Hi, I’m Stefan Zils
Eifel42 is my space to share insights from my journey as a software developer, architect, and in business and product ownership. I explore topics such as effective software design, organizational structure, innovative business strategies, and the embrace of digital change. Driven by curiosity, I ask what can work for organizations and what we can learn from our projects, teams, and even Mother Nature. Let’s discover together how we can make a meaningful impact!
The name comes from two inspirations: part geography and part homage. The Eifel is a wild, romantic low mountain range situated between the Rhine and Mosel valleys, where I live. It is also the ancestral home of engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose family originated from this region. The “42” refers to Douglas Adams’ famous answer to life, the universe, and everything.
The Eifel’s diverse landscape—green highlands and fertile valleys, vast forests and volcanic Maare (crater lakes), the slate slopes of Schieferland—offers unexpected inspiration. Watching how natural systems evolve, adapt through feedback, and renew themselves provides insights that translate surprisingly well to organizations, business innovation, and software systems.