TL;DR
In their debut, Stefan introduced Jens and the story behind The Good Thing. They set the tone for the series: software is about trade-offs, and the “good thing” is the lesson you take from each one.
Why The Good Thing
The episode opened with the origin of the name. Their co-founder Bjorn had a habit: whenever something went wrong, he’d say, “the good thing is…” and find a positive angle. For Stefan, this captured the essence of engineering — every trade-off has a hidden upside.
Software engineering is all about trade-offs. And the reason we decided with The Good Thing is because with every trade-off, there is a good thing.
Getting to know Jens
Beyond his role as CEO, Jens has a life few know about: he loves dancing, is passionate about techno, and almost became a professional mono-skier. At 18, a motorbike accident left him relearning how to walk over two years. That experience shaped how he approaches uncertainty and resilience in his career.
From carpentry to composition
Originally on track to become a carpenter, Jens shifted to software after the accident. Later, at Tyk, he worked on graphql-go-tools, which became the foundation for WunderGraph Cosmo.
If you want to build a successful startup, you just need a bunch of people… you need to be a person that other people like to work with.
Lessons for developers
Looking back, Jens shared advice for younger engineers:
- Go deep into fundamentals until you have clarity — it prevents impostor syndrome.
- Programming isn’t just code, it’s turning customer requirements into working products.
- Stay close to customers — the most rewarding work is solving real problems.
Looking ahead
The episode ended with Stefan teasing future stories — Jens’s time at Tyk, raising funding, and the near-death of WunderGraph’s first product — while promising a new episode every Friday.
This episode was directed by Jacob Javor. Transcript lightly edited for clarity and flow.
