The Modern .NET Show

Simplicity First: Why Complexity Is Not Sophistication with Chris Woodruff

May 15, 2026·1h 5m
Episode Description from the Publisher

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 "A lot of people go to conferences and they do conference-driven development. They come back with all these great ideas. And you know what? I'm guilty. I speak at conferences and I give lots of ideas. But they're ideas and you don't have to take every idea and apply it when you get back to the office."— Chris Woodruff 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, we're joined by Chris Woodruff to talk simplicity, which is his overarching philosophy when it comes to working with code; whether that's developing, architecting, or interacting with decision makers: simplicity matters. "Simplicity also reflects in cost. Because I've found all these studies that say that most companies that start putting solutions out on the cloud pay a lot more than they should."— Chris Woodruff Along the way, we talked about how simplicity goes further than the code we write and into how we choose to host our applications, either in the cloud or on prem. Arguably, most of the time, an application which has a simpler architecture will be cheaper to host. 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/simplicity-first-why-complexity-is-not-sophistication-with-chris-woodruff/ Useful Links: Chris' blog Chris on Bluesky Chris on LinkedIn Simplicity First 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. And don't forget to reach out via our Contact page. We're very interested in your opinion of the show, so please get in touch. 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.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of The Modern .NET Show and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.