Mostly Technical

All episodes.

165 episodes · showing the newest 165

157: Eat The Pain

Nov 11, 2026 1 hr 18 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Ian's struggles with Stripe, Caleb's breaking news about Flux for React, Fable 5.2, and more. Sponsored by Svix, Maileroo, Bento, PostShiba, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Stripe Is The Worst (13:55) - Token Burner 3000 (22:34) - Kindergarten Campout (34:10) - Big Laravel Day (44:11) - Flux for React (01:05:22) - AI At The Ballot Box Links:Stripe ConnectFable 5.2Possum Kingdom LakeVuori JoggersAway SuitcaseCaleb’s tweet about Flux for ReactWes BosKent C. DoddsPartyKitDillon MulroyKelsey HightowerVicent Martí

156: Batten Down The Hatches

Nov 3, 2026 1 hr 24 min

Ian and Aaron discuss a short-lived Laravel New, Aaron's first onsite with the marketing team, a successful trip to Philly, the seemingly inevitable security apocalypse, and more. Sponsored by Svix, Maileroo, Bento, PostShiba, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Ian's Laravel New didn't last (24:13) - Laravel Offsite (35:06) - Everybody's Orbin' (42:13) - Got The Cash (50:07) - Follow Up - Are People Actually Replacing SaaS? (58:18) - Are Companies Rational Economic Actors? (01:06:26) - Operation Batten Down The Hatches (01:18:07) - Outro! Dot FM! Links:ObsidianClaude DuetFirecrawlTerry Black’s BarbecueJoe T. Garcia’sMafia (party game)CatanGhosttyAmp OrbsSoloPHP×PhillyMary PerryEff1-900-Ice-CreamLess Annoying CRMStartup to LastNorth Korea linked to $6.3B Binance hackOutro

155: The PHPocalypse

Oct 27, 2026 1 hr 44 min

Ian and Aaron talk about Aaron's talk at Resend Forward, Ian's trip to the World Series, the PHPocalypse, Ian's dream job, and so much more. Sponsored by Svix, Maileroo, Bento, PostShiba, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Hello Brewers Man (09:56) - Aaron's Trip to SF (28:18) - Ian's Dream Job (40:21) - Inside Baseball (43:16) - The PHPocolypse (01:00:17) - Indie Hacker Brainworm (01:03:21) - Found Money (01:14:22) - An Update on Aaron's Book (01:34:39) - Marketing Offsite Links:Brewers go up 2-0 in the World SeriesSal FrelickLaravel Founders Panel at AccelResend ForwardAaron’s talk at Resend ForwardLaravel CloudAccelThe Atlantic: “If Anything Happens to This Guy … Everyone Is Screwed”stealmybitcoin.comBrotli CVE-2026-111497Ruby’s level 10 CVEAaron’s bound bookFire & Blood by George R. R. Martin

154: Ian Laravel New'd Again!

Oct 20, 2026 1 hr 33 min

Ian and Aaron talk about Laravel New'ing....again....and what that means for Outro, plus huge updates coming to Solo, Aaron's generative universe, and more. Sponsored by Svix, Maileroo, Bento, PostShiba, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Ian's Still Sick (03:59) - Laravel New? (19:49) - Pricing for Outro 2.0 (30:38) - More on Outro 2.0 (37:38) - Solo on Linux (42:54) - Headless Solo (50:15) - GUI Chats? (58:57) - Aaron's Generative Universe (01:23:20) - OpenCode Was Hacked Links:Ian’s tweet about laravel newToken TownOutroSoloOpenCode getting hackedDaybreak BlueYubiKey

153: 13 Billion Tokens

Oct 13, 2026 1 hr 17 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Ian's trip to NYC to see the Amp crew, Aaron's weekend getaway, fighting online with Jesse Bentley, and craziest of all - should Ian 'Laravel New' Outro? Sponsored by Svix, Bento, PostShiba, Laracon AU, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Rocks In The Stream (16:15) - Orbin In Person (24:54) - Aaron's First Internet Business (40:42) - Giant Buttons (43:49) - Jesse & Ian Are Fighting (52:54) - Operation Double (01:05:23) - 'Laravel New' Outro? (01:11:18) - Resets Links:Broken Bow, OklahomaAmp & OrbsIan’s Orbin shirtDaybreakThesis: 2027 (Every)acct229.comacct2031.comLaravel Cloud CLIJesse’s tweet on pricingJason Cohen’s video on raising pricesAntoine’s tweet on Fernand cancellationsHelpSpot

