Backend Banter

“How did you first get your start in coding or your career?”

Often used as an opener to establish the guest's origin story, sometimes by first presenting his own research for them to confirm.

“What were the actual pain points in your workflow that drove you to create your project?”

Asks this to get past the marketing pitch and into the real-world problems the guest was trying to solve for themselves.

“Why did you choose a specific technology or career path over the alternatives?”

This question explores the guest's decision-making process and technical taste.

“What is the unique upside of your project compared to what already exists?”

Pushes the guest to articulate the core value proposition of their work.

“How does a new technology like AI impact junior versus senior developers?”

Used to get the guest's take on how industry trends affect different experience levels.

“What are the biggest problems or challenges you see with a new technology?”

Moves the conversation beyond the hype to explore the practical downsides and limitations.

“Is Product X the biggest or most well-known product from your company?”

Helps establish context for the audience about the scale and impact of a guest's work.

“What is your personal development setup like?”

A way to connect a guest's abstract ideas to their concrete, day-to-day developer workflow.

“How do you pronounce the name of your project?”

A simple, practical question Wagner asks to clarify basic details for the audience.

“Can you confirm if your role was a specific role, like DevRel?”

He uses this to verify his research and pinpoint specific phases in a guest's career.

“Where was your first job after school?”

A direct question to map out key milestones in a guest's career timeline.

“How does Technology A compare technically to Technology B?”

Drills down into specific technical comparisons, often about language interoperability or performance.