Front-end engineering today is not just about UI implementation — it is increasingly about designing systems and creating the right context for both humans and AI to operate effectively. As enterprises modernize legacy platforms and digital ecosystems grow more complex, developers who think structurally are becoming indispensable.
Dmitry Mayorov, a Staff Front-End Engineer at 10up, is one of them. In recent years, he has led front-end development for large-scale platforms used by Harvard, Blackstone, Starbucks, and other major clients. His work has been recognized by the Webby Awards and the Standard of Excellence Award, among others. Dmitry also serves on the judging panels of the W3 Awards, the Davey Awards, and the Communicator Awards, contributing his perspective to the evaluation of digital and creative projects. In this interview, he discusses his unconventional path into tech, his architectural approach, and why the future of front-end engineering in the AI era belongs to those who design resilient systems — not just ship features.
I’m actually self-taught. Programming wasn’t something I was particularly passionate about as a child. My father owned a print shop and a design studio, and I was drawn more to graphic design. While studying economics at university, I worked part-time in the family business, gaining hands-on experience in creative and digital projects.
The turning point came unexpectedly. I had a bicycle accident and fractured my spine. During six months of recovery, I began studying how websites function under the hood so I could collaborate more effectively with developers.
Around that same time, we were working on a large project for a construction company. The developer left halfway through it, and I stepped in to fill the gap. It was a challenging moment — I was still recovering physically, and the deadlines were tight — but we delivered. That experience fundamentally changed my trajectory.
From then on, I continued learning through documentation, books, and online resources. I took on freelance projects and eventually began building WordPress themes for sale. One of them was purchased by the owner of Rareview, a Los Angeles-based digital agency. They requested custom edits, which evolved into a long-term collaboration. Eventually, they hired me as a full-time employee.
There were several high-profile initiatives, including the Visual Merch App for REI, a leading American retail and outdoor recreation company; a customized learning management system for a bestselling author and fitness entrepreneur Chalene Johnson; and the redevelopment of the WGN America website.
One project I like to highlight is Sweetworks, a car service app. As the lead developer, my role was to translate Rareview’s design vision into a solution that was real, fast, and reliable.
I worked directly with the client to make sure engineering choices supported actual business outcomes, not just aesthetics. At the same time, I collaborated closely with the design team so the final product matched the original intent without compromise.
We built the site from scratch using a modular, performance-focused HTML and CSS architecture. Fully cross-browser compatible. Strict WCAG compliance. Clean, scalable, and built to handle growth.
That technical foundation was very solid, and the project received a Standard of Excellence Award — an honor granted to only a small percentage of entries and reserved for top-tier digital craft and execution. It’s not a participation badge; it recognizes work that stands out across strategy, design, and engineering.
Sweetworks was later acquired by Bosch, and I continued working with their team on API integrations as the product matured.
I’ve never been someone who takes a ticket and simply builds whatever is requested. I prefer to understand the system as a whole — how its parts interact, what trade-offs exist, and how each decision impacts the maintainability of the project.
I wasn’t afraid to take ownership of larger architectural challenges, thinking beyond individual tasks. For example, I built internal tools that are now used company-wide. Over time, colleagues began turning to me for complex technical decisions and long-term structural thinking. Leadership recognized that contribution, and today I serve in a strategic role within the organization.
It was a particularly meaningful project because it supported a globally recognized health institution. The School plays a central role in shaping public health discourse. Its work in epidemiology, nutrition, and health policy has significantly influenced how societies respond to chronic diseases, pandemics, and issues of health equity.
At 10up, we partnered with Wide Eye to redesign and modernize Harvard’s digital presence. It was a large-scale initiative, as we had to bring consistency across more than 200 interconnected sites.
I was the lead front-end engineer on the project. I built an accessible, themeable component library that gave us real consistency at scale — not just visually, but structurally. I also pushed for thoughtful motion and interaction patterns to make the experience feel alive without being distracting.
We had to support a wide range of content types, handle traffic spikes, and make sure Harvard’s internal teams could maintain it long term. So I approached accessibility and performance first. We removed unnecessary code, simplified rendering paths, and treated Core Web Vitals as hard architectural constraints, not metrics you patch at the end.
The result was a noticeably faster, more stable platform with measurable performance gains over the previous version.
And the project went on to win a Webby Award. Not just an industry nod, but the Webby, widely regarded as the top honor on the internet. That recognition was a direct outcome of both the creative vision and the technical foundation we put in place.
