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@thoughtbot.com
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Helping teams build reliable software and reduce risk thoughtbot.com

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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 2h
Still reminiscing about our event last week during Rails World. 🤩 Thanks to everyone who came out from Rails World, our Austin friends and even some thoughtbot alumni! Who knows… Ruby Underground might be coming to a city near you next. 👀
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 29/09/2026
AI can get you somewhere decent pretty fast. The harder part is making it feel like you. Svenja and Moses talk about the small design choices that can take something from generic to distinct.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 28/09/2026
We asked healthcare leaders about the pressures shaping software delivery today, from moving quickly without adding risk to navigating approvals, reliability, and everything in between. Read the report: thoughtbot.com/healthcare-s...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 22/09/2026
Some of the best open-source tools start as solutions to very specific product problems. Jorge Manrubia shares how work on Basecamp helped shape Turbo, Trix, and the Rails ecosystem in Episode 617 of Giant Robots. Stream the full episode: podcast.thoughtbot.com/617
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 21/09/2026
People’s habits change. Good products evolve with them. Jesse Mecham talks about changing behaviors and how they’re influencing the way YNAB helps people learn. Stream Episode 618: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g91A...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 18/09/2026
What do you do with the time AI gives back to you? Rakesh uses it to focus on quality: planning, iterating, and refining generated code until it’s something he’d actually want to ship. More time for the thoughtful stuff sounds pretty good.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 15/09/2026
Technical leadership isn’t just experience. It’s staying close enough to the technology to have an informed point of view when it matters. Joël Quenneville and Sally Hall discuss on The Bike Shed. bikeshed.thoughtbot.com/504
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 14/09/2026
AI gets a lot of attention. 👀 Raja Rajamannar of Mastercard is more interested in what it helps people do better. Stream Episode 607: podcast.thoughtbot.com/607
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 11/09/2026
A great tool can still be the wrong choice if the license leaves too much uncertainty. Jorge Manrubia shares why open source licensing played a big role in the technology behind Lexi. Stream Episode 617 of Giant Robots: podcast.thoughtbot.com/617
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 08/09/2026
“If everything is a priority, nothing is.” That was the mindset behind MilesMe’s MVP. The goal wasn’t to build every possible feature. It was to launch a calm, reliable route-generation app people could actually use, then keep improving from there. #MVPDevelopment #ProductStrategy #StartupMVP
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 07/09/2026
Start with AI. Keep only what actually needs AI. Joël Quenneville shares how he uses LLMs to explore new workflows, then pulls deterministic pieces into scripts and templates for less complexity, lower token usage, and faster results. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGS...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 04/09/2026
YNAB started as a spreadsheet. What made it work wasn’t the spreadsheet, but the idea behind it. Jesse Mecham shares how a different way of thinking about money became the foundation for a software business. Stream Episode 618: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g91A...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 01/09/2026
AI designed this dashboard and it's genuinely a solid starting point. But a few quick passes make a big difference: fixing accessibility contrast, making typography intentional, catching data that's literally getting cut off, and building real visual hierarchy.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 31/08/2026
Good code doesn't just work. It helps people make better decisions. In this clip from our virtual healthcare panel with Merck, Joël Quenneville shares a simple naming pattern that makes handling sensitive data easier to spot during development and code review.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 28/08/2026
First, make it work. Then you get to ask better questions. Aji Slater talks about moving beyond the basics of React and learning when rendering matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s actually time to worry about performance. bikeshed.thoughtbot.com/484
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 25/08/2026
Not every idea needs the same process. David Pace at Merck shares how his team balances governance with experimentation by giving smaller, lower-risk ideas room to move faster. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGS...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 24/08/2026
AI can generate a design in seconds. But can you tell it was generated by AI? Moses Amama thinks there are a handful of patterns that give it away almost every time. We put that opinion to the test on The Opinionated thoughtbotter.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 21/08/2026
Building a software company isn’t just about optimizing for growth. It’s also about deciding what kind of company you want to run. RightMessage founder Brennan Dunn shares how that shaped the way he built his product.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 18/08/2026
AI can help find problems in a codebase. But does finding them make the code easier to trust? Chad Pytel and Sami Birnbaum discuss security, confidence, and the more important question: why were those problems there in the first place?