152: Feel The AGI

Oct 6, 2026 1 hr 17 min

Ian and Aaron discuss OpenAI's Dots, Aaron's trip to Denver, working with tests in the AI era, big things coming to Laravel, and a whole lot more. Sponsored by Svix, Bento, PostShiba, SerpAPI, Laracon AU, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - America, Coke Zero (07:14) - Aaron Went To Denver (09:58) - Big Things Coming To Laravel (18:46) - The Milwaukee Brewers (26:41) - A Reverse Epiphany (37:15) - Mini Motorways (46:45) - Dot & AI Agents (01:03:14) - Can AI Companies Make Money? (01:09:49) - Tests Links:America Coke Zero videoLaravel New videoAll-In PodcastRogue AmoebaLaravel NewsName.comMilwaukee BrewersMini MotorwaysDot by OpenAIPest Browser Testing

151: Tokenmogged

Sep 29, 2026 1 hr 0 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Opus 5.5, Aaron's HomeOS, Ian's token usage, what's new with Aaron's office, and so much more. Sponsored by Svix, Bento, PostShiba, SerpAPI, Laracon AU, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Ian Loves Developers! (05:16) - I Have Become Aaron, Destroyer of Worlds (12:11) - Update on Aaron's Office (22:18) - Orbin & Mogging (26:36) - Update on Jev (31:19) - HomeOS (48:23) - Opus 5.5 (55:48) - The Best Time Ever To Raise Prices Links:Jesse HanleyClaude DesignOpus 5.5RMFGShapeokoIan's tweet on his token usageJevAaron's tweet about Home OSTillerPlaidYodleeCloudflare Durable ObjectsJason Lemkin

150: Everybody Loves Jev

Sep 22, 2026 1 hr 16 min

Ian and Aaron discuss the arrival of Jev, whether or not people should take microeconomics classes, Aaron's new office, raising prices, and so much more. Sponsored by Svix, Bento, PostShiba, Valorin Security, SerpAPI, Laracon AU, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Solo Parenting (09:00) - Ian's Very Mad About People on Twitter (17:12) - People Should Take Microeconomics (?) (31:04) - Aaron Is Leasing An Office! (45:22) - Jev! (01:04:56) - Should you charge more or less? Links:Torchy's TacosPapa John'sJon Yongfook's tweet on SaaS moats (retweeted by Aaron)MintlifyCursor's migration off Sanity (Lee Robinson)BannerbearX-CarveShapeokoJevCodexJesse Hanley's tweet on raising prices

149: I Am The Harness

Sep 16, 2026 1 hr 16 min

Ian and Aaron talk about their trip to Vegas, what's cooking with Outro & Solo, Ian's travel woes, something called a Zoox, and so much more. Sponsored by Svix, Bento, PostShiba, Valorin Security, SerpAPI, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - A Weak Vocal Constitution (13:55) - CabanaConf Takeaways (21:36) - Build Bento on Bento? (28:18) - Burning Tokens for Solo (35:46) - Fixes for Outro (39:59) - Training a Model (48:30) - What if Solo had a universal agent? (01:00:46) - Ian's Travel Woes (01:07:38) - Aaron Took a Zoox Links:TailscaleOutroSolo19thLaravel AI SDKRivian self-drivingAaron's data structures and algorithms promptIan's tweet on moving from medium to high on AstraZoox

148: AI Psychosis Day

Sep 8, 2026 1 hr 13 min

Ian and Aaron discuss the release of GPT-6 "Astra", building Solo for Linux, Ian's camera setup, why Outro isn't out yet, and so much more. Sponsored by Svix, Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Happy Labor Day (03:02) - Rippin Astra Tokens (17:04) - Solo On Linux? (26:09) - 4000 Photos of Horses (41:04) - What's New With Outro? (49:27) - Aaron's Training a Model (01:00:32) - No More Astra Left (01:09:06) - Vegas, Baby. Vegas. Links:GPT-6 AstraBlenderElevenLabsAaron's tweet on the fantasy world he's buildingAaron's tweet on writing in-depth plans/specsOmarchyAaron's tweet on TailscaleIan's tweet with horse photosAmp OrbsLightroomEric Barnes' football photosIan's tweet on the Sony 50-150mm f/2Viltrox AF 85mm f/2 EVO (Sony E)Sony FE 40mm f/2.5 GJason Cohen (A Smart Bear)Solo

147: It's Orbin' Time

Sep 1, 2026 1 hr 27 min

Ian and Aaron discuss the release of Solo v0.10, Aaron's trip to Boise, Ian's trip to the fair, why Ian's all in on Orbs, and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Typesense. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Producer Steve Got Married! (07:53) - Aaron's Unifying Theory on Wedding Toasts (17:02) - Ian Went To The Fair (27:30) - Notion? (and Linear) (35:28) - Moats (40:40) - Solo's Huge New Release (55:41) - It's Orbin' Time (01:10:30) - Aaron's Credit Card Strategy (01:24:28) - Book Update Links:Aaron's wedding photo (Steve Tenuto's wedding)Steve Tenuto on XIan's tweet on moatsSoloAaron's Solo release threadAmp OrbsMatt Stenson on XAmex Gold CardAmex Platinum CardAwardWalletGreat Illustrated Classics