The projects that stand out most to me are those where we define long-term front-end architecture rather than simply implement isolated features. One example is the redesign of Blackstone’s digital ecosystem. Blackstone is one of the world’s largest alternative investment management firms, with over $1.2 trillion in assets under management. The initial objective was to migrate blackstone.com and related product websites from a legacy system that no longer met modern standards.
I worked alongside a back-end engineer, and together we coordinated a team of more than 20 developers. My role extended far beyond implementation. I collaborated directly with the client to define project goals, wrote functional requirements, established build frameworks, conducted code reviews, mentored engineers, and personally implemented key features. Ultimately, we designed the architecture from the ground up for a network of more than 20 interconnected websites.
The engagement later expanded when 10up was commissioned to build a new internal platform serving more than 3100 employees. Once again, I led a team of 22 engineers. We created a platform from scratch that included a JavaScript-powered search engine aggregating results from multiple databases and microservices, content expiration workflows, integration with Citrix applications, an event calendar, and numerous additional enterprise features. The final system met rigorous standards in performance.
I treat communication as a form of architecture. When you clearly articulate the intended outcome of a project, you significantly reduce the risk of technical debt later.
Internally, I focus on translating complexity into shared mental models. That can take the form of well-written ticket descriptions, clear architectural diagrams, and documented technical standards. There are many tools available today that support this process, but the principle remains the same: alignment. You don’t need to overcomplicate things — you need to ensure everyone is working with the same understanding.
One common challenge is the tension between business urgency and technical sustainability. Business stakeholders often prioritize speed, while engineers think in terms of long-term maintainability. I address this by making trade-offs and consequences explicit. When everyone understands what is gained — and what may be compromised — better decisions follow.
On high-visibility projects, stakeholder diversity adds another layer of complexity. Various teams bring different priorities to the table. In those situations, I establish structured checkpoints to maintain clarity around what is being built and why. In many ways, I complement project management efforts by bringing technical perspective into the planning process.
Absolutely. The landscape is shifting rapidly, and AI is at the center of that transformation. Today, I can’t imagine my work without it.
We’re in a fascinating moment because AI allows engineers to operate more like solution architects. Our job has never truly been to write code — it has always been to solve problems. AI simply enables us to do this faster and more efficiently. If you approach AI as a tool that amplifies your capabilities rather than replaces you, you’re in a strong position.
That said, working with large corporations comes with additional complexity. They tend to move cautiously because decisions involve many stakeholders. And since AI can be inconsistent — sometimes producing hallucinations or unpredictable outputs — it’s more challenging for enterprises to adopt it with confidence.
I’m a big fan of Cursor and use it daily. I prefer to start by planning features before letting AI loose to build. Cursor has an excellent planning mode that allows you to iterate on the plan before handing it over to AI for implementation. “Skills” are also gaining momentum — they let you instantly level up your AI capabilities by configuring the right skills directly in your code editor. And the good old tab completion in Cursor feels almost magical. I haven’t experienced anything comparable in other similar tools.
At the same time, I haven’t had much success when AI is given complete freedom without structure. At least for now, the most effective approach is to provide clear context and strong guardrails. When AI operates within defined boundaries, its output becomes far more consistent. Still, I think the “vibe coding” trend will mature — not necessarily because AI itself becomes flawless, but because the surrounding tooling and context management will improve.
I believe the role will continue shifting from UI implementation toward system architecture.
Engineers who primarily implement features within a specific framework — whether React, Vue, or another ecosystem — are likely to struggle, as AI can already handle a large share of that kind of work. What remains difficult to replicate is structural thinking. Those who define architecture, understand trade-offs, and know how to integrate multiple components into a coherent, sustainable system will be in far greater demand.
I also believe deep, framework-specific knowledge will age faster than foundational skills. Core browser mechanics, rendering performance, and accessibility principles will remain essential.
More broadly, engineering will move toward context generation. Teams that can create clear, structured context for AI tools are likely to stand out.
Stay curious and keep learning. This is an incredible time to enter engineering because you can move faster than ever and use AI to bridge gaps in your knowledge. But there’s an important distinction.
If you rely purely on “vibe coding” without understanding what’s happening under the hood, you’re not truly evolving as an engineer. However, if you slow down, break problems into components, use AI to help deconstruct them, and ensure you understand the system you’re building, you’ll grow much faster. That’s how you create resilient products and prevent failures. And that’s how you fix issues when they inevitably arise.
AI is a powerful tool — but a deep understanding and knowledge of the fundamentals remain your core advantage.