cxomni Employee Talk

You have been developer and Co-Founder from the very beginning. What was your motivation back then not to continue on the corporate career path, but to join our young startup?
For me, the decision was not difficult when I had to decide whether I wanted to work in a large company or in a startup. Because I already knew cxomni from before, more precisely from my time as a self-employed person from the beginning. The attraction of joining the startup completely was that I could continue projects I had already helped with. Before that, I was employed for a year in a global company and had hardly any decision-making opportunities there, or every decision, no matter how small, dragged on for months. In addition, I didn’t have the feeling that I could grow there. In the end, each employee was only responsible for a defined area. That’s why it wasn’t very difficult for me to decide in favor of cxomni. Especially since I already knew the team in advance and was therefore sure that I could do my job more effectively and happily in such an environment. So far, I have not regretted my decision, because I can still leave the workplace at the end of each day with the feeling that I have made progress.

You were our first colleague as “developer number 1”, working fully remotely many hundreds of kilometers away from our company location. I know that in the beginning you were worried that you would miss your colleagues in the coffee kitchen and at lunch. How has it all developed for you over the years? You have a family and children. What has that meant to you in terms of working from home in recent years?
“Family and kids” help shape my work from home office. As a self-employed person, I have worked partly in a home office before. The coffee kitchen or the joint lunch, which I knew from previous jobs, just now replace occasional web sessions or my two children. Since my wife works as a teacher and we have a very nice neighborhood, there is enough variety and exchange opportunities. Working in a home office means for me that I am quickly “at home”. Sometimes I even need a moment to switch between the working world and my private life. However, I would not want to miss the gain in life time that I have. Working from home may not be the right option for everyone, but for me it is a huge enrichment.

What does a typical working day at cxomni look like for you?
Fortunately, there is no such thing. It’s never boring here, although my workday is pretty structured. We usually start with a joint daily in which we organize and plan our tasks. As an “old hand”, however, I am entrusted with a multitude of different tasks, thanks to which many days turn out differently than I thought at the beginning. On a normal working day, I first discuss the current status of our projects with my colleagues, deal with urgent e-mails and then I plan, coordinate, discuss, help, check and program – depending on what is at hand. Optimally, I have a “focus time” scheduled every day, where I throw myself into tasks that require a lot of concentration.

What was your most interesting work experience in the last few weeks?
I can’t name a specific example right now. However, I always find it interesting, when clarifying some conflicts, it turns out that everyone involved is pursuing the same goal or the same idea. Actually, in retrospect, I think the energy and time could have been used elsewhere. Nevertheless, a team grows even with unnecessary conflicts, which can positively influence future cooperation. Perhaps this is a realization that an AI would not come to: The most effective or direct path is not always the best path in the long run.

What else have you – despite your enormous expertise – recently learned yourself or taught others?
The other day, I got involved with GraphQL for the first time. Rarely do days go by when I don’t learn something new. Software development changes so fast that as a developer you should never stand still. And that’s what characterizes most developers: They always want to move forward and improve. Techniques and methods are replaced by others, disappear or reappear in a new guise.