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 17/08/2026
Engineering culture shapes how teams learn, experiment, and build. David Pace at Merck shares how his team is drawing inspiration from thoughtbot practices that create more space for continuous growth and having fun with technology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqGS...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 17/08/2026
Third-party component libraries come with restrictions, the :has() CSS pseudo-selector unlocks flexible style options without needing JavaScript.
thoughtbot.com
Can’t touch the DOM? Reach for :has() to style any element
Third-party component libraries come with restrictions, the :has() CSS pseudo-selector unlocks flexible style options without needing JavaScript.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 15/08/2026
How I buy time when I don't know, soften opinions shaped by bias, and hold my ground when it actually matters.
thoughtbot.com
Buying Time, Choosing Words: Consulting Through Diplomatic Communication
How I buy time when I don’t know, soften opinions shaped by bias, and hold my ground when it actually matters.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 14/08/2026
AI-generated code may be new. Inheriting a codebase you don't fully trust isn't. Chad Pytel and Sami Birnbaum discuss why human oversight and understanding what you're building on still matter.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 13/08/2026
YNAB started as a spreadsheet and became a 20-year lesson in product, leadership, and money. In Episode 618 of Giant Robots, Jesse Mecham shares what changed along the way, what didn’t, and why being willing to rethink things matters. www.youtube.com/watch?v=g91A...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 13/08/2026
From Vancouver to Amsterdam, thoughtbotters are on the road this fall.
thoughtbot.com
thoughtbot around the world, meet us at upcoming events
From Vancouver to Amsterdam, thoughtbotters are on the road this fall.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 11/08/2026
The easiest thing to measure in software development is how much code gets written. The hardest things to measure are clarity, maintainability, and good engineering judgment. In this conversation, @Emma Barnes reflects on why those became the priorities that mattered most.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 11/08/2026
Status starts as a column. Then someone asks "who was denied last Tuesday?" and the schema can't answer. Model each status change as its own row from the start, without sacrificing read performance.
thoughtbot.com
Modeling State Transitions in Postgres
Status starts as a column. Then someone asks “who was denied last Tuesday?” and the schema can’t answer. Model each status change as its own row from the start, without sacrificing read performance.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 10/08/2026
Excited to be teaming up with our friends at Bubble! Don't miss this session for new founders featuring thoughtbot Design Director Vendela Colavecchio and Bubble Growth Marketing Lead Emmelie De La Cruz. Let's talk about when to ship and why. Register to join us here: luma.com/acpli38w?tk=...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 10/08/2026
“Agentic AI is making developers lazy.” A spicy take from Rakesh that gets more nuanced pretty quickly. If AI is writing more of the code, maybe the bigger question is where developers put their attention instead. #ai #lazycoders #thoughtbot
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 07/08/2026
Sometimes “basic” is exactly what you need. In this clip from The Bike Shed, we revisit HTTP basic auth, why developers tend to move on to more sophisticated approaches, and when the simplest tool might still be the right one.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 06/08/2026
We're releasing Humid 1.0. A few helper methods to help with React server-side rendering in Rails with mini_racer.
thoughtbot.com
Humid 1.0: React server-side rendering in Rails can be easy!
We’re releasing Humid 1.0. A few helper methods to help with React server-side rendering in Rails with mini_racer.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 05/08/2026
There isn’t just 1 gender story when it comes to AI. Dr. Victoria Plutshack explores how gender shows up across AI adoption, labor, online harms, and even opposition to data centers. “There’s gender aspects to all of it.” #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #WomenInTech
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 04/08/2026
Good developer experience isn't always about the framework. Sometimes it's the tools around it that make all the difference. For Sally Hall, React Hook Form was one of those tools.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 03/08/2026
Most organizations prototype too late. The best prototypes aren't built to validate software, they're built to create alignment. Especially in regulated industries, a prototype is the fastest way to replace assumptions with evidence and make better decisions.
thoughtbot.com
A prototype is not a product. It's a conversation.
