Podcast · Tech & Science

CoRecursive: Coding Stories

by Adam Gordon Bell - Software Developer · English · Tech & Science

The stories and people behind the code. Hear stories of software development from interesting people.

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 48 min
Latest: 4 Aug 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

4 Aug 2026 · 53 min

The Hutter Prize: Compression, prediction, and the limits of intelligence

I texted Don about a side gig: €5,000 for every 1% you shave off a zip file. It's a real contest. For 20 years, Marcus Hutter has offered €500,000 to anyone who can losslessly compress a gigabyte of Wikipedia below 110 megabytes. Gzip gets you to 322. After that you're on your own. So we tried. Run-length encoding. Pointing back instead of repeating yourself. Huffman coding worked out by hand. Arithmetic coding, which spends less than one bit per character. Then Claude Shannon's 1951 guessing game, and a paper where an LLM beats every record and still wins nothing, because the model counts…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E122 · 13 Jun 2026 · 1 hr

The Bitter Lesson: The history of reinforcement learning

I've been trying to understand how machine learning actually works. Not use it, understand it, down to the ifs and loops. How does a program built out of plain conditionals get better on its own? So late one night I sent Don a paper. Three words in the title: reward is enough. The claim is that all of intelligence, the whole thing, comes down to a system maximizing a reward. Don thought that was far too reductive. I wanted to pull it apart and see if it held up. We backed up through the history to find out how far "reward is enough" really goes: B.F. Skinner training pigeons, a backgammon…
E121 · 9 May 2026 · 56 min

The Pre-Training Wall and the Treadmill After It

I've been confusing Don with frontier-lab links late at night for a bit. Ilya Sutskever told a NeurIPS audience that pre-training as we know it would unquestionably end. There's only one internet, and the data isn't growing. The frontier labs call this the pre-training wall. A leaked Google memo from 2023 argued they had no moat. R1 is on GitHub. Llama is on Hugging Face. OpenAI's secondary-market valuation has climbed past $850 billion. Don was confused. So he came over and we made an episode about it. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter
E120 · 2 Apr 2026 · 42 min

Story: The Aging Programmer

Kate Gregory has been writing C++ for over forty years. Books, keynotes, a consulting firm she built from the ground up. At sixty-three, she's one of the most experienced programmers alive. She surveyed hundreds of software engineers about getting older. What scares you? What's changed? What have you lost? The things people feared most — memory, stamina, keeping up — weren't the real threats. The stuff that was actually breaking down was mostly fixable. A bad knee wasn't aging, it was a torn cartilage. Wrist pain disappeared when she changed how she slept. But buried in the research was…
E119 · 2 Mar 2026 · 42 min

From Hacker News to TikTok - How Algorithms Learned to Hook Us

Corey told me about his AI cat reel problem. He found these AI-genearted cat videos hilarious. Who makes these? He kept sending them to his wife. Then he tried to stop watching and he couldn't. So I went down the rabbit hole of how social media algorithms actually work. It starts simple. Upvote, downvote, sort by time. But by 2017 Facebook has a metric that quietly reshapes what two billion people see. Then a leaked playbook lands, and a CEO takes the stand in Los Angeles. Today is an investigation into what happens when the algorithm knows you better than you know yourself. Episode Page…
4 Feb 2026 · 11 min

Notes: The Universal Paperclip Clicker

Multiple VS Code windows. "Agent stopping" in a robot voice. A laptop stand on the treadmill so Claude can keep working while I run. The Big Rich sitting unread by the fireplace while I check if the migration's done. Somewhere along the way, I started reorganizing my life around keeping the machine spinning. Claude Code had become my universal paperclip clicker. This is me trying to figure out the difference between real work and just feeding it tickets. This is some field notes, a shorter, rougher than a normal epsidoe. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The…
E118 · 2 Jan 2026 · 38 min

Story: Inside Early Google - Race Conditions, Java Pain, and the Birth of AdWords

Ron Garret left JPL for a 100-person startup he'd just discovered on Usenet. Four a.m. alarms. Burbank to San Jose on Southwest. A rented room in Susan Wojcicki's house. He expected the search engine engineering and instead he got asked to build ad serving. In Java and with JSPs and no syntax highlighting and no delimiter balancing. Launch week was a stampede and then a window on his screen fills with declines. Numbers he can't explain. Some of them look… real. How do you even name what's happening? This episode is about creating Google AdWords. Building the machine that prints money, while…
E117 · 2 Dec 2025 · 44 min

Story: The Bug He Couldn't Name - A 15-Year Fight Inside One Developer's Mind

Imagine facing a problem you can't name, something that feels bigger than any bug you've ever had to fix. How do you debug your own mind when you don't even know what's wrong? Burke Holland's story starts with a college party and a bad trip that leaves a deeper mark than he expects. Sleep gets harder. Fear creeps in. His life starts shrinking. School falls apart, friends drift away, and he ends up back at home trying to understand what's happening to him. He looks for structure in the Coast Guard. Later he discovers computers and realizes he might have found the thing he's meant to do. But…
E116 · 4 Nov 2025 · 44 min

Story: Godbolt's Rule - When Abstractions Fail

What do you do when your code breaks and the only fix is to dig into the runtime below? Matt Godbolt lives for that. Tile-based renderers, color-coded scanlines, zero-copy NICs—each story is a clue that leads past the abstraction to the real machine. He shares the rule that guides him: master your layer, learn the one below, and know the outline of the layer under that. Matt Godbolt's journey proves the real breakthroughs are hideen behind the abstrations where you are comfortable and familiar. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter
E115 · 2 Oct 2025 · 55 min

Story: Risk Rolls Downhill - The Software Bug That Sent People to Prison

What if a software bug drained your savings, ruined your reputation, and nobody believed it wasn't your fault? Scott Darlington took over a village post office, hoping to give his family a steady life. But the software system kept showing cash shortfalls he couldn't explain. Each time, the Post Office told him the numbers were right and made him pay the difference out of his own pocket. Eventually it became too much and actions Scott took to protect himself lead to his arrest and public shaming. How do you build trust in systems when the people behind them refuse to admit they're broken?
2 Sep 2025 · 9 min

Quick Update

A quick update from Adam about the podcast's current state, consistency challenges, and what's coming next. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter
E114 · 6 Aug 2025 · 42 min

Coding in the Red-Queen Era

What do we risk when we let AI do the heavy lifting in our coding? Are we giving up the thinking that makes us good at what we do? And as expectations keep rising to match productivy gains, is all this speed really helping, or just making us busier? Today, let's look at the tradeoffs of coding with AI and why the hardest part might be deciding what to hold onto, and what to let go. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter
S113 · E113 · 2 Jul 2025 · 40 min

When AI Codes, What's Left for me?

I've always found meaning—and a lot of strength—in building things. Now, with AI coding agents changing the way we work, it's easy to feel threatened, like something essential might get taken away. But honestly, that creative urge can't be replaced by any tool. In this episode, I talk about what it's like when your identity is tied to making things, and the tools suddenly change. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter
E112 · 3 Jun 2025 · 48 min

Story: Coding Through Chaos : Addiction, Recovery and Acceptance

What if your search for connection took you somewhere you never meant to go—almost costing you everything? John Walker grew up building computers and exploring early internet forums, always looking for a place to fit in. As a teenager, he hacked his school network and spent hours on IRC, but loneliness crept in. Drugs became a fun exploration and a social experiment. But soon, addiction pulled him into homelessness and jail. Even at his lowest, John turned to online communities. He ran IRC bots to keep recovery chatrooms safe from trolls and built scrapers to solve tough data problems at…
E111 · 2 May 2025 · 45 min

Story: The Power of Context: Reimagining Learning

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where learning felt like an uphill battle? Like no matter how hard you tried, the pieces just wouldn't fall into place? Steve Krouse's story shows the power of the right learning environment. As a child, Steve felt he wasn't good at math. But everything changed with an afterschool program called IMACS. Initially skeptical, he soon embraced its creative approach, which encouraged self-paced learning. At IMACS, Steve learned to think on paper, grasping math concepts through programming languages like Logo and Scheme. This confidence moved him from…
E110 · 2 Apr 2025 · 58 min