146: Do Things & Tell People

Aug 25, 2026 1 hr 32 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Aaron's trip to Copenhagen for Laravel Live DK, meeting DHH, having "the hell trip home", using AI to beat Air Canada's bureaucracy, and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Svix. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Back In the Land of the Free (01:52) - Happy Anniversary! (04:22) - Aaron's First Intl Biz Class Flight (12:04) - Laravel Live DK (22:05) - Aaron's Talk & Meeting DHH (32:58) - DHH & Taylor's Fireside Chat (42:27) - The Spoon Is An Airplane (56:22) - The Hell Trip Home (01:17:41) - Scheming With Codex (01:27:34) - A Quick Controversy Links:Abigail Otwell's airport photo (Aaron in line behind Taylor & Abigail)Laravel Live DKDHH on Twitter/XOmacom Foundation launches with $8 million (Omarchy blog)GeocodioTom Crary on Twitter/XTaylor's video of Aaron trying caviarFlighty (iOS app)Ian's tweet of the chairs Aaron slept on

Sweet Hang #5: My Psychosis Moment w/ Jesse Hanley

Aug 19, 2026 1 hr 49 min

Ian is joined by Jesse Hanley, founder of Bento, to discuss everything from Grok Bot to finding your ideal customer to the future of knowledge work and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Svix. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Settle All Family Business (02:04) - Grok's Bot (12:43) - AI & Knowledge Work (35:17) - How much can one person automate? (46:42) - Will normies use bots? (59:29) - Jesse's videos (01:12:17) - Growing Revenue (01:20:11) - Finding your ideal customer (01:33:56) - Cameras (01:41:51) - Life in Japan Links:Jesse Hanley / @jessethanley — founder-in-the-park videos live hereGrok "bot" agent app (xAI)OpenClaw Hermes Agent (Nous Research) Less Annoying CRMBen Orenstein Laravel Live Japan TatamiMax MRR articleHidden Multipliers (book/audiobook)Find Your Carol workshopA Smart Bear blogJason CohenSony FX30Sony a6000 (body)Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 (Sony E)Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS (Ian's)Kase FiltersPatrick McKenzie

145: Marketing As Engineering

Aug 18, 2026 1 hr 10 min

Ian & Aaron discuss what's coming to Solo, how Aaron's running marketing at Laravel, why Ian swears by a cabana, and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Svix. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Cabana Life (12:44) - Using Linear for Marketing (22:57) - Who's agent should you use? (33:02) - Marketing = Engineering? (45:37) - Aaron's hit tweet (56:42) - Solo Updates (01:04:27) - Laravel Live Denmark Links:Sandpearl Resort, Clearwater BeachMartha's VineyardSurf StyleJason Cohen has the DropInBlog founder on the showJason Cohen's new book, Hidden MultipliersLaracon US photosSam Sappenfield's tweet"We built laracon.us/photos. We're not developers."Aaron's codebase-audit tweetSolotermLaravel Live DenmarkAaron's DSA audit prompt gist

144: First Week as VP

Aug 11, 2026 1 hr 22 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Aaron's first week as VP of Marketing & Community at Laravel, why he's writing manifestos in Notion, Ian's huge week with AI coding, and an update on Nachogate. Plus Ian's live from a cabana, ending Token Town (RIP to a real one), and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Svix. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Live from a cabana (03:26) - The End of Token Town (10:39) - Aaron's First Week (28:03) - A few manifestos (44:24) - 1:1's (53:40) - Ian's Mega AI Coding Week (01:10:21) - Nachogate Update (01:12:43) - Aaron's Studio Update (01:18:25) - The next Illustrated Classics Links:Aaron's Notion setupTaylor's tweet about TrelloRands In Repose: The Update, The Vent, and The Disaster John O'Nolan's tweet indicating some discrepancies with the nacho storyGreat Illustrated Classics

143: Rice On Your Nachos

Aug 5, 2026 1 hr 6 min

Ian and Aaron are back for a second episode this week to talk about more LaraProm & Laracon follow up, why Ian will never ship Outro (kidding), and.....adding rice to your nachos? Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Svix. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Aaron's First Real Day (04:38) - LaraProm -> Laracon (23:05) - Never Ship (37:33) - Nachos With Rice (47:06) - First Class Is Better (53:29) - Aaron's Sewing Machine (01:02:47) - Shower Wine Follow Up Links:Laracon US Day 1 StreamLaracon US Day 2 StreamHannah Gzehoviak on TwitterHouse of Blanks

142: Aaron's a VP at Laravel?!

