​The Topic & Speakers

​Alex Russell was a formative member of the Chrome team, a 3-time elected member to the W3C Technical Architecture Group from 2013 - 2019, and a representative to TC39 from 2006 - 2017. Lately he has been very critical of Single-page Apps (SPAs) and React, going so far as to call the past 10 years a "lost decade".

​If a random person were to say these things, we could almost certainly ignore them. But when someone with these credentials feels this strongly about a technology, we should consider the argument, and try to understand the thought process that resulted in these conclusions. Unfortunately, these criticisms have largely gone unchallenged — perhaps due in part to the medium in which they are mostly found (Twitter), which doesn't exactly facilitate nuance and empathy.

​Fortunately, this is where in-person events thrive. We can bring two people together who have different experiences, opinions, and perspectives, and have a civil conversation to bridge understanding, increase empathy, and establish brightlines. And we are honored to have Theo Browne as the person taking up this mantle, to discuss the merits & limitations of single-page applications and, more specifically, React. We can't think of another person who is as experienced, articulate, and brave enough to take this on — so we thank you, Theo! We encourage you to subscribe to him on YT.

​Can't make it? Subscribe to our YT channel to get notified when talks go live, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on future events and get exclusive perks and deals.

​The Format & Schedule

​The entirety of this meetup's content will be this discussion. It will go as long as needed, up to 2 hours. We may take a break if needed, and we may not. We may feature audience q&a, and we may not. Here's the high-level schedule:

• ​5:00pm - doors open. Mingling & networking, f&b

• ​6:30 - Discussion starts

• ​8:30 - Estimated end-time of discussion, mingling recommences

• ​9:30pm - Event ends

​The Venue

​We're excited to host the event at the Dolby.io labs office! They provide incredible APIs to build high-quality communications, streaming, and media solutions that transform customer experiences, drive efficient workflows, and delight users. Learn more at https://docs.dolby.io/

​The address is 1275 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103.

​The Recording

​If you can't make it in-person, we will post a recording within 48 hours after the event. The event is recorded thanks to our videography sponsor, Open Sauced! They are the open source intelligence platform for developers and maintainers. Unlock the power of open source with project insights by the slice. Learn more at https://opensauced.pizza

​We have now confirmed the event will NOT be livestreamed. So if you get a free "remote" ticket, we'll email you when the YT Premiere goes live (video synchronized across everyone's devices) so that we can all enjoy it together! You can also follow us on twitter and subscribe to our YT channel for updates.

​The Code of Conduct

​We follow the Reactathon code of conduct. Be respectful — especially with those of differing opinions, backgrounds, & experience levels. React is not the lord and savior of the frontend, it's a tool. Let's learn from someone with lots of experience who is critical of a technology we use every day! Our goal is for both sides to walk away from this encounter better-informed, with increased understanding and empathy.