Live from Microsoft Build, Ryan is joined by Jay Parikh, Microsoft’s VP of AI Core, for a conversation on what enterprises need to build, deploy, and run AI agents at scale with demonstrable ROI; how Microsoft built an end-to-end agent development system that goes past just the harness; and how you can evaluate for reliability and correctness in models that get more intelligent and autonomous everyday.​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​​‌‍‌‍​‍‌​​​‌‌​‍​​‍‌​​‌‍​‍‌‍​‍​​‍​‍‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌​​​​​‌‌‍‌​​​‌​‍‌​‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍​‌‍‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​​‍‍‌​‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​​‌‍‌‍​‍‌​​​‌‌​‍​​‍‌​​‌‍​‍‌‍​‍​​‍​‍‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍‌‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌​​​​​‌‌‍‌​​​‌​‍‌​‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍​‌‍‌​​‌​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

The skills you build and the tools you master matter, but they aren't your most important asset when things go wrong — and something eventually will. In this episode, I work through why our careers and lives are governed more by avoiding catastrophic downside than by chasing upside, and why the single best tool for surviving a bad event isn't testing, insurance, or money — it's genuine trust with the people around you.

Here's a question to sit with: what is the most important tool you have as a software engineer and as a leader? Most of us reach for something technical, but the answer runs deeper than that. In this episode, I start with the humble premortem — the practice of assuming something has already gone wrong so we can pressure-test our plans — and use it to explore why so much of our work is really about predicting and mitigating risk. From there, I make the case that because we're all exposed to a far larger downside than upside on any given day, the tool that matters most is the one that helps you survive the bad event you couldn't prevent: your relationships with other people, built on real trust.

• The Premortem as a Risk Lens: Learn why assuming failure ahead of time is such a useful counter to our natural optimism. Our plans quietly assume everything will go right, and a premortem forces us to inspect the gaps our best-laid plans never covered.
• Life Is Already About Predicting Risk: Nearly every action we take — stepping forward, eating the sushi, merging into traffic — is a small bet on an outcome we can't prove in advance. Much of what we're managing isn't even our own behavior, but the risk other people put us through.
• Why the Downside Dwarfs the Upside: On a typical Monday, your potential gain is limited, but your potential loss is not. A single catastrophic event — a breached customer, untested code shipped, an injury for an athlete — can undo far more than any single good action could ever build. This is why avoiding failure, not chasing brilliance, quietly shapes most successful careers.
• Likelihood Times Impact: Even a one-in-a-hundred-days negative event can cost you your job or your company a fortune, while very few actions could produce a commensurate gain like doubling your salary. Our behavioral aversion to risk turns out to be rational.
• Mitigate the Blast Radius, Not Just the Incidence: You can never be 100% certain a bad event won't happen. Good people who show up, stay reliable, and grow their skills still get laid off. So beyond reducing the likelihood of harm, you have to reduce its impact when it lands.
• Relationships Are the Real Safety Net: The most important tool in your belt isn't technical — it's your relationships with other human beings. Invested in honestly, they pay you back forever, and they're the thing you fall back on when the negative event you tried to prevent happens anyway.
• Trust Is the Core Currency: Genuine relationships require reality — real curiosity and care, not performed name-remembering, which people can see through. Trust compounds like an asset, while money spent to buy loyalty is gone the moment it's paid. When you hit a hard deadline or discover something's broken, a reservoir of trust is what lets people extend their best effort without you having to throw more money on the table.
• Episode Homework: Go invest in your relationships regardless of your current risk profile. Spend extra time in your one-on-ones, with your team, and in your retros — and get curious about what the people around you actually want, instead of assuming you already know.

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Strategic Technology Consultation Services

This episode of The Modern .NET Show is supported, in part, by RJJ Software's Strategic Technology Consultation Services. If you're an SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) leader wondering why your technology investments aren't delivering, or you're facing critical decisions about AI, modernization, or team productivity, let's talk.

Show Notes

Hey everyone, and welcome back to The Modern .NET Show; the premier .NET podcast, focusing entirely on the knowledge, tools, and frameworks that all .NET developers should have in their toolbox. I'm your host Jamie Taylor, bringing you conversations with the brightest minds in the .NET ecosystem.

Today's episode is a little different from the norm. I waned to, temporarily, take you away from the "AI is the best thing ever/worst thing ever" news cycle, and talk to you about an open source project that I work on called "OwaspHeaders.Core"

This is the second in a two-part series about OwaspHeaders.Core and focusses on providing a timeline of the evolution of the package; but this isn't going to a be all about how great I am. I'm going to cover the lessons I learned, the choices I made, and the help that I had from the community.

