devtools.fm: Developer Tools, Open Source, Software Development Oleg Isonen, Bogdan Chadkin - Webstudio
Sep 7, 2025
Oleg Isonen, co-founder of Webstudio and former front-end developer at Webflow, joins Bogdan Chadkin to discuss their innovative open-source visual builder aimed at enhancing web collaboration. They share their journeys in creating Webstudio, addressing the complexities of visual development and the significance of community engagement. The duo delves into the challenges in software development and design systems, emphasizing the need for better designer-developer collaboration. They also explore the potential of AI in revolutionizing web design, particularly with tools like Inception.
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From Webflow To WebStudio
- Oleg left Webflow after being inspired and frustrated by its limits and built a prototype that launched on Product Hunt.
- He raised pre-seed funding and started WebStudio to explore better visual building paradigms.
Open Source As The Path To Scale
- Oleg argues visual development will only go mainstream if it embraces open source.
- He views openness as essential for broad collaboration and faster product improvement.
AI Is A Scaffolding, Not A Replacement
- Oleg says AI changed expectations but won't replace core work; it mainly shifts input mechanisms.
- He sees AI as scaffolding that aids idea generation but doesn't remove the hard work of engineering and bug fixing.