Story: briffa_sep98_e.pro - The File That Sparked a Storm

Can a single line of code change the way we see science, policy, and trust? In this episode we explore the "Climategate" scandal that erupted from leaked emails and code snippets, fueling doubts about climate science. What starts as an investigation into accusations of fraud leads to an unexpected journey through the messy reality of data science, legacy code struggles, and the complex pressures scientists face every day. Along the way, we uncover stories of hidden errors and misunderstood phrases taken out of context, revealing a world where science, software engineering, and human…
E109 · 3 Mar 2025 · 48 min

Story: Hatetris - Obsession, Friendship, and World Records

What if a simple game became a gateway to computational breakthroughs? David Freiberg and Felipe set out on a journey to conquer Hatetris, a notoriously difficult JavaScript game. Their interest ignited when a new world record was set, showing that surpassing the game's high score was possible. Their journey was full of challenges, from building an emulator in different programming languages to tackling complex algorithms. They pushed the boundaries of what's possible but the story didn't end there. Collaborating with fellow enthusiasts, including a Japanese Tetris expert, led to further…
E108 · 3 Feb 2025 · 52 min

Story: One Million Checkboxes - The Viral Game That Defied Convention

What if internet trolls could become your greatest collaborators? Nolen Royalty discovered this unexpected truth when his simple checkbox game went viral. It began with a school email prank that crashed servers but sparked a philosophy: creative constraints breed innovation. From "Flappy Dird" to "One Million Checkboxes," Nolen built games that turned limitations into playgrounds. But when his checkbox project became a battleground of organized chaos, Nolen faced a choice: suppress the chaos or lean into it. Discover how systematic constraints can channel creative anarchy - and why one…
E107 · 2 Jan 2025 · 52 min

Story: Leaving Stripe

What if leaving your dream job was the way to discover your true self? Jon de la Motte failed his first Stripe interview, but he didn't give up. It was his dream job, a company that connected with his father's work in finance with his software ambitions. At Stripe, Jon faced challenges. He joined a risky JavaScript infrastructure team and struggled to find his footing. Eventually he found his way, built a great team and then it all started to fall apart again. Discover how Jon's journey reshaped his life and what it means to balance personal and professional priorities. Episode Page Support…
E106 · 2 Dec 2024 · 43 min

Story: Inside Shopify's Layoffs

What if you had to break life-changing news to your team—could you handle the weight of their futures? Allison's journey from software engineer to compassionate leader at Shopify is filled with challenges and growth. It all started when her mentor was suddenly laid off, leaving her with uncertainty and guilt. This turning point taught her the importance of adaptability in the tech industry's ups and downs. When Allison faced her own layoff, she found the strength to move on to new roles, including a position at Shopify. There, she had to announce layoffs to her team, learning to lead with…
E105 · 4 Nov 2024 · 53 min

Story: ReiserFS

Have you ever known someone who's technical brilliance was overshadowed by personal failings? This is the story of Hans Reiser, a software developer driven to create a superior Linux filesystem, but whose difficult personality got in the way. Then came the disappearance of his wife, Nina, in 2006. The investigation pointed to Reiser, ending with a murder conviction that shocked the tech world. Reiser's story is a reminder of how technical skills and personal integrity need to go hand in hand. From prison, he reflects on his mistakes, realizing the need for empathy and collaboration. His…
E104 · 2 Oct 2024 · 50 min

Story: From Everest to Startups: Yoshio's Journey of Resilience and Coding

How do you know what matters? What if training to climb Everest left you certain you were on the wrong career path? Join us as we explore Yoshio's incredible journey from the heights of Everest, to coding bootcamps, to finding his true calling in start-ups and communication skills training. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To The Podcast Join The Newsletter
E103 · 2 Sep 2024 · 47 min

Story: From Code to Capital - Tim Chen's Journey from Engineer to VC

What if your corporate job left you feeling empty, and you decided to leap into venture capital? Tim Chen, a software engineer, was disillusioned with corporate life at Microsoft. The 2008 market crash and layoffs deepened his dissatisfaction. Seeking more impactful work, Tim joined startups and contributed to open-source projects, like Kafka and Docker. Then after his own start-up, Tim found a niche bridging the gap between technical founders and venture capital. But could get into Venture Capital himself? Join me and Tim to hear his journey from a disillusioned software engineer to a…
6 Aug 2024 · 1 hr 4 min

