Welcome back to Mayhem & Masterplans, where Max, Simon, and Andreas explore the sweet spot between structure and spontaneity—one spreadsheet, one leadership anecdote, and one interrupted intro at a time. This week, we ask the question: Do numbers kill creativity - or can they be the foundation for trust, stability, and a healthier workplace culture?

In this episode, we:

🔹 Argued about analytics and intros – Do Max’s musical openings cause YouTube drop-offs? Is there such a thing as overcommunication? Simon investigates the stats. Andreas just wants to move on.

🔹 Dug into the difference between Entrepreneurs and Unternehmers – Is your business built for a flashy exit or for generational wealth? Max lays out the distinction, Andreas challenges the definitions, and Simon quietly contemplates the future of Mittelstand legacy.

🔹 Talked numbers vs. narrative – Are spreadsheets your north star, or just a safety blanket? From miller beer imports to stock photo disruption, we break down how numbers tell a story—but never the whole one.

🔹 Explored trust in the workplace – With declining faith in media and politics, the company you work for might just be the most trusted institution in your life. We unpack what that means for internal comms, leadership, and long-term employee engagement.

🔹 Highlighted the human factor – From Max’s sister in Tunisia to Duncan Donuts’ loyal staff, it turns out clear expectations, mutual respect, and being treated like a person (not a “resource”) can drive retention and culture better than free pizza ever could.

🔹 Got real about leadership comms – Overproduced videos don’t create connection. Instead, we make the case for informal, eye-level communication—think internal podcasts, weekly check-ins, and just talking with people, not to them.

🔹 Ended on a musical note – New week, new streaks, and no kid songs in sight:

🎵 Countless Skies – Be'lakor (Andreas leveling up his melodic death metal game)

🎵 Over & Over (Marsh Remix) – Leo Wood, Marsh (Simon finally breaks the children’s music curse)

🎵 Trying to Find a World That’s Been and Gone – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (Max getting wistful with Britpop brilliance)

Subscribe to Mayhem & Masterplans wherever you get your podcasts—and follow us for business takes, leadership therapy, and the occasional mic drop moment:

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🎙️ Mayhem & Masterplans is produced by Hypecast Productions

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Welcome back to Mayhem & Masterplans, where Max, Simon, and Andreas prove once again that you don’t need a unicorn valuation to have sharp insights - just a mic, a business model, and maybe a good Italian espresso. This week, we dig into the story behind Bending Spoons, the Milan-based tech juggernaut quietly building an empire by acquiring apps, cutting costs, and rewriting the playbook on buy vs. build.

In this episode, we:

🔹 Unpacked the rise of Bending Spoons – From building mobile apps in Milan to acquiring Evernote, Meetup, Komoot, and even WeTransfer. Simon walks us through how they buy, refactor, and relaunch tools with leaner teams, and Andreas wants to know: does gutting the original dev team ever work?

🔹 Debated tech takeovers – Can you really hand over a full product to a new engineering team and expect it to thrive? Simon breaks down the logic behind rewriting from scratch, and Andreas asks what’s actually preserved: the user base, the logo… or just the brand equity?

🔹 Explored business model evolution – Is this the anti-VC model Europe’s been waiting for? Max contrasts Bending Spoons with Germany’s Platform Group and argues we might be seeing the rise of private equity for product-led growth.

🔹 Talked synergy and scale – From shared analytics stacks to AWS discounts and centralized marketing, the crew discusses how backend efficiency fuels Bending Spoons' operating model—and where that can (and can’t) scale across different tech stacks.

🔹 Questioned the VC hype cycle – Remember 15-minute grocery delivery apps? So do we. Andreas and Max unpack the problem with unicorn chasing and argue for building long-term category leaders instead of burning cash on blitzscale dreams.

🔹 Got real about European ambition – Are European founders too cautious—or just more sustainable? Max argues that Germany’s family-owned Mittelstand is ready to think global, while Andreas points out that most prefer stability over scale.

🔹 Found some mayhem in Berlin’s public transport – Spoiler: random strikes are not a scalable mobility solution.

And, of course, we are closing the episode with our musicial choices for the week – From metalcore to moody pop to mellow guitar solos, here’s what’s been in our ears last:

🎵 Evidence – Lamb of God (Andreas repping metal and coincidence-core)

🎵 Watch – Billie Eilish (Simon brings mayhem with moody minimalism)

🎵 Last Train Home – John Mayer (Max cools it down with some soft rock soul)

Subscribe to Mayhem & Masterplans wherever you get your podcasts - and follow us for behind-the-scenes chaos, unsolicited business takes, and occasional existential crises:

📍 Max

📍 Simon

📍 Andreas

This podcast is produced by Hypecast Productions

#MayhemAndMasterplans #BendingSpoons #TechAcquisitions #BuyVsBuild #CategoryPlays #EuropeanTech #PodcastingWithPurpose #CorporateChaos

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Welcome back to Mayhem & Masterplans, where Max, Simon, and Andreas take on the tech hype cycle, corporate chaos, and the philosophical weight of living in an age where machines can write your emails and steal your soul (maybe).

This week, we’re talking AI—not just the buzzword, but the reality of what it means for creators, developers, businesses, and basically anyone who’s been alive since 2022.

In this episode, we:

🔹 Debated the hype vs. the utility – Andreas is allergic to hype (and crypto), but cautiously optimistic about what AI can actually automate. Max wonders if we’ll soon label podcasts like we label meat: AI-generated vs. “free-range”. And Simon’s just out here doing the real work and reaping the benefits.

🔹 Explored AI in developer workflows – Why are some devs resisting AI tools, even as others are shouting 10x productivity from the rooftops? Simon thinks it’s a mindset issue. Max thinks it’s because devs are secretly the most conservative profession in tech. Andreas thinks it’s about whether you care more about the process or the product.

🔹 Got metaphorical – Photography. Punk rock. Slide decks. The gang finds parallels between different crafts and how AI changes the game for beginners vs. experts. If you’re mediocre, AI might make you better. If you’re great, it might just make you… average.

🔹 Talked politics, of course – From Bernie and AOC rallies to Chuck Schumer critiques and brain drain from the U.S. to Europe. Somehow, the Max Planck Institute, Morgan Stanley, and open AI labs in Munich all came up. (You know. The usual.)

🔹 Complained about investor buzzwords – Just because your startup now says “AI-powered” doesn’t mean it’s not the same boring HR tool from 2019.

🔹 Ended with music, as always – because no discussion of artificial intelligence is complete without a soundtrack made by real humans (or at least curated by them):

🎵 Sweet Dreams – Super Simple Songs (Simon, keeping the kids’ music streak alive)

🎵 Not Nothing – Dark Tranquillity (Andreas, adding some Swedish melodic death metal to the mix)

🎵 I’m Still Standing – Elton John (Max, throwing it back with resilient glam pop vibes)

Subscribe to Mayhem & Masterplans wherever you get your podcasts—and follow us for behind-the-scenes banter, tech skepticism, and all the glorious mess of figuring it out while the robots take notes.

This podcast is produced by Hypecast Productions

#MayhemAndMasterplans #AI #DeveloperDebates #PodcastingInTheAgeOfMachines #BusinessWithAGlitch

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