Summary
Richard Pistole is a Staff Software Architect based in Austin with 16 years of experience designing maintainable, extensible software and applying emerging technologies to real user problems. He currently leads architecture at DISCO after senior and principal engineering roles across education, marketing, and enterprise software, bringing deep experience in both startups and established companies. Richard focuses on pragmatic systems that balance developer ergonomics with long-term extensibility, often leveraging social and integration patterns to improve end-user value. His career shows a steady progression from early engineering and internship roles to strategic technical leadership, demonstrating strong hands-on coding credibility alongside architectural oversight. Colleagues describe him as someone who prefers practical, well-tested solutions over flashy tech, yet stays curious about new platforms and social-driven features. Trained at the University of Texas at Austin, he combines solid academic foundations with a two-decade track record of shipping production software.
15 years of coding experience
12 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor of Arts, Computer Science, Bachelor of Arts, Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin