Meet Theo
Hi, I’m Theo Soti. I’m a web designer and front-end developer, and I’ve spent around eight years building interfaces for the web. My work usually sits between design and code, so I care a lot about how an interface behaves once a real person starts using it. Alongside client work, I also share what I learn through articles and videos focused on CSS, frontend development, and better web design.
What inspired you to write You Don’t Need JavaScript ebook?
The You Don’t Need JavaScript idea came from a pattern I kept seeing in real projects: developers would reach for JavaScript almost by reflex, even when the problem was mostly presentational or could already be handled by the browser. Modern CSS has become much more capable, but a lot of people still treat it like a limited tool. I wanted to write something practical that shows how far the platform has evolved, and how much unnecessary complexity we can avoid when we trust HTML and CSS a bit more.
How far can CSS really go without JavaScript today?
Much further than most people expect. You can now build a surprising amount of interaction with native browser features and modern CSS before JavaScript becomes necessary. That includes many UI patterns people still assume need scripting. I’m not against JavaScript at all, but I do think it should be used with intention. The real question is not “Can I use JavaScript here?” It’s “Do I actually need it here?”
What are some modern CSS features that developers still underuse?
:has() is a big one. It changes the way we think about conditional styling and removes a lot of little JavaScript workarounds. Container queries also deserve much wider use because they make components more independent and more realistic. I’d add scroll-driven animations, @property, native popovers, and smaller details like text-wrap: balance or font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums. Some of these look minor at first, but they make interfaces feel much more refined.
What’s the biggest misconception about CSS?
That it’s easy. The basics are approachable, but writing CSS that stays clean as a project grows is a real skill. Another misconception is that CSS is somehow less “serious” than JavaScript. In reality, CSS has become a powerful language with layout systems, state-aware selectors, motion, and logic that is much richer than people give it credit for. When teams underestimate CSS, they often compensate with JavaScript they never really needed.
What’s your recommended learning path for modern frontend development?
I’d start with HTML and learn semantics properly. Then I’d learn CSS as a real language, not just as a way to patch spacing issues. After that, I’d study JavaScript with the browser in mind so the DOM, events, forms, and rendering all make sense. Only once that base is solid would I move deeper into frameworks. Frameworks are useful, but they make much more sense when you already understand the platform underneath them.
If you had to rebuild the modern web from scratch, what would you do differently?
I’d give the platform stronger native building blocks for common interface patterns, because developers still spend too much time rebuilding the same things. I’d also make performance feel less optional. Right now, it is too easy to ship a lot of code for very small problems. If the web rewarded simplicity more aggressively, I think we would end up with products that are easier to maintain and better for users.
What advice would you give to people looking to enter the coding space?
Start smaller than you think you need to. Build things, finish them, then rebuild them better. Try not to get trapped in endless preparation mode, because real progress usually happens once you start solving concrete problems. I’d also say this: do not confuse not knowing something yet with not being good enough. Everyone starts by being confused. The important part is staying curious long enough to get through that stage.
How do you see AI transforming coding over the next few years?
AI will speed up a lot of the rough parts of coding. It already helps with drafts, debugging, and exploring unfamiliar tools. But I don’t think it makes fundamentals less important. In fact, it makes them more important, because once code becomes easier to generate, the real advantage shifts toward judgment. Knowing what should be built, what should stay simple, and what will hold up over time matters even more in an AI-assisted workflow.
Did you enjoy our interview? Do you have anything to say to our community?
Yes, absolutely. Thank you for the thoughtful questions. To your community, I’d say this: stay curious, but stay close to the platform too. The web has become far more capable than many people realize, and some of the best improvements come from understanding the browser more deeply rather than adding more layers on top of it. Sometimes the better solution is not more code. It is simply a better use of the tools we already have.