Before we jump in, a quick reminder: if The Modern .NET Show has become part of your learning journey, please consider supporting us through Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee. Every contribution helps us continue bringing you these in-depth conversations with industry experts. You'll find all the links in the show notes.

Anyway, without further ado, let's sit back, open up a terminal, type in `dotnet new podcast` and we'll dive into the core of Modern .NET.

Full Show Notes

The full show notes, including links to some of the things we discussed and a full transcription of this episode, can be found at: https://dotnetcore.show/season-8/from-pentest-to-1-7-million-downloads-part-2-the-lessons-nobody-ever-taught-me/

Useful Links:

• OwaspHeaders.Core
  • NuGet package
  • GitHub repository
  • Documentation
  • Contributors graph
  • Scott Harden's PR #96
  • mkokabi's derivative for Azure Isolated Functions
• Companion episodes
  • S07E09 - Modern .NET NuGet Packaging with Scott Harden
  • S08E02 - Compassionate Coding: Safia Abdalla's Insights on Empathy in Open-Source Development
  • Safia Abdalla's website (current role at Warp)
• Supply chain & trust
  • OpenSSF Best Practices badge for OwaspHeaders.Core (passing, 96%)
  • OpenSSF Scorecard
  • GitHub Build Provenance Attestations
  • CodeQL
  • TanStack npm Supply-Chain Compromise Postmortem (11 May 2026)
• Scott Harden
  • Scott Harden's website
  • ScottPlot
• Communities and shows mentioned
  • Coding Blocks
  • Tabs and Spaces (now retired) on Spotify
  • James Studdart (Cynical Developer)
  • Zac Braddy on LinkedIn
• NuGet packaging references
  • NuGet documentation
  • Source Link
• Historical references
  • AppVeyor
  • GitHub Actions documentation
• Part one of this series

Supporting the show:

• Leave a rating or review
• Buy the show a coffee
• Become a patron

Getting in Touch:

• Via the contact page
• Joining the Discord

Remember to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, or wherever you find your podcasts, this will help the show's audience grow. Or you can just share the show with a friend.

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You can support the show by making a monthly donation on the show's Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/TheDotNetCorePodcast.

Music created by Mono Memory Music, licensed to RJJ Software for use in The Modern .NET Show.

Editing and post-production services for this episode were provided by MB Podcast Services.

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Every project has environment variables. Almost nobody manages them well. This week Brandon talks with Phil Miller and Theo Ephraim, who built varlock to fix that — bringing structure and security to the humble .env file.

Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode 579

Show Links:

• varlock.dev
• varlock on GitHub
• @env-spec Overview
• DMNO (corporate site)
• Varlock MCP Server (docs)
• howtostore.food — Theo's side project on the best way to store produce
• unsafeharbour.com — Phil's music label
• Nautical Artifacts on Bandcamp
• bumpy

Contact Phil Miller:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/themillman
• Email: phil@varlock.dev
• Music: unsafeharbour.com

Contact Theo Ephraim:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/theo-ephraim
• Website: theoephraim.com
• Twitter/X: @theozero
• Bluesky: @theozero.bsky.social
• Email: theo@varlock.dev

General Contact:

• hello@varlock.dev
• hello@dmno.dev

Varlock Community

• Varlock Discord — Chat with the team and other users
• GitHub Discussions — Suggestions, questions, and feature requests
• varlock on GitHub — Star the project and follow updates
• Varlock on X
• Varlock on Bluesky

SDT News & Community

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Special Guests: Phil Miller and Theo Ephraim.

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You ask an AI a question and it answers with total confidence. Most of the time, a confidently wrong answer is just an annoyance. But what if the question is medical, and there's a real patient on the other end? In that world, a hallucination isn't a bug, it's a patient-safety event. Sumit Gundawar is a London-based software engineer who builds the clinical platform for a UK longevity and aesthetic-medicine clinic, and his whole argument is that in high-stakes AI, the model is the easy part. Earning trust is the real engineering. We dig into grounding, refusal logic, human-in-the-loop design, and the messy frontier of longevity and biohacking, plus a live demo of an assistant that refuses to answer when it can't back up the claim. Let's get into it.

Episode sponsors

Six Feet Up
Talk Python Courses

Links from the show

Download audio: https://talkpython.fm/episodes/download/554/trustworthy-ai-in-healthcare-and-longevity.mp3

In this episode, Michael talks with podcast cohost Mark Simos about big updates to the Security Adoption Frame (SAF).

We also cover news about Secure Boot for Trusted Launch VMs, and the Microsoft HSM Toolkit.

https://aka.ms/azsecpod

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