# Mike Samuel - Temper

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/devtools-fm/mike-samuel-temper
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/devtools-fm/mike-samuel-temper.md
Podcast: [devtools.fm: Developer Tools, Open Source, Software Development](https://stenobird.com/podcast/devtools-fm)
Published: 2025-12-15T02:17:54+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/devtoolsfm/episodes/Mike-Samuel---Temper-e3cbua4
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/dd6922b4/podcast/play/112637700/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-15%2F414389101-44100-2-ab229d30265ae.mp3
Processing state: processed
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/devtools-fm/episodes/mike-samuel-temper
Duration seconds: 3146

## Resource

Mike Samuel, the engineer behind the original Google Calendar, discusses his new venture, Temper, a programming language designed to translate logic across different ecosystems. The conversation explores the evolution of web development, from early AJAX-heavy applications to the future of cross-platform language interoperability.

## Highlights
- Main idea: Temper acts as a high-level language that transpiles into target languages like JavaScript, Python, and Java to maintain idiomatic interfaces
- Practical takeaway: Using a single source of truth for logic can ensure that simulations, mobile clients, and backend services all operate on identical definitions
- Failure mode: Relying solely on AI for code generation can lead to a massive maintenance burden if the underlying specifications are not synchronized with the output
- Technical insight: The shift from memory-oriented programming to value-oriented programming requires a fundamental change in how we approach language design
- Future vision: Combining traditional compiler methods with AI-driven development can create a more reliable way to produce software across multiple platforms

## Topics

Programming Languages, Compiler Design, Software Architecture, Transpilation, Web Development History, AI in Software Engineering, Cross-platform Development, Google Calendar

## Chapters
- 1:00 — The Google Calendar Era: Mike reflects on his background in programming languages and the early days of building large-scale JavaScript applications at Google.
- 4:55 — The Evolution of the Web Ecosystem: A look at how the rise of AJAX and the lack of module systems in early JavaScript shaped modern web frameworks.
- 9:00 — Security Engineering Lessons: Discussing the challenges of protecting user data and the impact of security engineering on language design.
- 16:55 — The Quest for Cross-Platform Instruction Sets: Exploring the difficulties of creating runtime-independent solutions and the potential of WASM-like approaches.
- 24:40 — Introducing Temper: An overview of Temper's design philosophy: a language built to translate logic into existing, popular programming languages.
- 40:50 — AI and the Future of Software Development: Analyzing the risks of AI-generated code and how compiler-based translation can serve as a reliable multiplier for AI tools.
- 48:15 — Unified Logic Across the Network: The benefits of using shared definitions to synchronize logic between mobile devices, backends, and data science simulations.

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## Transcript

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