group Lab” today at 5:00pm Pacific. Log in at developer.apple.com (with an Apple Developer account, free accounts work) to ask or upvote questions. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIxZ...

Friends who know me… What career adventure should I take up next? I’ve learned a lot from asking friends before and hope some of you might help me once again. ✌🏽

the job market recovery is concentrated in startups and mid-market software companies, not big tech which is still trimming and hiring surgically to replace specific exits or plug AI skill gaps if you arent heavily looking at startups in your job search you are missing out

This talk on compostable APIs by @darius.cool absolutely captivated me! Choosing the right abstraction is often challenging, but I agree that composition is a powerful and effective strategy. Darius described this incredibly well across different examples. #cascadiajs

Darius on stage

now more than ever, i believe being part of a community is greatly beneficial for career growth. some steps to do this: - show up to meetups - go to conferences - join a discord server

Behind the scenes of a talk recording: Friday: kids off from school Monday: they're off... again?! The week: (traveling for another conf) Saturday: 🥱 Sunday: I'll do it tonight Sunday night: too dark, need lighting Monday: all I hear is leaf blowers outside... ✌🏽Cheers!

I thought a little more about why I love #magnoliaconf so much in such a short time. Here's two reasons: 1. It's a chill, welcoming place, where I could be myself right away. 2. I go to conferences for inspiration, and the talks selected are filled with opportunities to find this.

Will Klein@willkle.in · 10mo ago

Not even a full day at @magnolia.boo and this is already one of my favorite conferences. Where else are you going to find @joshuakgoldberg.com dressed as a Tinky-Winky? Seriously though, the speakers, attendees, organizers, MC... they're all wonderful humans. #magnoliaconf

Josh speaking in costume

Netflix is the only subscription our family never takes a break from. I watch everything my kids watch. Their favorite shows are the ones that illustrate our differences with kindness & understanding. This kindness & understanding shows up in how they interact with others.