Michael Carducci
Software Architect & Magician
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. 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.
Presentations
Finding Signal in the Noise: The art of Execution
5:00 PM MDT
In tech teams it's a constant firefight. We react. Then we react to the reaction… the cycle continues. In all this noise, in all this chaos, how do we move forward. How do we remain proactive?
A great leader must be an enabler for the team. At times this means insulating the team from the noise. At other times it means improving the environment for the team. At all times, however, it requires setting clear priorities and conditions for success.
This session is focused on the art of moving forward in even the noisiest environments.
VDD: Value Driven Development 10 Golden Rules for incremental Greatness
5:00 PM MDT
On the NFJS tour, there are questions that seem to come up again and again. One common example is “How do we determine which new tools and technologies we should focus our energy on learning?” another is “How do we stop management from forcing us to cut corners on every release so we can create better and more maintainable code?” which, after awhile becomes “How can we best convince management we need to rewrite the business application?”
There is a single metaanswer to all these questions and many others.
It begins with the understanding that what we as engineers value, and what the business values are often very different (even if the ultimate goals are the same) By being able to understand these different perspectives it's possible to begin to frame our arguments around the needs and the wants of the business. This alone will make any engineer significantly more effective.
This session picks up from where “Stop writing code and start solving problems” stops discussing what is value, how do we align the values of the business with the needs and values of the engineer.
The Art of the Impossible
3:00 PM MDT
We all have an innate sense of what's possible. Not only is this how magicians fool you, but it might also be what's holding you back.
In this session Michael Carducci shares how he applied lessons learned in his career as a professional magician to his “day-job” as a software engineer.
Magicians have a simple process for creating new material; think of the most impossible thing you can imagine, the engineer a way to make it possible. Michael has been engineering solutions to “impossible” problems for nearly 20 years and this has given him a unique perspective on dealing with challenges in all aspects of his life.
This talk combines illusion, anecdotes and real-world examples to help identify and overcome your mental obstacles.