Stellar Work

Every industry has invented a substitute for the actualwork, and the best practitioners have quietly stopped using it.   Sixty episodes in, Ben spends a solo episode tracing onepattern that showed up across 40-plus practitioners in five countries. The"sticker in the drawer" wears different clothes everywhere. Sometimesit's a sprint ceremony, sometimes an AI pilot with no measurable o...

Carsten Kraus's pitch for the German Mittelstand isn't to build foundation models. It's to keep the data in-house and let other people's models run on it. Kraus has founded 12 companies and is opening the 13th. He sold a programming language to Atari at 17, built FactFinder (similarity search two years before Google's "Did you mean"), and Casablanca.ai, a face foundation model that hit 88% AUC on...

AI tools increase time-on-task by 20 to 40%. That's not a bug report, that's a UX research finding. Sophie is a UX Researcher at Citigroup with a background in Chemical Engineering. She has built and scaled research practices in both start-ups and large organisations, embedding human-centred ways of working that drive real business impact. At the crossroads of design, technology and strate...

Most engineering teams using AI are about 2x faster. Not 10x. The bottleneck moved, but nobody optimized the rest. Jeff Lee-Chan spent 10 years at Google working on YouTube, then seven years at Snapchat. He went from IC to staff engineer to engineering manager. Now he spends 20 to 30 extra hours a week experimenting with AI tools outside his day job. In this conversation, you'll hear:Why a 30-...

Summary In this episode, Ben sits down with Derek Borthwick — sales expert, bestselling author, and founder of Power2Mind — to talk about what actually makes people buy. Spoiler: it's not your pitch deck. Derek dismantles the classic "sales playbook" approach and explains why scripts, product dumps, and logical arguments consistently fail to persuade. Drawing from neuroscience, NLP,...

Summary Agility was supposed to change everything. And it did — just not always in the way we hoped. In this episode, Ben sits down with Allen Holub to talk about how agile methodology shaped the software industry, where it went off the rails, and why AI might be repeating the same mistakes. From the original promise of the Agile Manifesto to the certification industrial complex, and from develope...

Summary In this episode, Ben talks with Matas Rastenis, Senior Staff Engineer at Uber's Developer Platforms team, about what it actually looks like to bring AI tools to one of the world's largest engineering organizations  not as a flashy demo, but as production-grade infrastructure that delivers measurable impact. Matas shares how Uber approaches AI augmentation for its engineers: evaluat...

In this episode, Ben sits down with Matthias Wagner, founder and CEO of Flux AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is finally making its way into hardware engineering — a field where design tools have barely changed in decades. While software development has seen wave after wave of innovation, hardware engineers have been stuck with legacy tooling that hasn't kept up. Matthias explains ho...

Summary In this episode, I sit down with Harry Max, author of Managing Priorities , to explore why prioritization is one of the most critical — yet frustratingly difficult — skills in work and life. We unpack what makes managing priorities so challenging, and how the game changes as you move from the personal level to teams and entire organizations. Harry shares practical tips and frameworks for g...

Summary In this episode, Benjamin interviews Stuart Munton, CIO at AND Digital, discussing the transformative impact of AI on the consulting industry and software development. They explore how generative AI is reshaping business models, the importance of adapting to new technologies, and the challenges organizations face in integrating AI into their workflows. Stuart shares insights from his exper...

In this episode, Benjamin interviews Stuart Munton, CIO at AND Digital, discussing the transformative impact of AI on the consulting industry and software development. They explore how generative AI is reshaping business models, the importance of adapting to new technologies, and the challenges organizations face in integrating AI into their workflows. Stuart shares insights from his experience at...

In this conversation, Benjamin and Darja Smite explore the evolution of remote and hybrid work over the past five years, particularly in light of the pandemic. They discuss cultural differences in work practices, the impact of remote work on team dynamics and productivity, and the challenges of onboarding in a fully remote environment. The conversation also touches on the importance of social conn...