Aug 4, 2026 1 hr 23 min

Ian and Aaron are back after Laracon US to talk about....Aaron's new job as VP of Marketing & Community at Laravel?! Plus a recap of LaraProm, something called "shower wine", and more. Sponsored by Bento, DropInBlog, Valorin Security, and Svix. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - We're back, baby (01:26) - VP of Marketing & Community (14:15) - What prepared Aaron for this position? (27:31) - Grand Unifying Theory of Laravel Marketing (50:21) - What's next for Try Hard? (55:28) - Shower wine (?) (01:04:06) - The future of MT (01:16:11) - LaraProm Links:Laracon USLaravel Live UKAaron's tweet announcing his new jobChris Fidao on TwitterSoloIan's LaraProm Photos

141: The Era of Sol

Jul 21, 2026 1 hr 17 min

Ian and Aaron discuss letting Sol Ultra rip for over 2 days straight, Aaron's new side project, problems with macOS, trying to price AI usage in apps, and more. Sponsored by Bento & DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Tim Cook's Office (06:00) - Introducing cfmpeg (12:27) - Ian & ElevenLabs (15:04) - Subscriptions In Outro (18:45) - World Cup (24:06) - Sol Ultra (28:07) - An Update on HelpSpot AI Pricing (52:04) - Aaron’s Custom Model (01:07:40) - Next Week: Laracon US! (01:10:23) - Great Illustrated Classics Links:cfmpegElevenLabsGPT-5.6 SolIan on Notes on WorkHelpSpot AIToken Town Episode 008BigSkyDevConfLaracon USGreat Illustrated Classics

140: Eating The Burst

Jul 14, 2026 1 hr 10 min

Ian and Aaron talk about pricing AI usage in apps, what's coming next for HelpSpot, a Jay-Z concert in NYC, and so much more. Sponsored by Bento & DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Aaron got a ticket (06:45) - Jay-Z Concert (11:47) - World Cup Update (22:36) - Blogging & SEO (29:19) - Pricing AI Usage In Apps (43:43) - HelpSpot & AI (59:54) - GPT Sol & Fable Links:Jay-Z at Yankee StadiumClock Radio Speakers Patreon19th.comGPT Sol 5.6Token Town Episode 007

139: High On Fable

Jul 7, 2026 1 hr 3 min

Ian and Aaron talk about saving a kid's life (!), Solo's big update, and an emerging controversy - do you still need to read the code? Sponsored by Bento & DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Aaron Saved A Life (05:18) - No Good Comes From A Bounce House (11:40) - 4th of July Parades (15:20) - Workspaces In Solo (24:33) - Should You Still Read The Code? (40:05) - Aaron's Breakout Tweet (51:05) - Outro Update Links:Big Tex is Destroyed By FireSoloAaron's tweet about Louis CKNate BargatzeJim GaffiganFilament

138: Back In The Game

Jul 1, 2026 1 hr 13 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Ian's misadventures with poker, a huge update for Solo (Windows!), why Aaron thinks languages don't matter but frameworks & ecosystems do, and so much more. Sponsored by Laracon AU, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Mostly Poker (10:55) - Poker Town? (13:34) - Outro Update (20:46) - Solo for Windows (!) (30:50) - Pricing Advice (33:52) - Laravel Live UK (42:58) - Languages Don't Matter (56:09) - LaraProm Update (01:04:46) - World Cup Links:World Series of PokerResorts World Las VegasOutroSolo

137: You Do Have To Care w/ John Drexler & Daniel Coulbourne

Jun 23, 2026 1 hr 28 min

Aaron is joined by John & Daniel of Thunk to talk about why you should think like a PM, what they want to see from Solo, trash cans in New York, "footy", and a whole lot more. Sponsored by Laracon AU, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Introduction to the Thunk Boys (04:13) - Working on Laravel Forge (09:22) - What does Daniel do? (14:30) - Big week for New York (22:34) - World Cup Social Media (29:13) - Laravel Live (36:33) - AI Code Responsibilities (41:52) - Think Like A PM (51:08) - Do Old Best Practices Still Apply? (58:12) - Daniel's Solo Gripes & Asks (01:20:34) - Tidy (01:24:02) - Where Is Ian? Links:ThunkTalking BusinesslyTightenLaravel ForgeLaravel Live UKLaravel Live JapanLaravel Live DenmarkSoloTidy

136: Big, Audacious Goals

Jun 16, 2026 1 hr 15 min

Ian and Aaron discuss why HelpSpot raised prices, what Aaron's building for teams with Solo, the short-lived reign of Fable 5, pros & cons of DJ's, and so much more. Sponsored by Laracon AU, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - The Great DJ Debate (07:58) - Aaron's Going To Laravel Live UK (14:22) - Ian Raised Prices (27:26) - Teams & New Solo Pricing (42:45) - New Frontiers (56:51) - RIP Fable 5 (01:09:43) - Outro's Sponsorship System Links:"Forever Young"Laravel Live UKHelpSpot PricingRIP Fable 5

135: Ian's Over AI Coding?!

