Ben
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stellarwork.com
Ben
@stellarwork.com
I analyze tech companies through interviews and data. Besides that I run a podcast, angel investments, and I'm a mentor at the German Association for Engineering Management. 💻 https://www.stellarwork.com/
Magnus’s advice for leaders navigating transformation:
1. Embrace standards - Stop reinventing wheels
2. Go open source - Your base software isn’t your differentiator
3. Software first, always - Less talking about specs, more building
But here’s the gem: “People don’t like to be changed.”
December 22, 2025 at 6:45 AM
How come people laugh at this but run a corporate where they let 20 sales people (let’s call them Gary) approach 2 engineering teams, dumping requirements like they order at McDonalds drive through 🤷‍♂️
December 21, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Deloitte is eating its own dogfood. Finally. And it tastes terrible.
The future of these agencies will be: Small, AI powered and highly profitable.
The race on who finds out how to do this reliable, professional and actually valuable.
December 21, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Happy weekend everyone! Have you had a chance to read the tech and management news of this week? Heres a summary of what I read:

open.substack.com/pub/stellarw...
December 20, 2025 at 6:30 AM
The “Heartbeat” - How Mercedes syncs 1000+ people building hardware AND software together.

The result? Fast software delivery that doesn’t forget you’re building a 2-ton machine.
stellarwork.start.page
December 19, 2025 at 8:15 AM
“You’re always talking about a 3 to 5 year journey” - Magnus on transformation timelines
Three years in. Results showing up in the new CLA. But Magnus says they’re just hitting their stride now.
December 17, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Ever wondered what it takes to teach a legacy automaker new tricks? Magnus Östberg, Chief Software Officer at Mercedes-Benz, is doing exactly that.

Get the full episode over here: stellarwork.start.page
December 15, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I read the news and made you a quick summary on everything about Tech Management and Transformation that Ive been interested in:

open.substack.com/pub/stellarw...

Oh and if you like this newsletter. Make sure to let me know ❤️ Thx
December 13, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Sometimes the best answer to a buzzwordy thing. Is to actually take on a scientific approach, dissect it into tangible things.
And thats exactly what Karen and Christiaan did.
We made an episode about their research on the Agile Mindset and Team Effectiveness.
Take a look: stellarwork.start.page
December 9, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Im continuing the Newsletter project.
No ads, no paid subscriptions just a quick list of things I read this week 😊
Enjoy!

open.substack.com/pub/stellarw...
December 6, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Can an agile mindset be "made"?
In our latest episode im interviewing Karen and Christiaan on their research.

Get the full episode over here on your favorite player: stellarwork.start.page
And yes. You can find all the videos on YouTube as well. Enjoy 😘
December 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Let’s see where this takes me…
Anyone of you already though with it?
December 3, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Dr. Karen Eilers and Christiaan Verwjis are scientifically exploring what this ominous "aGiLe MiNdSeT" is.

In our latest episode were uncovering their findings on their research paper: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
December 1, 2025 at 7:45 AM
What does a Freiburg office with no nameplate, a 12-year chip bet, and the wrong battery chemistry have in common?

They're all in this week's newsletter. And they all teach something about long-term strategic thinking vs. short-term optimization.

open.substack.com/pub/stellarw...
November 29, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I've reached a 48-week posting streak with Buffer!
November 29, 2025 at 12:04 AM
My latest episode is with Marcelo Lopez.
We were talking about how we all operate under invisible assumptions that we never question.
Marcelo used this phrase:
“paradigm-induced blindness.”
Get the full episode over here: stellarwork.start.page
November 28, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Marcelo and I have been talking about probably the most interesting study on AI 2025.
arxiv.org/pdf/2506.08872
November 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
During our recent discussion, Marcelo brought up the concept of paradigm-induced blindness, which was a key topic in our episode. This idea suggests that when people are entrenched in a particular way of thinking, they may become oblivious to new opportunities or solutions outside of that framework.
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Although expanding agile practices often involves different terminologies and organizing meetings, I started to ponder... how aligned do you truly need to be? I had a conversation with Marcelo, and we came up with an excellent analogy.
Get the full episode over here: stellarwork.start.page
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 PM
It appears that critical thinking has left the chat 😱.

I’m not sure about you, but whenever I engage with AI, I tend to accept its outputs without questioning them, simply because they seem persuasive... In our latest episode, I explore this very subject with Marcelo Lopez.
November 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
This weeks episode is a fun one.
Marcelo has been working everywhere in tech it seams and has a track record longer than his beard. Were covering everything from agile to how AI is affecting our way of working.
stellarwork.start.page
November 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
One thing Philipp shared really stuck with me: at Rittal, rapid prototyping in hardware isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a muscle. By testing ideas quickly, their teams bring new solutions to life without getting bogged down by perfection early on.
stellarwork.start.page
November 12, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Phew, finally done editing the episode with Marcelo Lopez!
Its about critical thinking in business and how it became even more important in the age of AI.

Its a fun episode that i really enjoyed making. also thats why its crazy long 😵‍💫

It'll air next monday, so stay tuned😉
November 11, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Why gamble everything on a big bang rollout? Rittal’s strategy starts change with a small pilot team experiment, learn, and then scale. It’s a practical way to discover what works and build trust before taking the leap across the whole organization.
November 10, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Transforming your company when things are going well might feel counterintuitive, but Philipp’s “fix the roof when the sun is shining” mantra makes a lot of sense. When times are good, you have the resources and headspace to prepare for future challenges.
-> stellarwork.start.page
November 7, 2025 at 9:45 AM