Software Architecture Insights
by Lee Atchison
Latest episode
You're at Level 2 and You Think You're at Level 4
You're at Level 2 and You Think You're at Level 4
About this podcast
Your system worked fine at a thousand users. Then it didn't.
Software Architecture Insights is Lee Atchison's podcast about building software that holds up. Scaling, availability, cloud cost, and what AI is doing to how we build.
Most episodes run about 15 minutes. Lee takes an idea from his weekly newsletter and goes further than the article could. Sometimes he revisits an old call to see how it aged. Sometimes he talks with someone doing the work.
Lee Atchison is a software architect and author who helps companies architect and operate AI-powered SaaS at scale. He wrote Architecting for Scale (O'Reilly) and The Software Conductor, and writes for architects, engineers, and the leaders who depend on them.
Get the newsletter at softwarearchitectureinsights.com.
Episodes
- You're at Level 2 and You Think You're at Level 4 · 17 min · Episode 16There's a slide on a board deck that says "AI-native platform." Three floors down, the AI call sits in the middle of a request handler with a string constant for a prompt, and…
- Is AI Code Automation Contributing to Code Complexity? · 12 min · Episode 15In March 2024, Lee wrote about a GitClear report that had analyzed 153 million lines of changed code, and said the early numbers on AI-assisted code were worrying. GitClear kept…
- The Limits Nobody Graphed · 10 min · Episode 14GitHub published five incidents for August 2026. Three of them are the same failure. On the 17th, seven and a half hours of degraded service: 29,000 organizations, 4.8 million…
- When Everything Is Critical, Nothing Is · 16 min · Episode 13It's 3am and a payment service is failing. The engineer who answers has never touched it, and the next hour goes to finding someone who can fix it. In this episode, Lee goes…
- The Role of AI in Modern Software Development with Burke Holland · 31 min · Episode 12Today, we discuss the significant impact of AI on software development, particularly the use of AI assistants like GitHub Copilot. Our guest, Burke Holland, a principal developer…
- Understanding AI Security Risks with Preston Wood · 26 min · Episode 11Today's discussion centers on the vulnerabilities associated with AI systems and the increasing threats they face. Our guest, Preston Wood, the Chief Security and Strategy…
- AI Hype vs Application Reality: How Architects Can Keep Their Products on Track in 2025 · 14 min · Episode 10AI is no longer a novelty; it is now a significant part of our lives. In this podcast, we discuss the importance of using AI thoughtfully in software architecture. As architects…
- Navigating Modern Data Challenges with Optical Storage: Greg Kittilson, VP Engineering of Folio Photonics · 44 min · Episode 9Today, we discuss the advancements in optical storage technology and its implications for data archival. Our guest, Greg Kittilson, VP of Engineering at Folio Photonics, shares…
- Why should I care about AI? · 9 min · Episode 8AI is now essential for software architects. While it may seem that AI has recently become important, it has been around since the 1950s. In this episode, we discuss how AI…
- Navigating Cloud Infrastructure using AI with Marcin Wyszynski, Spacelift · 31 min · Episode 7Cloud infrastructure provisioning can be a challenging task, often requiring a delicate balance between speed and accuracy. In our discussion today, we explore how AI can…
- Navigating AI Development with InWorld's Kylan Gibbs · 40 min · Episode 6Today, we explore the evolving landscape of conversational AI with Kylan Gibbs, the CEO and founder of InWorld AI. We focus on how InWorld develops AI products that enhance the…
- Get Rid of Your Users - The Role of Transactional vs Experiential Applications · 12 min · Episode 5Not all applications are created equal. Some applications process transactions and maintain state, while others aim to deliver content, data, or experiences to users. For…
- Why File Uploads Are Hard: Lessons from Uploadcare's Founder Igor Debatur · 24 min · Episode 4Igor Debatur, the founder of Uploadcare, joins us to discuss the complexities and challenges of file management in modern applications. Uploadcare specializes in making the file…
- Five Best Practices for Mastering Configuration in Cloud Native Applications · 9 min · Episode 3Managing configuration in cloud-native applications can be overwhelming due to its complexity and abundance. This episode focuses on five essential best practices to help…
- From Finance to Healthcare: Navigating the Shift with Michi Kono · 30 min · Episode 2Michi Kono, the CTO of Garner Health, joins us to discuss the intersection of technology and healthcare. Garner Health leverages advanced data management techniques to help…
- The New Reality of Software Development: AI's Impact on Code Quality · 11 min · Episode 1The increasing use of AI in software development has led to significant changes in the industry, with 62% of developers now utilizing AI tools. While this has enhanced…
- Welcome to Software Architecture Insights - Starting this Fall · 2 minThat's right, the content you know and love from Software Architecture Insights will be available in podcast format for your on-the-go listening convenience. In addition, we will…
