MichaelCarducci
Michael Carducci spent years learning to see things as they actually are; first as a magician, then as a software architect, now as both simultaneously. And somehow that’s not even the whole story.
He’s the author of Mastering Software Architecture (Apress, 2025) and is currently writing The Semantic Layer (Packt, 2026). He has spent over 25 years following interesting problems; through roles from individual contributor to CTO and back again, across industries and continents.
As a speaker, he applies the same toolkit he uses in close-up magic: attention, misdirection, timing, storytelling, and the instinct to take the long way around when that’s where the truth lives. Audiences at hundreds of conferences across four continents have described his talks as the kind that change how you think about a problem rather than just what you know about it.
He also makes YouTube videos about technology and curiosity with his wife Kate, because some ideas are too important (or too interesting!) to leave only in conference rooms.
Every generation of system integration has made the same mistake: a standard protocol with bespoke incantations on top. Telnet. CORBA. SOAP. even REST APIs. And now? MCP and tool schemas (the JSON WSDL). We can do better.
Gartner just named the semantic layer a non-negotiable foundation for AI. Almost nobody in the industry knows what that means yet, or why it should worry them.
Gartner just named the semantic layer a non-negotiable foundation for AI. Almost nobody in the industry knows what that means yet, or why it should worry them.
Gartner just named the semantic layer a non-negotiable foundation for AI. Almost nobody in the industry knows what that means yet, or why it should worry them.
Modernizing legacy systems is often seen as a daunting task, with many teams falling into the trap of rigid rewrites or expensive overhauls that disrupt the business. The Tailor-Made Architecture Model (TMAM) offers a new approach—one that is centered on incremental evolution through design-by-constraint. By using TMAM, architects can guide legacy systems through a flexible, structured modernization process that minimizes risk and aligns with both technical and organizational needs.
Architectural decisions are often influenced by blindspots, biases, and unchecked assumptions, which can lead to significant long-term challenges in system design. In this session, we’ll explore how these cognitive traps affect decision-making, leading to architectural blunders that could have been avoided with a more critical, holistic approach.
REST APIs often fall into a cycle of constant refactoring and rewrites, leading to wasted time, technical debt, and endless rework. This is especially difficult when you don't control the API clients. But what if this could be your last major API refactor? In this session, we’ll dive into strategies for designing and refactoring REST APIs with long-term sustainability in mind—ensuring that your next refactor sets you up for the future.
The hardest part of software architecture isn’t the technology, it’s the people. Every architecture lives or dies by its ability to influence behavior, build consensus, and turn vision into change. In this session, Michael Carducci explores the real work of being an architect: communicating clearly, guiding decisions, and driving meaningful change in complex organizations. Drawing from decades of experience and the principles behind the Tailor-Made Architecture Model, Carducci shows how to identify where change is needed, package ideas for adoption, and lead with both clarity and empathy.
As code generation becomes increasingly automated, our role as developers and architects is evolving. The challenge ahead isn’t how to get AI to write more code, it’s how to guide it toward coherent, maintainable, and purposeful systems.
AI is accelerating software development at an unprecedented pace, but many teams are discovering a frustrating reality: faster coding isn’t translating into faster delivery. The reason is counterintuitive. When you accelerate one part of a system, you don’t improve the system... you stress it. More code becomes more review, more coordination, more cognitive load, and ultimately, less flow.
Zero fluff.