Maybe the “Webmaster” Isn’t Dead After All · Jens Oliver MeiertUse my latest work: latest tech book · latest non-tech book · latest optimization tool · latest defense tool<br>Maybe the “Webmaster” Isn’t Dead After All<br>Published on Aug 5, 2026, filed under development, ai. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)At the time [1990s], there was a new breed of web professionals proudly labeled “webmasters.” Part designer, part developer and part evangelist, webmasters held enough esoteric knowledge about the web to manage, edit and create websites, both large and small.<br>—Jay Hoffmann: The History of the Web, Volume I (2018).The “webmaster” survived far beyond the 1990s. Even when I joined Google in 2008, I joined the “Webmaster Team,” and we were on Google’s webmaster job ladder.Yet as the web matured, development splintered into more and more specialized roles—frontend, backend, full-stack, DevOps, UX. By the 2010s, the all-encompassing “webmaster” felt dead, and you and I probably haven’t seen the title used since.But is it really dead?I believe that with the advent of AI, we are about to experience a renaissance. AI-augmented developers are operating well beyond the traditional scope of even a full-stack engineer.Even as our field has grown much more complex, AI is allowing a single person to once again manage the entire stack—from infrastructure to middleware to design and development, testing and optimization.At first glance, the dynamic might look a little bit like this:…which isn’t meant in a demeaning way: To actually do their jobs well, AI-supported webmasters still need a broad foundation of knowledge across different domains to understand why things matter and how they connect. AI enables and leverages, but the webmaster orchestrates and takes the responsibility .When they do their work well, modern AI webmasters may warrant this instead:Call it speculation, call it Web romanticism—the power of an AI-augmented generalist who owns their work is valuable, and will be hard to ignore. If a person can successfully wield that much capability, maybe the webmaster isn’t dead after all—maybe they’re leveling up, and the real time for the webmaster is yet to come.About Me<br>I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I’m an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O’Reilly, Frontend Dogma).I love trying things—in web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my perspectives and experiences. (Please share feedback: Interpret charitably, keep it friendly, but do be critical.)<br>Learn More<br>Next: Western Hypocrisy Is Western SupremacismPrevious: Sanctions Against Israel and the US—and an International Military Mission to End Israeli Colonization and WarmongeringRelated topics: 2026, ai, developmentRelated posts:14 Tips for Working and Developing With AIAI and HTML: Validating, Omitting Optional Code, and Minifying as Token OptimizationHTML.mdMost popular postsRandom postYou can support my work for the community by sharing it, by reading or gifting my books, or by becoming a backer on GitHub or Steady. (Let’s talk if you need a competent hand for technical optimization and activism projects.)<br>Determined to master HTML and CSS? Try Rote Learning HTML & CSS. Although not beginner-friendly and one of the most boring books ever, the book’s long lists of HTML elements and attributes and CSS selectors and properties provide you with a unique opportunity to learn HTML and CSS. Available at Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, and Leanpub.<br>The people under attack in Palestine 🇵🇸, Iran 🇮🇷, and Lebanon 🇱🇧 are people like us. They’re our brothers and sisters, too. Read up on their history, scrutinize what you’re told, and demand that they be respected.