Jun 9, 2026 1 hr 16 min

Ian and Aaron discuss hiring new employees, Ian claiming he's over AI coding, huge updates to Outro, going big or going home on Token Town, and more. Sponsored by Laracon AU, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Down to the River (05:33) - Ian's Over AI Coding?! (13:45) - Aaron's Employee's First Week (21:42) - Marketing & Content (27:27) - Ian's Been Busy With Outro (37:41) - Slash Brag Update (41:06) - Ian Finally Hired Somebody! (47:00) - Token Town Update (55:28) - Horse Business (01:04:14) - Aaron Went Fishing (01:13:16) - Kids Sports Links:Texas Hill CountryToken Town w/ Josh PigfordKristen FoxenSEP IRACorey Haines Marketing Skills on GitHubBlockNoteIan's tweet about AI & coding fasterJoe Masilotti's post about deleting WebSockets

134: The Edge of Safety

Jun 2, 2026 1 hr 10 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Aaron's new employee, the latest on Outro, a surprise trip to Portland, and more. Sponsored by Laracon AU, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and DropInBlog. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Where Was Ian? (02:26) - Outro Update (12:32) - Kelsey Is Gone (22:11) - Is Cloudflare Up? (24:53) - Aaron's New Employee (40:10) - LaraProm Update (42:14) - A Little Technical (54:35) - Aaron Went To Portland (01:06:35) - Slash Brag Links:Brett AdcockManaged Queues on Laravel CloudOutro.fmTinySeedJason LengstorfWeb Dev ChallengeKelsey Hightower

133: Do The Hardest Thing with Jesse Hanley

May 26, 2026 1 hr 21 min

Aaron is joined this week by Jesse Hanley, founder of Bento, to talk about building a seven figure business, why he feels less stress now than he did when he started, migrating from Heroku to Planetscale, and more. Sponsored by InterNACHI, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and NativePHP Ultra Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - 5 TB of Data (11:12) - Laravel Live Japan (15:46) - Seven Figure Business (24:32) - Advice for Indie Hackers (28:57) - Pick Better Problems (32:50) - Friends of Bento (42:33) - Heroku to Planetscale (01:15:02) - What's Next Links:Jesse HanleySpeedshopJesse's Database School episodeTatamiDragonflyRedisShakeLaravel Live JapanDaniel Coulbourne

132: Ian Shipped Outro!

May 19, 2026 1 hr 18 min

Ian and Aaron discuss finally recording Token Town, Ian finally shipping Outro, the benefits of working in public, what's coming next to Solo, and more. Sponsored by InterNACHI, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and NativePHP Ultra Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - We Finally Recorded Token Town (07:43) - Outro Is Live! (21:43) - Working In Public Is Required (27:54) - What's Next For Outro (30:22) - What's New With Solo (43:59) - Free vs. Paid (55:20) - First Actual Resume (01:04:41) - Starting A Movement (01:12:36) - Everybody Loves Discord Links:Token TownOutroSyntaxSoloFasterAaron's page for TupleDerek Sivers's "Now" page

Token Town 001: What is Anthropic Doing?!

May 15, 2026 39 min

In the first-ever episode of Token Town Aaron & Ian break down pricing changes for Claude -p and the Agent SDK, a temporary 50% increase to Claude's limits, leaps in hacking ability, and more. Sponsored by Bento. Links: Claude pricing changes'Anthropic beats OpenAI on business adoption'Claude Code weekly limits are 50% higherSoloAmpSuperpowersMythos & cybersecurity

131: Crush My Competitors

May 12, 2026 1 hr 6 min

Ian and Aaron talk about what's cooking with Solo, why Aaron's hiring his first full-time employee, Ian's frustrations with moving the team to Codex, and a feel good AI story. Sponsored by InterNACHI, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and NativePHP Ultra Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - Follow Up (04:20) - Solo Update (11:52) - Business Dad Pushback (19:15) - Raising Money (24:39) - Aaron's First Full-Time Employee (31:30) - Ian's Hiring Troubles (39:26) - A Laravel New 👀 (43:27) - Moving to Codex (48:57) - Where's Outro? (59:34) - A Feel Good AI Story Links:SoloTinySeedHelpSpotCodexOutroToken TownMia's Horse Name Generator

130: Two Grandmas Roll Up

May 5, 2026 1 hr 1 min

Ian and Aaron discuss the most harrowing experience of Aaron's life (complete with the funniest ad transition in Mostly Technical history), talk about Ian's trip to the Laravel Roadshow in NYC, and dive into what's cooking with Solo. Sponsored by InterNACHI, Honeybadger, Bento, Vask, and NativePHP Ultra Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Going to Laracon? Sign up for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party! (00:00) - The Birthday Party Incident (10:45) - He Starts Doing The Slip & Slide (21:01) - The Stuff of Legends (26:57) - More Kids = More Productive? (32:58) - Solo Is A Meta Harness (48:13) - It's Video Week! (55:06) - Laravel Roadshow Links:Native PHP: The VibesSoloSoak TestingFasterVehiklLaravel Roadshow: Dallas

