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WeAreDevelopers LIVE • Jan 14, 2026

WeAreDevelopers LIVE – AI, Freelancing, Keeping Up with Tech and More

Chris Heilmann , Daniel Cranney , Anselm Hannemann

Will AI agents replace your freelance coding gig? Discover why hourly billing is a financial trap and how pivoting to strategic consulting secures your future.

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#1 about 6 min

The current state of freelance contracting in tech

How the post-COVID market shifted and why companies struggle to integrate contractors fully.

#2 about 4 min

Recreating React components using AI and dev tools

How developers leverage AI agents and tools to extract underlying component source code.

#3 about 11 min

Challenges with open source monetization and AI scraping

Why AI code assistance threatens the financial sustainability of ad-supported developer tools.

#4 about 5 min

Reducing reliance on US technology and cloud providers

The practical difficulties of migrating digital infrastructure away from dominant American tech providers.

#5 about 6 min

Building a modern web project with historical numerals

Why manual logic implementation often beats AI generation when building specialized visual utilities.

#6 about 3 min

Running retro operating systems and games via WebAssembly

How WebAssembly enables full virtual operating systems and nostalgic games directly inside browsers.

#7 about 9 min

Modern JavaScript loop optimization and CSS innovations

The ways modern browser engines optimize performance bottlenecks in fundamental scripting and styling.

#8 about 9 min

Why understanding core CSS still matters for developers

How mastering native styling features provides cleaner solutions than heavily layered framework components.

#9 about 5 min

Navigating the shift toward AI code generation pricing

Why the rapid execution of LLMs requires shifting project billing from hourly rates to value-based pricing.

#10 about 11 min

Using freelancers for architectural consulting over manual coding

How external engineers remain relevant by steering project architecture and filling idle hiring gaps.

#11 about 11 min

Identifying authentic technology trends and news headlines

Evaluating bizarre technology developments spanning data center training robotics to offline artificial intelligence.

Matching moments

1:55 min

Shifting developer workloads and realistic AI productivity gains

Chris Heilmann Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

3:37 min

Balancing developer productivity tools with digital nostalgia

Andrew MacLean Andrew MacLean +2 · LIVE

4:14 min

Maintaining technical skills in the era of AI tools

Nemanja Stošić Nemanja Stošić · World Congress 2026 North America

3:21 min

Evolving the developer role beyond writing code syntax

Matan Grinberg Matan Grinberg +2 · World Congress 2026 North America

5:22 min

Differentiating developer skills in the era of artificial intelligence

Chris Heilmann Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

5:16 min

Motivations for adopting AI to enhance developer productivity

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