Scott & Mark Learn To...

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich dive into the realities of building complex software with AI coding agents. Mark shares his experience using modern models to implement a shared-memory transport for gRPC across Go and .NET, explaining how AI dramatically accelerated development while still requiring constant oversight. They discuss the surprising strengths and limitations of AI coding tools, to the massive productivity gains that make the frustration worthwhile. The conversation also explores the challenges of solving hard engineering problems, including an attempt to build a scrolling screenshot stitcher, and wraps with thoughts on the future of developer tooling and a potential live episode of the show.


Takeaways:
AI coding agents can speed up complex development but still require human oversight
Developers often need to guide and correct the model throughout the process
Even with challenges, AI can reduce months of work to days


Who are they?
View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn
View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich discuss their recent ACM paper and explore a growing challenge in the tech industry: how to develop the next generation of engineers. They debate the idea of preceptorship programs that train early-career developers inside companies, why many organizations avoid investing in junior talent, and how universities could play a larger role in bridging the gap between education and real-world experience. The conversation looks at the economics of hiring juniors, the risk of companies poaching trained talent, and what it might take to build a scalable pipeline for future technical leaders.


Takeaways:
Many firms prefer hiring experienced engineers instead of developing new ones
Universities could play a bigger role in connecting students with real industry work
Retention incentives might help companies keep talent they train


Who are they?
View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn
View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich dive into a wide-ranging conversation about the future of software, debating whether apps are dead in an era of AI agents, chat interfaces, and automation. They explore the resurgence of text-based and terminal user interfaces, the limits of using large language models as stand-ins for deterministic workflows, and why reliability, security, and repeatability still demand traditional applications and SaaS platforms. Along the way, they unpack common misconceptions about AI replacing apps, argue for better UX and APIs instead of throwing AI at broken systems, and emphasize that AI is best used for reasoning and ambiguity, not as a replacement for well-designed software.

Takeaways:
AI tools don’t eliminate the need for well-built apps
Chat and terminal interfaces expand, not replace, software
Dynamic interfaces blur boundaries, but durable apps still anchor workflows

Who are they?
View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn
View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore how AI-assisted vibe coding is changing the way complex software gets built, debugged, and refined. Mark walks through real-world experiments using AI to tackle difficult engineering problems, including gRPC shared memory, Win32 UI work, and major new features coming to ZoomIt. The conversation digs into where AI meaningfully accelerates development, where it still requires careful human oversight, and how tools like screenshots, debug output, MCP servers, and multimodal feedback loops are reshaping modern developer workflows. The result is an honest, technical discussion about productivity gains, limitations, and the evolving role of human judgment in AI-driven software engineering.


Takeaways:
Debug output and screenshots are critical for helping AI understand
Faster iteration often leads to more polished software, not just quicker results
Concurrency and low-level systems problems remain difficult for AI to solve without supervision

Who are they?
View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn
View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich pull back the curtain on what really goes into a large-scale conference talk, using their recent Ignite session as a case study. They reflect on the balance between educational and soft talks, the importance of credibility and audience expectations, and why not every talk needs a rigid takeaway to be valuable. The conversation traces a playful but technically deep journey through computing history, from early machine code and Altair systems to modern Azure infrastructure, massive virtual machines, and experimental demos that intentionally blur the line between serious engineering and creative exploration. Along the way, they share behind-the-scenes lessons about live demos, pacing, risk, and why delight, curiosity, and a bit of silliness still matter in technical storytelling.


Takeaways:
Setting expectations early helps the audience judge a talk on the right terms
Credibility can come from perspective, not just authority
Risky demos work when the fundamentals are solid


Who are they?
View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn
View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn

Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube

Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Produced by Microsoft & Hangar Studios
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.