Most organizations prototype too late. The best prototypes aren’t built to validate software, they’re built to create alignment. Especially in regulated industries, a prototype is the fastest way...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 31/07/2026
Lawyers might seem like unlikely early adopters of AI. In this episode of Giant Robots, Joe Cohen shares why firms are seeing 80–85% adoption, and why “law is the profession of language.” podcast.thoughtbot.com/615
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 30/07/2026
168 healthcare tech leaders were surveyed on software delivery. 68% say speed and risk are in constant tension. We broke down what's really behind it and what separates innovative teams from the rest.
thoughtbot.com
New: The State of Software Delivery in Healthcare
168 healthcare tech leaders were surveyed on software delivery. 68% say speed and risk are in constant tension. We broke down what’s really behind it and what separates innovative teams from the rest.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 29/07/2026
Claude Design can be a useful starting point, but the defaults are easy to spot. Serif fonts. Beige and orange. Emoji icons. Familiar copy patterns. The interesting work starts after generation: refining the design, improving the content, and making it yours.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 28/07/2026
Trust in a codebase isn't built by proving it's perfect. It's built by understanding how it works, where it falls short, and why. Chad Pytel and Sami Birnbaum discuss why AI can help uncover problems, but good engineering still depends on understanding the systems behind them.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 28/07/2026
Modern Sign in with Google for React Native using Android's Credential Manager, the GoogleSignIn-iOS SDK, and a first-party Expo config plugin. TypeScript-first.
thoughtbot.com
Sign in with Google for React Native
Modern Sign in with Google for React Native using Android’s Credential Manager, the GoogleSignIn-iOS SDK, and a first-party Expo config plugin. TypeScript-first.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 27/07/2026
For a long time, time was the easiest way to measure value. Joe Cohen argues that AI is changing that equation. A thoughtful conversation about legal AI, professional services, and what happens when efficiency no longer tells the whole story. podcast.thoughtbot.com/615
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 25/07/2026
Join us July 30 for an animated discussion on the challenges and strategies for working with healthcare systems. We're bringing together leaders from Merck and thoughtbot to share different perspectives on reducing risk while continuing to innovate. Register today: thoughtbot.com/events/secur...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 25/07/2026
AI can help you ship a prototype in a weekend, but it won't tell you if you're building the right thing. We talked to founders who use AI tools every day to find out where it actually helps, and where it can quietly hurt you.
thoughtbot.com
What founders told us about working with AI tools for startups
AI can help you ship a prototype in a weekend, but it won’t tell you if you’re building the right thing. We talked to founders who use AI tools every day to find out where it actually helps, and where...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 24/07/2026
The best engineering conversations often start with, "I don't think that's actually true." Aji Slater revisits a story from an earlier episode and ends up uncovering something even more interesting.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 21/07/2026
Good engineering starts with good questions. As AI continues to evolve, thoughtbot's AI Ethics Task Force is exploring the tradeoffs, challenging assumptions, and helping shape how we think about AI in software development.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 18/07/2026
Register for our July 30 panel on reducing risk through better architecture, AI governance, and developer workflows, featuring David Pace of Merck and Joël Quenneville and Clarissa Borges of thoughtbot.
thoughtbot.com
Join us: Building Secure Healthcare Systems
Register for our July 30 panel on reducing risk through better architecture, AI governance, and developer workflows, featuring David Pace of Merck and Joël Quenneville and Clarissa Borges of thoughtbot.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 17/07/2026
Join us on July 30 for a virtual panel on identifying the blind spots in health tech architecture, AI, and data governance. Learn more and save your spot: thoughtbot.com/events/secur...
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 17/07/2026
We've retired Upcase, but our commitment to sharing what we learn hasn't changed. Here's where you can continue learning with us through articles, videos, podcasts, and more.
thoughtbot.com
Upcase has retired, but the learning continues
We’ve retired Upcase, but our commitment to sharing what we learn hasn’t changed. Here’s where you can continue learning with us through articles, videos, podcasts, and more.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 15/07/2026
As developers, our priorities evolve. First it's "make it work." Then it's "make it good." Eventually, it's "make it fast." That shift is less about writing code and more about understanding the systems we're building. What was that turning point in your own career?
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 14/07/2026
We moved our React Native app from the JavaScript stack to the native stack and suddenly inherited Liquid Glass, and a clipped logo.
thoughtbot.com
Migrating to native stack navigation, with a surprise from iOS 26
We moved our React Native app from the JavaScript stack to the native stack and suddenly inherited Liquid Glass, and a clipped logo.
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thoughtbot @thoughtbot.com · 10/07/2026
Come hear Ruby talks by Fritz Meissner and Ismael Celis at the London Ruby User Group meeting on Monday 13th July.
thoughtbot.com
Past and present thoughtbotters at LRUG this Monday
Come hear Ruby talks by Fritz Meissner and Ismael Celis at the London Ruby User Group meeting on Monday 13th July.
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