{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@id": "https://aggr.aymericbeaumet.com/items/computerenhance-com/2026-08-19-the-pit-of-success/#webpage", "@type": [ "WebPage", "ArchiveComponent" ], "articleBody": "Most of the material I make for *Computer Enhance* focuses on the programming side of software performance. What about the institutional side? How do you raise awareness of performance concerns inside an organization? At what stages of a project is a performance expert most useful? When did software development lose its emphasis on performance in the first place?\n\nIn this interview with [Rico Mariani](https://x.com/ricomariani) [1](https://www.computerenhance.com/p/pit-of-success#footnote-1) , we talk about precisely these questions. He spent much of his career at Microsoft trying to fix performance problems, both directly and indirectly. While working on the C# CLR, he coined the term “pit of success” to express the need for platform developers to design APIs such that non-experts will create software that performs well by default.\n\nRico walks me through that episode, and many more, in this hour-and-a-half interview.\n\n*If you’re interested in software performance, you’ve come to the right place. Computer Enhance is [a giant archive](https://www.computerenhance.com/p/table-of-contents) of performance programming materials, with more added every week. Check out our free and paid subscription options here:*\n\n[1](https://www.computerenhance.com/p/pit-of-success#footnote-anchor-1)\n\nIn addition to following him on X, Rico also posts about performance from time to time [on medium](https://ricomariani.medium.com/) . You can also find him on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricomariani) .\n", "authors": [ "Casey Muratori" ], "captured_at": "2026-09-19T21:30:23.395188495+00:00", "category": "programming", "content_html": "

Most of the material I make for Computer Enhance focuses on the programming side of software performance. What about the institutional side? How do you raise awareness of performance concerns inside an organization? At what stages of a project is a performance expert most useful? When did software development lose its emphasis on performance in the first place?

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In this interview with Rico Mariani 1 , we talk about precisely these questions. He spent much of his career at Microsoft trying to fix performance problems, both directly and indirectly. While working on the C# CLR, he coined the term “pit of success” to express the need for platform developers to design APIs such that non-experts will create software that performs well by default.

\n

Rico walks me through that episode, and many more, in this hour-and-a-half interview.

\n

If you’re interested in software performance, you’ve come to the right place. Computer Enhance is a giant archive of performance programming materials, with more added every week. Check out our free and paid subscription options here:

\n

1

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In addition to following him on X, Rico also posts about performance from time to time on medium . You can also find him on LinkedIn .

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