WebAssembly, or WASM, has evolved from a niche compilation target for C and C++ into a pivotal technology in contemporary computing. It drives browser applications, edge computing platforms, embedded systems, and an expanding ecosystem of languages aimed at a portable and secure execution model.
Andreas Rossberg, a programming languages researcher and former V8 team member at Google, significantly contributed to WebAssembly’s development from its inception to its latest milestones, including the revolutionary 3.0 spec featuring garbage collection, advanced reference types, and significant progress toward multi-language interoperability.
In this episode, Andreas joins Kevin Ball to discuss WebAssembly’s history, the constraints influencing its initial design, the key turning points in versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, and upcoming developments for WebAssembly.
Kevin Ball, or KBall, is the vice president of engineering at Mento and an independent coach for engineers and engineering leaders. He has co-founded and served as CTO for two companies, founded the San Diego JavaScript meetup, and organizes the AI inaction discussion group through Latent Space.
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