About Rick

I have been building software professionally since 1999. That has taken me from writing application code to leading teams, designing software systems, and helping organisations make architecture decisions that still work after the first diagram.

Today I work at Microsoft as a Cloud & AI Senior Cloud Solution Architect. My work sits at the intersection of software engineering, cloud architecture, Azure, and the changes AI is bringing to how we design and build software.

A few generations of software #

My interest in computers started with a Commodore 64 and a tape deck. I later saved for months to add 8 MB of memory to a 486. By the time I started working in software, the web was young, .NET did not exist yet, and shipping software usually meant something very different from what it means today.

Since then I have worked as a developer, lead developer, team lead, project leader, software architect, and cloud architect. I have used Azure since its early days and watched cloud computing move from an interesting new option to the default context for much of modern software development.

That history is useful, but only when it helps with today’s decisions. I am interested in which engineering practices survive technology shifts, where new tools genuinely improve the work, and where they simply move complexity somewhere less visible.

Sharing the work #

I have spoken at software conferences and community events since 2012, in the Netherlands and internationally. My current topics include AI-assisted software development, software and cloud architecture, .NET, Azure, and the changing role of the software architect. The talks are practical: fewer predictions, more lessons from building and operating real systems.

I also created and host Betatalks, a long-running video and podcast series with more than 130 episodes. It is a place for candid technical conversations with people who build software and shape the community around it.

Engineering perspective #

AI changes important parts of software development. It does not remove the need to understand systems, make trade-offs, review code, or take responsibility for what reaches production. I am particularly interested in that overlap: what experienced engineering brings to AI-assisted development, and what experienced engineers need to relearn.

This site is where I keep those practical notes and opinions. The archive goes back to 2005 because the path matters too.

Background #

Before joining Microsoft in 2023, I spent more than a decade at Betabit. I have also been involved in developer communities including .NET Zuid.

You can find me as rickvdbosch on GitHub, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. For speaking enquiries or a conversation, use the contact page.