129: The Bounds of My Pettiness

Apr 28, 2026 56 min

Ian and Aaron discuss how Aaron wants to destroy (?) Solo's competitors (!), using AI to find security holes in your app, delaying Token Town until May, and more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, & Laravel Private Cloud. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - The AI Apocalypse (11:18) - Delayed (Again) (15:04) - Let's Talk About Solo (29:24) - Number Go Up (42:13) - Sell More Solo (48:17) - Wrap It Up Links:Nicholas Carlini - Black Hat LLMsCodex SecurityToken TownLaravel Roadshow: New York CityWarpConductorSolo's DiscordDeath of a Salesman on Broadway

128: LaraProm

Apr 21, 2026 1 hr 24 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Solo finally being ready & why its MCP capabilities are so intriguing, LaraProm (?!) at Laracon US (!), Ian's conundrum corner, and more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, & Laravel Private Cloud. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Vacation Is Awesome (11:40) - Thunk Boys Follow Up (14:12) - Ian's Conundrum Corner (22:43) - Prom?! (36:14) - Solo Is Ready (52:58) - Solo's MCP Server (01:16:02) - Token Town Debuts This Week Links:Southwest Airlines Assigned SeatingEpisode 127LaraProm at Laracon USSoloOutroCloudflare MeshToken TownIan's hiring!

127: Charge It To The Game w/ John Drexler & Daniel Coulbourne

Apr 14, 2026 1 hr 24 min

Ian is joined by John Drexler & Daniel Coulbourne of Thunk to talk about their new app Tidy, what constitutes a moat in the age of AI, why phone spam is the absolute worst, and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, & Laravel Private Cloud. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Bottomless Pits (03:05) - Tidyup.agency (15:30) - Zero Risk Agency (23:23) - The Schtick Is The Moat (37:52) - You Might Need To Pay Some Professionals (44:53) - Everyone's Playing Their Hands (52:39) - Business Dad Thoughts (01:22:03) - The Hard Pitch Links:ThunkDaniel CoulbourneJohn DrexlerTidyTalking Businessly Ep 89 w/ Justin JacksonLaravel Road Show: New York CitySilicon Valley clip 'Why would you go after revenue?'Laravel PartnersArango

126: Scope Explosion

Apr 7, 2026 1 hr 35 min

Ian and Aaron talk about why neither of them shipped this past week, how to surface features in an application, tweets going viral....oh, and they're starting a new podcast. Welcome to Token Town. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, & Laravel Private Cloud. Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Ian Didn't Ship (06:33) - Aaron Didn't Ship (11:48) - Solo & MCP (21:16) - Surfacing Features (32:45) - Is AI Hype Dying Down? (37:42) - Viral Tweets (50:29) - Filter Out vs. Filter In (01:01:07) - Claude vs. OpenClaw (01:15:29) - Durable Objects & Databases (01:27:04) - Welcome to Token Town Links:Aaron's tweet about getting to 120fpsAaron's viral tweet about the astronautNate Silver vs. Nikita Bier on TwitterIan's viral tweet about Claude & OpenClawOpenAI acquires TBPNAaron's course on durable objectsLaravel Cloud MySQLToken Town

125: No Turning Back

Mar 31, 2026 1 hr 12 min

Ian and Aaron talk about setting a release date (!) for Outro, huge updates to Solo, a new Cloudflare course, exciting news on the real estate front, and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - It's Shill Season (04:02) - Ian's Gotta Ship Outro (15:00) - Superpowers Are So Good (20:15) - Cloudflare Durable Objects Course (31:32) - Cloud Pricing (36:41) - MCP Servers (47:23) - Solo Updates (01:00:18) - Aaron Francis Empire Update Links:ModalSlingshotSuperpowersUConn vs. Duke - Final two minutesProducer DaveCloudflare Durable ObjectsVoid

124: Old Man Yells At Cloud

Mar 24, 2026 1 hr 15 min

Ian and Aaron talk about choosing between Faster.dev & Solo (which one is more likely to pay off?), the pros and cons of using AI to build bespoke internal apps, youth sports, Project Hail Mary, and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Kids Sports (05:19) - Building Internal Tools (17:23) - Empire of Scripts (24:41) - Everybody Wants CLI & MCP (29:46) - Solo Will Never Be Done (45:46) - Faster.dev vs. Solo (59:36) - Vibe Coding An App To $10k (01:06:11) - Project Hail Mary Links:Aaron on the baseball fieldProject Hail MaryJason Fried on TwitterLaravel AI SDKLaravel MCPSoloWill KingAaron's video on YouTubeEric Barnes' new venture

123: Isolate The Claude

Mar 18, 2026 1 hr 11 min

Ian and Aaron talk about more poker adventures, transcoding videos at scale, escaping the permanent underclass, worktrees vs. copy on write, and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, Laravel Live DK, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Ian Keeps Winning (10:00) - Transcoding Videos (25:33) - Superpowers (39:40) - A Parade In Boston (47:36) - Run Dangerously (55:20) - Ire of the Worktree Maxi's (01:02:56) - Escape the Permanent Underclass Links:Daniel CoulbourneChris MorrellModalMuxHTTP Live StreamingSuperpowersJason BeggsFast User SwitchingWorktrees

