Why Ruby on Rails Matters More in the Age of AI | Jeremy Smith Podcast
Can Ruby on Rails thrive when AI coding tools steer new builders towards other technology stacks?
Jeremy Smith joins Errol to discuss Rails, Hotwire, vibe coding, developer careers and the future of the Ruby community.
Jeremy is a longtime Rails developer, fractional consultant, organiser of Blue Ridge Ruby and co-host of the Indie Rails podcast. He explains how Rails enabled him to learn by building, why long-term client relationships require empathy, and how Hotwire gives small teams a manageable alternative to complex frontend architectures.
The conversation explores the disappearance of junior development roles, working closely with AI-generated code, whether Hotwire really lacks documentation, and why Rails needs a simpler path that lets new developers build and deploy an application in a day.
Jeremy also shares what it takes to create a Ruby conference, why participation creates belonging, and what’s ahead for Blue Ridge Ruby and Indie Rails.
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Jeremy Smith
00:34 From ASP Classic to Ruby on Rails
03:31 Learning by building and owning production
05:42 Thirteen years of fractional Rails consulting
08:14 Why software is personal to founders
12:05 Improving more than the code
17:48 Working within a client’s priorities
22:59 Hotwire versus React for small teams
28:15 AI-assisted coding with Hotwire
32:27 Can new developers still break into Ruby?
37:15 Does Hotwire really lack documentation?
43:18 Reviewing and understanding AI-generated code
47:30 Finding belonging in the Ruby community
56:07 Creating Blue Ridge Ruby
01:01:52 Can Rails thrive in the AI era?
01:06:06 A Rails pathway for vibe coders
01:10:06 The missing Heroku free-tier moment
01:14:45 The future of Blue Ridge Ruby
01:19:13 The Indie Rails podcast
01:21:21 Jeremy’s Rails World Hotwire talk
You can find out more about Blue Ridge Ruby here:
https://blueridgeruby.com/
And Indie Rails Podcast here:
https://www.indierails.com/
Technology for Humans is brought to you with the assistance of https://www.reinteractive.com - thank you to Mikel and the team.
And is produced by https://www.esquarenews.com.au
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