diff --git a/runtime/lib/ttnn/program.cpp b/runtime/lib/ttnn/program.cpp
index 2b24bc6ff..d22ce6d2b 100644
--- a/runtime/lib/ttnn/program.cpp
+++ b/runtime/lib/ttnn/program.cpp
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::ToMemoryConfigOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
       op->out()->desc()->layout()->memory_desc()->memory_space();
 
   switch (targetMemorySpace) {
+  // This case should only be used when gathering outputs at the end of the
+  // program
   case ::tt::target::MemorySpace::System:
   case ::tt::target::MemorySpace::SystemMMIO: {
     ::ttnn::Tensor result;
@@ -136,14 +138,14 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::ToMemoryConfigOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
       result = updateLayoutAndDataType(result, targetDataTypeTTNN, shouldTilize,
                                        false);
       tensorPool.push_back(result);
-      liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+      liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     } else if (inputTensor.storage_type() ==
                ::tt::tt_metal::StorageType::DEVICE) {
       ::ttnn::Tensor result = updateLayoutAndDataType(
           inputTensor, targetDataTypeTTNN, false, false);
       result = ::ttnn::to_memory_config(result, memConfig, std::nullopt);
       tensorPool.push_back(result);
-      liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+      liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     }
     break;
   }
@@ -163,14 +165,14 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::ToMemoryConfigOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
       result = updateLayoutAndDataType(result, targetDataTypeTTNN, shouldTilize,
                                        false);
       tensorPool.push_back(result);
-      liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+      liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     } else if (inputTensor.storage_type() ==
                ::tt::tt_metal::StorageType::DEVICE) {
       ::ttnn::Tensor result = updateLayoutAndDataType(
           inputTensor, targetDataTypeTTNN, false, false);
       result = ::ttnn::to_memory_config(result, memConfig, std::nullopt);
       tensorPool.push_back(result);
-      liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+      liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     }
     break;
   }
@@ -181,7 +183,6 @@ static void
 run(::tt::target::ttnn::EmptyOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
     std::unordered_map<std::uint32_t, ::ttnn::Tensor *> &liveTensors,
     std::list<::ttnn::Tensor> &tensorPool) {
-
   ::ttnn::DataType targetDataTypeTTNN = utils::toTTNNDataType(
       op->out()->desc()->layout()->memory_desc()->data_type());
   // TODO: determine layout, hardcoding tile_layout for now
@@ -190,6 +191,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::EmptyOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
       utils::toShapeFromFBShape(*op->out()->desc()->shape())));
   tensorPool.push_back(
       ::ttnn::empty(shape, targetDataTypeTTNN, desiredLayout, device));
+  // use try emplace here so the program output tensor doesn't get overwritten
   liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
 }
 
@@ -204,7 +206,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
     auto &lhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(0)->global_id());
     auto &rhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(1)->global_id());
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::add(lhs, rhs));
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   case ::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOpType::Multiply: {
@@ -212,7 +214,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
     auto &lhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(0)->global_id());
     auto &rhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(1)->global_id());
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::multiply(lhs, rhs));
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   case ::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOpType::Subtract: {
@@ -220,7 +222,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
     auto &lhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(0)->global_id());
     auto &rhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(1)->global_id());
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::subtract(lhs, rhs));
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   case ::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOpType::GreaterEqual: {
@@ -228,7 +230,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
     ::ttnn::Tensor &lhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(0)->global_id());
     ::ttnn::Tensor &rhs = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(1)->global_id());
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::ge(lhs, rhs));
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   /* Eltwise Unary */
@@ -236,7 +238,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::EltwiseOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
     assert(op->ins()->size() == 1 && "Unsupported number of inputs");
     ::ttnn::Tensor &in = *liveTensors.at(op->ins()->Get(0)->global_id());
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::relu(in));
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   }
@@ -258,7 +260,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::ReductionOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
 
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::sum(in, dim_arg, op->keep_dim()));
 
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   case ::tt::target::ttnn::ReductionOpType::Mean: {
@@ -272,7 +274,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::ReductionOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
 
     tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::mean(in, dim_arg, op->keep_dim()));
 
-    liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+    liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
     break;
   }
   }
@@ -286,7 +288,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::SoftmaxOp const *op, ::ttnn::device::Device &device,
   int32_t dimension = op->dimension();
 
   tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::softmax(in, dimension));
-  liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+  liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
 }
 
 static void
@@ -317,7 +319,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::TransposeOp const *op, ::ttnn::device::Device &device,
   // work at the moment, we use this temporary solution.
   auto unsqueezed_input = ::ttnn::unsqueeze_to_4D(in);
   tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::permute(unsqueezed_input, dimensionOrder));
-  liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+  liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
 }
 
 // ANCHOR: adding_an_op_matmul_runtime
@@ -329,7 +331,7 @@ run(::tt::target::ttnn::MatmulOp const *op, ::ttnn::Device &device,
   auto &rhs = *liveTensors.at(op->in1()->global_id());
   tensorPool.push_back(::ttnn::operations::matmul::matmul(
       lhs, rhs, std::nullopt, ::tt::operations::primary::Matmul{}));
-  liveTensors.try_emplace(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
+  liveTensors.insert_or_assign(op->out()->global_id(), &tensorPool.back());
 }
 // ANCHOR_END: adding_an_op_matmul_runtime