Behind the Mic: Adam Gordon Bell on Communication with Software Misadventures Podcast

Today the tables have turned and you're going to hear someone interview me. Ronak and Guang from the Software Misadventures podcast are going to interview me about podcasting. My history as a software developer and I guess this big idea. That I don't think I've shared too much about the importance of communication. More details including a video version of the interview here: https://softwaremisadventures.com/p/adam-gordon-bell-story-telling
E102 · 4 Jul 2024 · 49 min

Story: Jeffrey Snover and the Making of PowerShell

What if you had to fight against your company's culture to bring a revolutionary tool to life? Meet Jeffrey Snover, the Microsoft architect behind PowerShell, a command tool that transformed Windows system administration. Initially met with skepticism, Snover's idea faced resistance from a company that favored graphical interfaces. Snover's journey began with a simple mission: to make Windows as command-line managable as UNIX systems. Despite facing pushback and navigating through company restructures, his persistence paid off. This episode explores how Snover's relentless drive and clear…
E101 · 4 Jun 2024 · 52 min

Story: From Burnout to Breakthrough

Can you imagine risking your career to making coding easier to learn? Meet Felienne Hermans, a professor who did just that by stepping beyond academia to redefine coding education. Disillusioned by her research's limited impact, Felienne discovered a new calling in teaching coding to underserved students. Her journey led to the creation of Hedy, a programming language designed to dismantle language and learning barriers in coding. Confronting skepticism from her peers, Felienne's dedication to accessible coding challenged traditional academic priorities. Felienne's story is a powerful…
E100 · 3 May 2024 · 48 min

Story: Coding Machines

What if the tools you trust were actually betraying you? Join us for a riveting story where a team of software developers discovers that their compiler is compromised. What starts as suspicion of a simple bug quickly escalates into the alarming realization. In this 100th episode celebration past show regulars Don and Krystal join Adam lend their voice to this work of fiction about the limits of trust in computing from Lawrence Kesteloot. Join us in as we peel back the layers of trust in the software we rely on daily and celebrate our 100th episode. Episode Page Support The Show Subscribe To…
E99 · 2 Apr 2024 · 57 min

Story: Code, Kickflips and Crunch Time - Mick West's Neversoft Journey

Meet Mick West, whose career began in an unusual office setup — sandwiched between a kebab shop and a phone sex hotline. From there he worked all over Manchester, making computer games for Tiertex and Ocean. Career opportunies brought him to California and to his own game dev company, Neversoft. At Neversoft, navigating team growth and tight deadlines, Mick played a key role in creating "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater." This wasn't just another game; it was a huge hit and secured Mick's legacy in the gaming world. Join us as we explore Mick West's journey from a quirky start to the heights of video…
E98 · 4 Mar 2024 · 48 min

Story: Leaving LinkedIn - Choosing Engineering Excellence Over Expediency

What if your dedication to doing things right clashed with your company's fast pace? Chris Krycho faced this very question at LinkedIn. His journey was marked by challenges: from the nuances of remote work to the struggle of influencing company culture, and a critical incident that put his principles to the test against the company's push for speed. Chris's story highlights the tension between the need for innovation and the importance of project health. This all led Chris to a pivotal decision: to stay and compromise his beliefs or to leave in pursuit of work that aligned with his…
E97 · 2 Feb 2024 · 57 min

Story: Beautiful Code - Inside Greg Wilson's Vision for Software Design

Greg Wilson has been on a decades-long quest to transform how we teach and talk about software design. From getting rejections for using the term "beautiful code," to empowering scientists through workshops on Python and Unix, Greg has pushed to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Join us as Greg shares his failures and epiphanies along the way. You'll hear how he revolutionized research computing by showing physicists the power of profilers. How he taught grad students the elegance of shell scripts. And how he's crusaded to create a shared language to discuss software architecture…

About CoRecursive: Coding Stories

The stories and people behind the code. Hear stories of software development from interesting people.

CoRecursive: Coding Stories is a English tech & science podcast from Adam Gordon Bell - Software Developer. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Adam Gordon Bell - Software Developer
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 48 min
Latest episode: 4 Aug 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1330329512
Website: corecursive.com

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