Flagging Features and Dropping Beats with Ben Rometsch

In this episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by Ben Rometsch, CEO and co-founder of Flagsmith. The discussion kicks off with a lighthearted conversation about the absence of landscapers at Chuck's house, leading into Ben's unexpected affinity for the New Orleans Saints due to a memorable game at Wembley in London. Ben shares his journey from running a web agency for 23 years to starting Flagsmith as a side project, which has now become a growing business with 97 percent of its codebase being open-source. The conversation shifts to a whiskey tasting of Redwood Empire's Lost Monarch, featuring a blend of aged bourbons and whiskey, followed by a discussion on various tech topics including AI in jobs, the value of front-end frameworks, and Git practices. Later, Ben provides a detailed overview of Flagsmith, emphasizing its open-source nature, the importance of feature flags in development, and how the platform has evolved with contributions from the community, including paying customers. The episode wraps up with personal insights from Ben, including his dream of being an author and his fondness for the video game Parappa the Rapper. Key Takeaways [00:00] - Opening Banter and Landscaper Tales [00:55] - Introducing Ben and Flagsmith [03:02] - A Deep Dive into Whiskey Tasting [10:31] - Hot Takes on AI, Frameworks, and Git Practices [25:38] - Exploring Flagsmith: An Open Source Journey [32:32] - The Challenges of Staging and Production Environments [33:42] - The High Cost of Configuration Differences [36:11] - The Evolution of Engineering Practices and Frameworks [42:15] - The Business Value of Open Source and Commercial Software [53:38] - Personal Passions: From Tech to Writing and Retro Gaming Links Ben Rometsch Twitter Ben Rometsch LinkedIn Flagsmith Flagsmith GitHub Connect with our hosts Robbie Wagner Chuck Carpenter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify Whiskey Web and Whatnot Whiskey Web and Whatnot Merch Enjoying the podcast and want us to make more? Help support us by picking up some of our fresh merch at https://whiskey.fund/⁠.