122: I Just YOLO'd It

Mar 10, 2026 1 hr 37 min

Ian and Aaron discuss their trip to Laracon EU, the all-new Solo, using the AI SDK for Outro, "poker propaganda", Gen-Z Abby's 2004 camera, and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, and Ray by Spatie.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Europe Can't Contain Us (07:04) - Poker Propaganda (12:34) - Laracon EU Recap (17:42) - Good Feedback (23:07) - Big Solo Update (42:03) - What's Next for Solo (01:01:20) - The Worktrees Question (01:10:57) - The Finalized Skill (01:17:28) - Outro & Gopher (01:26:43) - New Deadlines Are Coming (01:31:25) - 2004 Camera Links:SinnersJetBlue MintEncore Boston HarborDaniel CoulbournePete HeslopSoloXtermTyporaFasterOutro

121: Let Ian Cook

Feb 24, 2026 1 hr 22 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Ian shipping (!) the HelpSpot website and cooking on Outro, Aaron's complete overhaul of Solo, why it's nice to have a wife, and so much more. Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Hell Week 3 (12:01) - The Haters Were Right (22:09) - Ian Shipped! (27:09) - Does Aaron Know Who Snoop Is? (32:29) - Cooking On Outro (46:17) - Counselors Update (01:05:28) - The Learning Skill (01:16:47) - It's Nice To Have A Wife (01:19:23) - Gamification of Software Links:OpenCodeXterm.jsWill KingJason BeggsHelpSpotOutroSoloCounselors

120: The Counselors

Feb 17, 2026 1 hr 15 min

Ian and Aaron discuss Aaron's new AI tool Counselors, something called "Hell Week", what's new with Solo and Outro, and so much more. Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Achieving The Impossible (11:26) - Making Things Easy For Humans (19:53) - Ian's Hyperkey Setup (28:59) - Aaron's Hell Week (44:42) - The Future (51:38) - Outro Is Cooking (58:36) - Valentine's Day & Other Updates (01:09:26) - OpenClaw Links:CounselorsHyperkeyRaycastSpace Cadet KeyboardSoloFaster.devOutro.fmAaron's cardboard box saw

119: Anti Slop Vibe

Feb 10, 2026 1 hr 25 min

Ian and Aaron talk about the launch of Solo, Aaron's new terminal app for the desktop (!) plus Ian's return to Twitter and so much more. Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Back On Twitter (08:20) - Mute The Super Spreaders (23:51) - HVAC Guys (28:40) - AI.com Ad (32:23) - The Launch of Solo (45:39) - Questions About Solo (56:53) - An Ode To Laravel's Queues (01:00:18) - Even More About Solo (01:06:35) - Behind The Scenes Links:Ian on TwitterIan on BlueskyPeter Steinberger on TwitterAI.com's Super Bowl AdOnions.comSoloMary Perry on TwitterTauriNativePHPBehind the scenes of Aaron's videoMemento Mori

118: We’re Going To Europe

Feb 3, 2026 1 hr 11 min

Ian and Aaron talk about the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU (!), Aaron's new desktop app (!!), sleeping on planes, and so much more. Register today for the Mostly Technical Pre-Party at Laracon EU. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Laravel Private Cloud, IttyBit, Ray by Spatie, and Redberry.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Burn The Candle at Three Ends (06:12) - We Got Some Feedback (12:31) - Laracon India & AI SDK (17:49) - Tell The Machine To Do It (25:10) - Boost & Skills (29:55) - The Big Announcement (38:25) - Business Class Stage of the Castle (43:25) - Sleeping On Planes (49:33) - Unofficial Claude Code Meetup (01:00:09) - Aaron's Desktop App Links:AfrinNyQuilNeti PotCasey Neistat's video on NYC trashLaracon IndiaLaravel Live JapanZoolander - MagnumLaracon EUUnofficial Claude Code MeetupVisakan VeerasamySara DietschyAaron's Desktop AppTauri

117: The AI Is Out There

Jan 29, 2026 59 min

Ian and Aaron talk about being stuck at home due to the weather, major updates to Outro.fm and Faster.dev, an important update to the Laravel New experience, and more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, and Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - No True Texas? (05:42) - Plow Problems (13:57) - Outro & HelpSpot Update (23:44) - Promotions (26:38) - Laravel AI SDK (31:27) - Faster.dev Update (44:49) - Ian's Got Problems With Amp (58:30) - Laravel New Gradient Links:Yarbo SnowblowerOutroLaracon IndiaLaracon EULaravel AI SDK tweetMatt StensonFaster.devLaravel Boost v2Claude SkillsAmpAmp's Oracle

