Languages such as Ruby, Python, and JavaScript identify variable types during runtime instead of compile time. This adaptability supports swift development and concise coding but can make it challenging to identify certain bug types before running the code. Type checkers for dynamic languages introduce structure and safety without sacrificing their expressive abilities.
Sorbet is a static type checker created by Stripe’s team, specifically for Ruby. It was developed to address the increasing complexity of Ruby applications in production, where developers required stronger assurances and more scalable code quality tools than dynamic typing alone could provide.
Jake Zimmerman, a software engineer at Stripe, leads the development of Sorbet. He joined a podcast with Josh Goldberg to discuss his background, the challenges of typing in Ruby, the rationale behind Sorbet, its architecture, performance optimizations, and more.
Josh Goldberg is an independent open source developer in the TypeScript ecosystem, working on projects like typescript-eslint, which allows ESLint and Prettier to operate on TypeScript code. He contributes to open source projects including ESLint and TypeScript. As a Microsoft MVP for developer technologies and the author of “Learning TypeScript” (O’Reilly), he is a valued resource for developers who want to learn TypeScript from a JavaScript background. Josh consistently gives talks and workshops at bootcamps, conferences, and meetups focusing on TypeScript, static analysis, open source, and web development.
To see the transcript of this episode, [click here](http://softwareengineeringdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SED1863-Jake-Zimmerman.txt).
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