I will discuss recent progress in understanding correlation functions of heavy protected operators in N=4 SYM in the large N limit. First I will present a general formalism for computing protected three point functions for operators whose dimensions scale with the number of colors N_c. Along the way I will demonstrate how to reconstruct explicit half-BPS operators dual to any given asymptotically AdS half-BPS background of type IIB supergravity and comment on the analogous problem for operators preserving fewer supersymmetries. Then I will revisit the holographic calculation of three-point functions of giant gravitons and single trace operators, pointing out inconsistencies in previous approaches. I will then propose a resolution to the apparent disagreement between supergravity and gauge theory in the computation of extremal correlators involving heavy probes.