Modern infrared astronomy had a very simple beginning 45 years ago; as with radio and X-ray astronomy, the pioneers were physicists and engineers, not astronomers. Since then, our capabilities in this area have doubled roughly every 10 months; JWST will extend this growth to a total of 50 years. The gain with JWST is coming at substantial complexity and cost – in terms of political and technical complexity it might be termed the ALMA of space (with perhaps some exaggeration regarding the complexity of ALMA). I will describe the technical status of the project and its reaction to a series of recent high-level management reviews. In addition, I will show some of the huge advances it will enable, especially in concert with the EVLA, ALMA, and SKA.