Bob Roberts

Senior Software Engineer building with Rails & React

Hi, I’m Bob Roberts

I’m a Senior Software Engineer in Madison, Wisconsin. For 15+ years I’ve built web applications with Ruby on Rails for startups and established brands, remote and in-house. I like small, accountable teams, clear outcomes, and shipping iteratively.

What you’ll find here

• Practical Rails patterns you can copy and extend
• AI integration lessons from production apps
• Notes on product decisions, trade-offs, and the business side of features
• Mentoring, leadership, and teamwork lessons from the field

Latest Posts

What a Year of AI in Production Rails Taught Me (Including Building Something I No Longer Need)

I built an open-source project, got 200+ GitHub stars, grew a community around it, and now I don't use it anymore. Here's what a year of AI in production Rails...

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How Senior Developers Can Mentor in the Age of AI

As senior developers, our role isn't obsolete, but it is evolving. Here's how I think about mentoring now that AI can answer questions faster than we can.

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The Future of Junior Developers in an AI-Augmented World

There's a lot of anxiety about what AI means for junior developers. The answers aren't simple, but I think there's plenty of reason for optimism if we're willing to adapt....

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Recent Posts

What a Year of AI in Production Rails Taught Me (Including Building Something I No Longer Need)

I built an open-source project, got 200+ GitHub stars, grew a community around it, and now I don't use it anymore. Here's what a year of AI in production Rails...

airailsopenaiclaudeproductiondevelopment-tools

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How Senior Developers Can Mentor in the Age of AI

As senior developers, our role isn't obsolete, but it is evolving. Here's how I think about mentoring now that AI can answer questions faster than we can.

aimentorshipsenior-developersleadershipteaching

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The Future of Junior Developers in an AI-Augmented World

There's a lot of anxiety about what AI means for junior developers. The answers aren't simple, but I think there's plenty of reason for optimism if we're willing to adapt....

aicareerjunior-developersfuturementorship

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Vibe Coding vs AI-Assisted Coding: Understanding the Difference and Why It Matters

Vibe coding and AI-assisted coding aren't just different words for the same thing. They represent fundamentally different approaches to building software, with real implications for skill development, code quality, and...

aicodingdevelopment-toolsproductivity

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What's New in Claude OS v2.3: Skills Library, Session Insights, and 100+ Stars

Two months ago we launched Claude OS. Now we're at 100+ stars with a skills library, session insights, and a real community. Here's what's new.

claudeaidevelopment-toolsragsqliteproductivityskills

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Why we built Claude OS (and what it actually is)

After the hundredth time explaining the same architecture to Claude, I finally admitted the obvious: we needed AI with actual memory. Here's what we built and why it matters.

claudeaidevelopment-toolsragsqliteproductivity

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