116: Inside The Token Factory

Jan 20, 2026 1 hr 6 min

Ian and Aaron recap their trip to San Francisco to see the first demo of the Laravel AI SDK before going in-depth on the Faster.dev announcement! Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, and Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Aaron Watched A Movie! (02:28) - Last Week In San Francisco (17:20) - Laravel AI SDK Announcement (26:23) - Who Listens To Podcasts? (31:17) - Announcing Faster.dev (49:49) - Logo Design (57:08) - Aaron's Stripe Video Links:The Accountant 2Ben Affleck & Matt Damon on the limits of AIBrowserbaseAmpTartineAaron & Leah YouTube ShortFaster.dev launch video

Sweet Hang #4: Laravel AI SDK w/ Taylor Otwell

Jan 16, 2026 52 min

Ian and Aaron are joined by Taylor Otwell for their first ever in-person episode of Mostly Technical to talk about everything from the Laravel AI SDK to Private Cloud to vibe coding MUD's and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments, Bento, Mastering Laravel, and Laravel Private Cloud.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Imaginary Tech Stuff Is Real (04:01) - Taylor's Journey With AI (12:18) - Laravel AI SDK (24:48) - Coding In The AI Era (32:51) - Laravel Private Cloud (37:06) - Cloud CLI (38:48) - First Year of Cloud (43:05) - Sprites.dev (46:30) - What's Next (50:02) - Post Credit Scene Links:Multi-user DungeonLaravel SimplifierElevenlabsPrismWelcome to Gas TownSprites.dev

115: Do You Wanna Win?

Jan 13, 2026 57 min

Ian and Aaron talk about opinionated frameworks in the era of AI, Aaron's new pivot (!), Ian being right, and so much more. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments & Bento.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Ricotta? Regatta? (02:46) - Ian Was Right (10:09) - Laravel vs. Rails (21:32) - AI Education! (48:15) - Do You Wanna Win? Links:Laravel's AI DocsTaylor's tweet thread about Laravel's opinions being good for AIA Software Library With No CodeRalph Wiggum, explainedDHH - Promoting AI agentsTanstackNativePHPProducer Dave's blog post about Billboard

114: Fight Fire With Fire

Jan 6, 2026 1 hr 5 min

Ian and Aaron are dealing with the liminal space of the holiday season, talking about their upcoming trip to San Francisco to see the Laravel AI SDK demo, and making even more predictions for 2026. Sponsored by SavvyCal Appointments & Bento.Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. Links: Texas de BrazilDelucca PizzaDemolition ManRicotta Cheese'Notes from the sick ward'SF Meetup: First Look at Laravel AI SDKjetBlue Mint

113: 2026 Predictions

Dec 30, 2025 1 hr 23 min

Ian and Aaron are answering your questions about what's coming in 2026, covering everything from AI shrinking dev teams to Elon becoming a trillionaire and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and Nusii Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - No Rest For The Weary (03:39) - Manager of Agents (14:44) - Predictions! (30:57) - Ian's Personal Productivity System (40:17) - More Predictions! (58:02) - Vibe Code vs. Buying (01:03:17) - Even More Predictions! (01:17:15) - Christmas Presents Links:Aaron Levie's TweetParkinson's LawGroq's deal with NvidiaClaude's 2x Holiday PromotionObsidianPhilip K DickCursor migrated from SanityAir Span 2Stan Smith's

112: Token Machine

Dec 23, 2025 57 min

Ian and Aaron talk about Santa (obviously), do you still need an MBA (maybe not so obvious), why Ian isn't burning as many tokens as possible to get Outro out the door, what people are building with the Telegram API, and more. Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and Nusii Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Magically Better (08:59) - Pre-Holiday Adventures (17:17) - Burning The Midnight Tokens (25:35) - Outlasted By AI Agents (38:06) - Thinking Businessy (44:34) - Advent of SQL Update (50:39) - Telegram Bots Links:F150 LightningRivian Digital KeyVW Atlas1995 4 RunnerLos Tacos No. 1Bass Pro Shop's Santa's WonderlandCodex 5.2PHPStanAdvent of SQLJeffrey Way's post on building a Telegram BotNutgram

111: Hearts & Minds

Dec 16, 2025 1 hr 5 min

Ian and Aaron discuss how Aaron's orchestrating fly.io boxes for Database School, why sometimes you need to use AI to help AI, and why Costco is truly a great place. Plus an all-time Ian resume rant and so much more. Sponsored by Bento, Flare, Ittybit, tldraw, OG Kit, Tighten, and Nusii Interested in sponsoring Mostly Technical? Head to https://mostlytechnical.com/sponsor to learn more. (00:00) - Classic Little Kid Disease (04:14) - Weekend Update (18:29) - Ian's Resume Rant (33:57) - Advent of SQL (46:50) - Using AI to Help AI Links:Google ClassroomNorthPark CenterDanbury Railway MuseumMelissa & DougThomas & FriendsAdvent of SQL on Database SchoolCodeRabbitStratechery