📦 Addy Osmani's Google lessons + learn backend from first principles

Remember when Anthropic's CEO predicted 90% of code would be AI-written and everyone thought it was hype? Simon Willison argues we hit an inflection point in November — GPT-5.2 and Opus 4.5 changed the game.

Whether you're leaning into AI-assisted coding or doubling down on fundamentals, this week's newsletter has you covered. I'm featuring Anthropic's free Claude Code course alongside a brilliant backend fundamentals playlist. Here's what else is worth your time.

Claude Code in Action — Free Course (2 hrs)
Anthropic's official course on using Claude Code effectively. Covers tool integration, context management, MCP servers, GitHub integration, and reasoning modes. Whether you're new to AI-assisted coding or want to level up your workflow, this is the most comprehensive resource available.

Backend from First Principles — 23 Video Playlist
Sinriously's comprehensive backend series covering HTTP fundamentals, routing, serialization, authentication, and middlewares. Perfect for solidifying your understanding of how backend systems actually work — especially useful if you've learned frameworks without fully grasping the underlying concepts.

The November 2025 Inflection Point (5 min)
Simon Willison makes the case that GPT-5.2 and Opus 4.5 represent a genuine turning point in AI capabilities. Worth reading alongside his full "2025: The Year in LLMs" retrospective for the complete picture.

Web Development is Fun Again (6 min)
The premise: modern tooling and AI have removed enough friction that building for the web feels enjoyable again. A refreshingly optimistic take that resonated with developers tired of complexity fatigue.

21 Lessons From 14 Years at Google (5 min)
Addy Osmani shares hard-won insights from his time at Google. These aren't generic career tips — they're specific observations about what actually matters for long-term growth as an engineer.

Claude Code On-the-Go (6 min)
Practical setup guide for using Claude Code from anywhere, including mobile development workflows. Useful if you want to maintain productivity when away from your main workstation.

Neural Networks: Zero to Hero
Karpathy's legendary course keeps getting rediscovered for good reason. If you want to understand how AI actually works from the ground up — not just how to use it — this is where to start.

I Built an App in Every Frontend Framework (13 min)
A detailed comparison of performance, developer experience, and viability across all major frontend frameworks in 2026. Particularly useful if you're choosing a stack for a new project or considering a migration.

Databases in 2025: A Year in Review (6 min)
Andy Pavlo's annual database retrospective covers the major shifts in the database landscape. Essential reading for anyone who works with data at scale.

Software Craftsmanship is Dead (5 min)
Provocative take on whether the "craftsman" identity still makes sense in an AI-assisted world. Whether you agree or not, it's worth examining what we value about our work and why.

Anthropic Eng Leader on Advice That Changed Her Career (24 min)
Former Meta Senior Director, now at Anthropic, shares mentorship insights and how company cultures differ at the highest levels. Particularly valuable for anyone navigating the transition from IC to leadership.

We're Not Concerned Enough About the Death of Junior-Level Engineers (5 min)
A serious take on what AI means for entry-level developers and the traditional path into software engineering. Worth reading regardless of where you stand — the concerns raised affect hiring, mentorship, and team composition.

What The Best Engineers Do — From an Amazon VP (5 min)
Jordan Cutler distills what actually gets engineers promoted at top companies. Based on real conversations with engineering leaders, not speculation.

taws — Terminal UI for AWS
A TUI tool for managing AWS resources directly from your terminal. If you find yourself constantly switching between CLI and console, this provides a middle ground with a clean visual interface.

JavaScript Engines Zoo
Compare every JavaScript engine side-by-side in one place. Surprisingly useful for understanding runtime differences and edge cases when your code behaves differently across environments.

Mongoose 9.0
Major release with async stack traces (finally!), cleaner middleware APIs, and stricter TypeScript support. If you're using Mongoose, the improved error debugging alone makes the upgrade worthwhile.

ffmpReg — FFmpeg Rewrite in Pure Rust
A complete FFmpeg rewrite in Rust. Still early days, but worth watching if you work with media processing and want memory-safe alternatives.

Fjall 3.0 — Rust Key-Value Storage
Rust-only key-value storage engine with significant performance improvements in this release. A solid option if you need embedded storage without the SQLite overhead.

Jank Lang Hit Alpha
A Clojure dialect that compiles to native code via C++. Interesting for anyone who loves Lisp semantics but wants better performance characteristics.

How to Choose What to Learn in 2026 (10 min)
Syntax's framework for deciding what's worth your time this year. The core question: "Will this improve my users' lives in a meaningful way?" A useful filter for the endless stream of new tools.

Top 10 DevOps & AI Tools You MUST Use in 2026 (10 min)
DevOps Toolkit's practitioner guide to essential tools. Less hype, more practical recommendations based on real-world usage.

Why CSS Grid Feels Complex (10 min)
Kevin Powell breaks down why Grid feels harder than it should and how to keep it simple. If you've been intimidated by CSS Grid or find yourself overcomplicating layouts, this will help.

Software Engineering Expectations for 2026 (10 min)
Ben Awad's take on how the role is shifting — the majority of your code should be AI-assisted now. A realistic look at what's expected versus what's aspirational.

This Unknown TypeScript Feature is a Must Have (10 min)
Web Dev Simplified covers a TypeScript feature that's essential for large projects but often overlooked. Short and practical.

Rust's Most Complicated Features Explained (10 min)
Let's Get Rusty demystifies the concepts that trip up most Rust learners. Useful even if you're just Rust-curious and want to understand what the fuss is about.

That's it for this week. Reply if you have something I should include next time.

Until next week,
Niall