General Musings with Kevin Powell

An article saying "Passkeys are a trap. Do not use them." hit the front page of Hacker News, and its worry is attestation: a passkey feature that could let sites decide what software you can log in with. I break down what attestation actually is, why non-attested passkeys are still secure, and why I'm not too worried about it, at least for now. ✅ My newsletter: https://kevinpowell.co/newsletter ✅ Passkeys are a trap. Do not use them. (The Hack, Non-Functional): https://nonfunctional.substack.com/p/passkeys-are-a-trap-do-not-use-them ✅ FIDO Alliance members: https://fidoalliance.org/members ✅ Beyond Tellerand: https://beyondtellerrand.com/events/dusseldorf-2027/tickets

Most developers say they like the AI tools they're using, yet motivation is down and burnout is everywhere. This week I look at what the 2026 Stack Overflow and State of Devs surveys say, and what you've been telling me in the comments. Then I get to what the people who are happier with AI are doing differently, and what could actually fix this. Sources: Stack Overflow 2026 Developer Survey: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026 State of Devs 2026: https://2026.stateofdevs.com/en-US My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell 0:00 Developers like AI, so why the burnout? 0:15 The paradox in the Stack Overflow survey 1:58 What you've been saying in the comments 3:06 Reduced motivation is the top burnout symptom 4:13 Poor management, the top workplace difficulty 6:11 Some people are happier with AI 8:21 The job isn't typing, it's shipping products 9:33 Management needs a rethink 11:42 Lessons from Photoshop 14:45 What you can do 15:41 What do you think?

✅ Thoughtful Design Systems: https://thecascade.dev/courses/design-systems/ ✅ StyleX: https://stylexjs.com/ ✅ Jeremy Keith’s blog post: https://adactio.com/journal/857 My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@KevinPowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

Beyond Tellerand: https://beyondtellerrand.com/ Thoughtful Design Systems: https://thecascade.dev/courses/design-systems/ The Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wm5c21/i_am_done_with_this_shit/ My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

Piccalilli: https://piccalil.li Master.dev blog (run by Chris Coyier): https://master.dev/blog/ Smashing Magazine: https://www.smashingmagazine.com Ahmad Shadeed: https://ishadeed.com Josh W. Comeau: https://www.joshwcomeau.com Bramus: https://www.bram.us CSS Tip (Temani Afif): https://css-tip.com CSS Weekly: https://css-weekly.com/ Geoff Graham: https://geoffgraham.me Articles and posts that I mentioned during this video: Chris’ article: https://chriscoyier.net/2024/02/28/where-im-at-on-the-whole-css-tricks-thing/ Geoff’s first goodbye to CSS-Tricks: https://geoffgraham.me/goodbye-css-tricks/ Geoff’s latest post on why it went quiet: https://geoffgraham.me/why-css-tricks-has-been-quiet/ DHH’s post annoucing the funding: https://omarchy.org/news/2026/09/digitalocean-joins-as-founding-corporate-patron/

👉 Start writing CSS with confidence, with or without AI 😅: https://thecascade.dev/courses/css-demystified/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=regular-video My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

Jeremy Keith's article: https://adactio.com/journal/857 My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

The boring internet: https://www.terrygodier.com/the-boring-internet CSS Weekly: https://css-weekly.com/ The Index by Piccalilli: https://piccalil.li/the-index/ My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

Vale's article: https://vale.rocks/micros/20260521-0440 Matthias' article: https://matthiasott.com/notes/ad-infinitum My article that I mentioned in passing: https://www.kevinpowell.co/article/tell-someone-you-appreciate-them/ My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

CSS Demystified: https://thecascade.dev/courses/css-demystified/?utm_source=general-musings&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=regular-video CSS Day: https://cssday.nl/ ZurichJS: https://conf.zurichjs.com/ I recently went through a period that could have led to burnout, but I managed to avoid it, so I thought I'd share how I managed to get through it.

CSS Day: https://cssday.nl/ ZurichJS: https://conf.zurichjs.com/ CSS Demystified: https://thecascade.dev/courses/css-demystified/?utm_source=general-musings&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=regular-video In this episode, I talk about why being an expert still matters in a world of AI tools, and how those tools can sometimes make us think we know more than we do. I also touch on imposter syndrome and the importance of knowing what we don't know. My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell

In this episode I dive into the impact of AI tools on skill democratization, which I normally think is a good thing, and how it leads to an illusion of lowered barriers. I also go on to talk about how I'm worried about the potential skill gaps that are being created, and how they're best used as tools for experts, and not something that can innovate on it's own with some simple prompts.

Get your tickets (with a nice discount) for Smashing Conf Amsterdam: https://ti.to/smashingmagazine/smashingconf-amsterdam-2026/discount/wehopeyoullbejoiningus The Cassidy Williams video I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5VzL256te4 In this episode, I talk about my upcoming content strategy, which includes experimenting with more shorts, balancing long-form and short-form content, sharing CSS tips, and remixing interview content. I also talk about the challenges of content planning and scheduling, emphasizing my preference for simple tools like pen-and-paper calendars over an excess of apps, and cautioning against tool sprawl and maintenance. My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-the-internet-awesome 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

In this episode, I talk about some of the new stuff happening with CSS and how it's starting to do things we used to rely on JavaScript for. I dive into how some people think this is CSS overstepping its bounds, but I see it in a bit of a different light. The codepen by Temani: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-3tPDZCk2o x64 emulator with CSS by Rebane: https://lyra.horse/x86css/ The original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-3tPDZCk2o

The video I was watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZUp5nY7BWU CSS Demystified: https://thecascade.dev/courses/css-demystified/

Interop 2026: https://wpt.fyi/interop-2026 The webkit article I mentioned: https://webkit.org/blog/17818/announcing-interop-2026/ In this episode I talk about the announcement of Interop 2026.

Check out The Cascade: https://thecascade.dev/ More info on Smashing Conf Amsterdam: https://smashingconf.com/amsterdam-2026 Get your ticket for Smashing conf (includes discount): https://ti.to/smashingmagazine/smashi ... My primary YouTube channel where I teach frontend development, with a strong focus on CSS: https://youtube.com/@kevinpowell ✉ The written version of my newsletter: https://www.kevinpowell.co/newsletter 💬 Come hang out with other dev's in my Discord Community: https://discord.gg/nTYCvrK Help support my channel 👨‍🎓 Get a course: https://www.kevinpowell.co/courses 👕 Buy a shirt: https://teespring.com/stores/making-t ... 💖 Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kevinpowell

Get updates on CSS Demystified here . Bramus' post: Using 100vw is now scrollbar-aware (in Chrome 145+, under the right conditions) Sorry for the click-baity title, but it is true! 😅 Chrome has just changed how 100vw works, though it’s very unlikely to affect any of your old projects, if you “opt-in” to it, so to speak, it will now take into account the scrollbar. I’m of two minds of this… it’s nice that it’ll work as intended, but hopefully it doesn’t lead to people overusing 100vw either. Overall, I do think it’s a good change though, since it actually makes 100vw useable now.

This week I talk about the transition from enjoying coding for fun to facing the challenges and grind of doing it as a job. It's hard to find that balance between finding meaning in your job, and how you can loose your passion when it turns into a career.

In this episode I share some insights from a recent workshop with Smashing, discussing the adoption and support of CSS features like 'has', 'subgrid', and 'container queries', and how I was surprised by the awareness and usage of some features. Container Queries Talk CSS Wrapped 2025