970: Why Did Anthropic Buy Bun?

Summary of 970: Why Did Anthropic Buy Bun?

by Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers

45m•January 14, 2026
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Overview of Syntax — Episode 970: Why Did Anthropic Buy Bun?

Hosts: Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski

This “potluck” episode answers listener questions across a variety of frontend, tooling, and dev-ops topics. Highlights include why Anthropic acquired Bun, editor vs terminal Git workflows, tips for recording code tutorial videos, handling toxic coworkers and production safety, showcasing creative (sometimes inaccessible) work while being an accessibility expert, blocking malicious traffic via ASNs, SAP UI5 in enterprise, and smart-home stacks. The episode closes with “sick picks” (YouTube channels) and some tooling plugs.

Key topics discussed

  • Why Anthropic bought Bun

    • Claude Code SDK runs on Bun; Anthropic wants to ship/run code with a small, fast JS runtime.
    • Bun’s distinct approach (written in Zig, built-in features like SQLite, bundler, router, HTML imports) makes it attractive for embed/compute use-cases (local or cloud) for LLMs running user code.
    • Comparison to Deno and Node.js: Bun is more opinionated/nonstandard which helped adoption; Deno positioned as “safer” Node-like but hasn’t broken the monolith of Node.

  • Git: terminal vs GUI

    • Hosts: external terminal for general processes; use editor GUI (VS Code, Zed) for staging/diffs/commits—preferred for convenience and visual diffs.
    • Terminal GUIs (e.g., lazygit) are popular for some, but can have a higher learning curve; some operations (changing remotes, advanced tasks) still often done in CLI.
    • Mention of past VS Code terminal paste bug (delays when pasting large blocks).

  • Recording code tutorial videos (affordable + professional workflows)

    • Fundamentals first: readable code font/size, tidy windows, good audio.
    • Microphone recommendation: Shure MV7 (USB + built-in DSP) or similar Shure USB mics — big audio upgrade over built-in mics.
    • Simple recording option: ScreenFlow (records + edit).
    • Pro workflow: record separate sources (terminal, editor, camera) -> ReCut to remove dead space -> DaVinci Resolve for final edit. OBS or custom tools to capture sources also used.
    • Avoid placing important code near bottom (captions overlay); captions are important.
    • Focus on content; software/hardware tweaks are secondary.

  • Dealing with a bad/long-tenured coworker who causes production incidents

    • Document every incident clearly.
    • Escalate to manager/lead and request formal processes and guardrails (deploy restrictions, review processes, branch protections).
    • Be honest and factual when reporting; propose concrete remedies to prevent recurrence.
    • Use monitoring/error tools (Sentry recommended: sentry.io/syntax) to get production visibility.

  • Accessibility vs creative/exploratory projects

    • You can (and should) showcase both — label items clearly (e.g., “Accessibility work” vs “Creative exploration”).
    • Not every experimental visual WebGL/art project can be 100% accessible—contextualize it.
    • Creativity can be a career differentiator; use it to get in and then advocate for accessibility in projects.
    • Color contrast: new algorithm APCA is being worked on (more permissive/better than current WCAG contrast heuristics). Reference: colorcontrast.app (Killian) and writing from Lea Verou.

  • Blocking malicious requests / ASNs

    • ASN = Autonomous System Number (represents ISPs or hosting providers). Example: Comcast 7922, DigitalOcean 14061.
    • BadASNList (GitHub) is a community resource to block known shady hosting ASNs.
    • Blocking strategy: block or challenge (captcha) requests by ASN (in Cloudflare rules, etc.) rather than individual IPs; minimizes bot/data-center traffic while avoiding false positives from VPN users.

  • SAP UI5 & enterprise ecosystems

    • SAP UI5 is SAP’s own JS-based MVC UI framework for large-enterprise UIs (legacy SAP systems moving toward web UIs).
    • Large enterprises have whole hidden stacks that aren’t often discussed in public dev communities.

  • Smart home stack

    • Hosts run Home Assistant (on Synology or Raspberry Pi) + Zigbee adapters; Home Assistant is powerful but can become noisy (many entities to manage).
    • Google Home used for screens/voice in some rooms; stream-deck integration for toggles is handy.
    • Home Assistant is recommended for flexibility/automation but has a learning curve.

Main takeaways

  • Anthropic’s Bun acquisition is strategic: owning the runtime that runs Claude code simplifies shipping, optimization, and LLM-driven code execution.
  • Use your editor’s Git UI for quick staging/diff/commit workflows; keep the terminal for advanced/ops tasks.
  • For coding videos: prioritize readable visuals and good audio; record source streams if possible; use simple editing pipeline (ReCut + DaVinci Resolve) for speed.
  • If a coworker is causing production problems, document incidents and push for formal process and managerial intervention — safety controls must be in place.
  • You can have both accessibility credibility and creative coding on your portfolio—just be explicit in labeling and context.
  • Blocking bad ASNs is an efficient anti-bot/abuse tactic; use curated lists and Cloudflare rules or similar.

Notable insights & quotes (paraphrased)

  • “If you’re going to use something that’s not Node, people will pick the thing that adds nice, opinionated APIs — and Bun did that.”
  • “Record your sources instead of a screen — it’s a game changer for editing and avoiding accidental overlays.”
  • “Label things: this is accessibility work; this is a creative exploration. Context protects your reputation.”

Actionable recommendations

  • If you manage a site and are seeing lots of bot/data-center traffic, consider using BadASNList and blocking/challenging ASNs at your CDN/WAF.
  • For code tutorial creators:
    • Invest in a decent USB dynamic mic (e.g., Shure MV7) and learn basic audio treatment (pop filter, mic placement).
    • Capture multiple sources when possible to simplify editing.
    • Use DaVinci Resolve (free) for powerful editing.
  • If experiencing destructive coworker behavior: document each incident, escalate to manager, ask for process/branch protection and deploy controls.
  • For color contrast concerns: explore APCA and tools like colorcontrast.app; read Lea Verou’s posts on modern color strategies.

Resources & tools mentioned

  • Bun (JavaScript runtime) — acquired by Anthropic
  • Deno, Node.js — comparative runtimes
  • Zed, VS Code — editors with Git UIs
  • lazygit — terminal TUI for Git
  • ScreenFlow — screen recording + editing (simple)
  • OBS — source recording
  • V-Framer (host’s custom tool for capturing sources)
  • ReCut — removes silent sections across sources
  • DaVinci Resolve — free professional editor
  • Shure MV7 — recommended microphone
  • BadASNList (GitHub) — curated ASN lists for blocking
  • Cloudflare — example place to add ASN blocking/captcha rules
  • colorcontrast.app (Killian) — contrast checking, APCA info
  • APCA — new color contrast algorithm (work in progress)
  • Lea Verou — blog posts about color contrast strategies
  • Sentry — error monitoring (sentry.io/syntax)
  • Home Assistant — smart home automation (Synology, Raspberry Pi + Zigbee)

Sick picks (hosts’ recommendations)

  • Inside Archaeology (YouTube) — high-quality archaeology/history videos
  • Professor Boots (YouTube) — 3D printed RC vehicles: modeling, electronics, and software walkthroughs; paid workshop content available

Closing / plugs

  • Potluck questions: submit via syntax.fm (potluck).
  • Hosts encourage subscribing/liking Syntax and checking their YouTube channel.
  • Sentry promo: sentry.io/syntax

If you want a compact list of the named links/resources (BadASNList, colorcontrast.app, Sentry URL, DaVinci Resolve), let me know and I’ll list direct links.