This episode features Magnus Östberg, Chief Software Officer at Mercedes-Benz, discussing how the company is transforming its approach to software and innovation. Magnus explains the development of MB.OS, their custom software platform, and how Mercedes is syncing hardware and software teams with agile methods like the ‘heartbeat.’ The conversation covers balancing tradition with fast-paced delive...

This episode dives into the substance behind “agile mindset,” stripping away jargon to uncover what really makes teams effective in complex, fast-moving environments. Karen and Christiaan share findings from their ongoing research, revealing four shared dimensions of agility within teams. Listeners gain insight into how mindsets shift — both individually and collectively — and why this matters for...

Summary This episode features a conversation between Marcelo Lopez and Benjamin, exploring themes of professional growth, the impact of AI, and the importance of critical thinking. Marcelo shares his journey as a Certified Scrum Trainer and his experiences in the tech industry, emphasizing the value of giving back and helping others. The discussion delves into the challenges of maintaining critica...

In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, Benjamin interviews Philipp Guth, the CTO of Rittal, about the company's transformation journey. Rittal, a leader in electrical enclosures and cooling solutions, is evolving from a product-centric to a solution-oriented company. Philipp discusses the need for transformation in response to increasing complexity in customer requirements and competition. H...

Summary In this episode Henrik shares his journey from software development to AI, discussing the evolution of coding practices and the impact of AI on the software industry. He delves into the Spotify model, the importance of Agile methodologies, and how AI is transforming coding and software development. Henrik also addresses hiring practices in the age of AI, the role of junior developers, and...

In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, Benjamin interviews Philipp Raasch, a prominent automotive newsletter podcaster. They discuss the current transformations in the automotive industry, including the shift from combustion engines to electric vehicles, the challenges faced by legacy automakers, and the dynamics of cost-cutting in a competitive market. Philipp shares insights on regional tr...

In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, Gitte Klitgaard, an agile coach, discusses the importance of human behavior in organizations, the role of emotional intelligence in professionalism, and the challenges managers face in creating safe and engaging work environments. She emphasizes the need for diversity in teams, the impact of leadership on company culture, and the significance of measuri...

In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, Benjamin and Timm delve into the complexities of systemic paradox management within organizations. Timm shares insights from his experiences and his book, discussing how paradoxes are inherent in decision-making processes and how organizations can better manage these challenges. The conversation explores the role of context, the impact of AI on decision...

Description In this episode of the Stellar World Podcast, Benjamin interviews Eva PenzeyMoog, author of 'Design for Safety'. They discuss the various ways technology can be weaponized for interpersonal harm, particularly in the context of domestic violence and abuse. Eva shares insights on how tech can be misused in relationships, the importance of designing products with safety in mind, a...

Description In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, Benjamin and Stefan Roock discuss the recently published Scrum Guide Expansion Pack. They explore its key features, challenges, and the implications of AI in Scrum practices. The conversation delves into the complexity of the expansion pack, the evolving role of stakeholders, and the future of AI in agile methodologies. Stefan shares his ins...

In this episode of the Stellarwork Podcast, Benjamin interviews Alisa Stolze, a Scrum at Scale trainer and author, discussing practical leadership tips, the importance of habits in team dynamics, and effective time management strategies. Alisa emphasizes the need for transparency in teams and how small changes can lead to significant improvements in productivity and team morale. Alisa Stolze: Alis...

In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, host Benjamin and agility consultant Nick Brown discuss the practical application of agile methodologies in real-world contexts. They explore the importance of understanding organizational dynamics, the significance of context in agile practices, and the challenges faced by agile coaches. Nick shares insights from his experiences, emphasizing the need f...

In this episode of the Stellar Work Podcast, Benjamin interviews Andrei Savine, a transformation leader with over 20 years of experience. They discuss the challenges of digital transformations, the importance of data in decision-making, and how AI can enhance management practices. Andrei shares insights on his platform, CapabiliSense, which aims to streamline transformation processes by analyzing...