AI PM Lab

Scaling means trusting others to lead.

In this TEQ Shift Podcast episode, Viktor Calabro reflects on the toughest lesson for founders: learning to step back. From letting go of control to building remote-first companies that balance freedom with structure, his insights offer a roadmap for scaling sustainably.

We cover:
✅ Why founders often become the bottleneck
✅ How to balance freedom and accountability in remote-first teams
✅ The hidden rules that make autonomy work
✅ Building leadership layers to carry responsibility
✅ Why burnout forces a shift in leadership style

👉 Read more: Beyond the Founder’s Grip: Scaling Remote-First Companies with Trust and Structure

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

The Illusion of Speed: Real transformation is measured in years, not quarters.

Digital transformation is often sold as something you can deliver in months. But according to Dr. Michael Müller-Wünsch, CIO and Board Member at OTTO Group, true transformation is a marathon, not a sprint.

In this TEQ Shift Podcast episode, Dr. Müller-Wünsch explains why cultural change, business alignment, and patient leadership matter more than fast restructuring or rushing into cloud projects.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:30 Why speed in transformation is an illusion

04:50 The role of culture and mindset in change

09:15 Lessons from OTTO Group’s long-term journey

13:40 Balancing autonomy with alignment

18:00 Why tech alone can’t drive transformation

22:15 Advice for CIOs and leaders

26:00 Final takeaways

👉 Read the blog: https://www.createq.com/en/insights/why-digital-transformation-takes-years-not-quarters

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.

💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

Batch is history. The future of data is in motion.

In this TEQ Shift Podcast episode, Kai Waehner (Global Field CTO, Confluent) shares why static dashboards and batch reports no longer cut it in the AI era. From fraud detection to real-time customer experiences, streaming data provides the context that powers proactive AI and agile businesses.

We cover:

✅ Why static dashboards create blind spots

✅ The role of streaming in powering agentic AI

✅ Industry examples already using streaming today

✅ How leaders can shift from batch to data in motion

✅ Practical steps to start small and scale smart

👉 Read more: https://www.createq.com/en/insights/why-streaming-data-powers-the-ai-era

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.

💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

Monoliths once kept enterprises stable. Now they’re holding them back.

In this TEQ Shift Podcast episode, Alexander Martens breaks down why event-driven architectures are essential for agility in the AI era. From avoiding innovation bottlenecks to integrating real-time AI systems, this conversation offers leaders a practical guide to breaking free from legacy constraints.

We discuss:
✅ Why monolithic systems slow down innovation
✅ The benefits of modular, event-driven architectures
✅ Common pitfalls: integration complexity and governance gaps
✅ Five hacks for incremental adoption
✅ Leadership’s role in guiding the transition

👉 Read more: https://www.createq.com/en/insights/practical-guide-to-event-driven-architecture🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

Real AI transformation doesn’t start with models. It starts with people.

In this TEQ Shift Podcast episode, Josip Lazarevski shares lessons from leading digital and AI adoption at Johnson Controls and Palo Alto Networks. From legacy chillers to cutting-edge cyber security, he explains why trust, clarity, and leadership are the real drivers of AI success.

We discuss:
✅ Why “AI for humanity” should be the guiding principle
✅ How to modernise legacy industries without losing people
✅ The hidden costs of chasing AI hype
✅ Avoiding burnout in digital transformation projects
✅ Building trust and value from day one

👉 Read more insights: http://www.createq.com/en/insights/preventing-burnout-in-ai-development-teams

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

Agentic AI is here—and it’s changing how we think about building, deploying, and scaling intelligent systems. But speed without structure is a trap.

In this episode of the TEQ Shift Podcast, Dr. Stefan Ebener, Head of Customer Engineering for Google Cloud in Germany, shares why architecture—not hype—will determine who wins in the agentic AI era.

Discover how to:
✅ Build AI systems that act, not just respond.
✅ Design architectures that support autonomy, integration, and governance.
✅ Avoid the costliest mistakes in scaling AI.
✅ Move from PoC to production without losing business focus.
✅ Align AI with strategy to deliver lasting value.

“If you skip the foundation, you’re building on sand. Agentic AI is powerful—but it’s not magic.” — Dr. Stefan Ebener

Read more: Why architecture wins in the Agentic AI era

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and insights.

Most corporate innovation fails long before a pilot launches. Why? Because it’s not tied to a real business problem.

In this episode, Dr. Philipp Gneiting, former Head of Open Innovation at Mercedes-Benz, breaks down why so many startup partnerships stall—and how the venture client model changes everything.

✅ Stop mentoring. Start buying.
✅ Define use cases with budgets attached.
✅ Shift from innovation theatre to real value.

We talk about:
– Why PoCs aren’t enough
– The biggest bottleneck inside large companies
– How to build startup partnerships that deliver

Takeaways
– Innovation doesn’t work without internal ownership
– Time-to-value is the only KPI that matters
– Venture clienting is built for impact, not optics

Want more? Read the article from this episode: https://www.createq.com/en/insights/why-most-corporate-innovation-fails-before-it-starts
🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

You can build the product.
But can you convince someone to run their warehouse on it?

In this episode of the TEQ Shift Podcast, Hendrik Thamer—CEO and co-founder of Cellumation—shares the hard lessons behind scaling a deep tech system into one of the most risk-sensitive industries: intra-logistics.

What began as a university spin-off is now a modular conveyor platform powered by AI, vision, and software-defined flexibility. But what makes the system work isn’t just tech. It’s trust.

Hendrik opens up about leading through long sales cycles, engineering-team focus, and the mindset shift from researcher to founder-CEO.

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Build trust when your tech is mission-critical
✅ Shorten long sales cycles by solving human fears
✅ Shift from tech-first to use-case-first conversations
✅ Balance standardisation and flexibility in modular systems
✅ Scale globally while staying credible as a startup
✅ Lead product teams where hardware and software evolve on different clocks

Want more?
Find everything from this episode at https://www.createq.com/en/insights/what-founders-learn-fast-in-deep-tech – insights, links, and expert takeaways.

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

Most companies rush into cloud, AI, and compliance tooling, without a clear goal. Christian Scholz believes that’s backwards.

In this episode of the TEQ Shift Podcast, the VP of Cloud Business at Arvato Systems—and lead architect behind Google Wallet—shares what 30+ years in the field have taught him: IT should follow business, not the buzz.

Christian explains why tech doesn’t need to move faster—it needs to move with purpose. And how business-aligned strategy, not just modern stacks, is what actually scales.

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Avoid “cloud-first” traps that never deliver value
✅ Measure real risk—in budget, not buzzwords
✅ Structure a vision teams can believe in (and rally behind)
✅ Use proof-of-concepts to validate strategy, not chase trends
✅ Lead transformation with transparency, honesty, and people
✅ Focus on direction over noise in a hype-saturated market

Want more?
Find everything from this episode at www.createq.com/en/podcast – insights, links, and expert takeaways.

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.

Most companies treat IT like plumbing, until it breaks. But Markus Sontheimer has spent decades proving that when tech leads the strategy, it drives the business.

In this episode of the TEQ Shift Podcast, Markus shares the playbook behind real digital transformation: the 8-Spoke IT Transformation Wheel. From his time as CIO at Mercedes-Benz, DB Schenker, Deutsche Bank, and most recently Group CIDO at ISS, Markus has led IT in four industries and turned it into a competitive weapon.

We talk about what actually works when modernising legacy landscapes, aligning global teams, and making tech visible where it matters most: the boardroom.

You’ll learn how to:
✅ Move from decentralised chaos to a scalable tech strategy
✅ Reframe IT from “cost centre” to growth engine
✅ Build internal capability without over-relying on consultants
✅ Align business and tech through cross-functional ownership
✅ Kill the myth of business vs. IT
✅ Apply the 8 transformation dimensions—from architecture to culture

Want more?
Find everything from this episode at https://www.createq.com/en/insights/from-theory-to-impact-a-practical-data-framework-for-tech-leaders – insights, links, and expert takeaways.

🎧 Listen, watch, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music to stay ahead in AI-driven software development.
💬 Join the conversation! Drop your questions and comments.