--- title: "Gene Kim in Munich — Recap | XALT Northstar" url: https://xalt-northstar.com/events/gene-kim-munich/ description: "Recap of the evening with Gene Kim in Munich: keynote, fishbowl discussion and three practitioner perspectives on AI augmentation, compliance and failing fast." updated: 2026-10-04 source: XALT Northstar --- XALT AI Circle · Event #1 · Munich # Gene Kim in Munich — Recap The evening to look back on: keynote, discussion and fishbowl. Gene Kim at the Drivers & Business Club Munich. [Join the wait list →](#warteliste) [The evening in review](#programm) ![Gene Kim laughing on stage in Munich next to a guest holding a copy of Vibe Coding, in front of a screen reading “The Community for AI Leaders”](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/gene-kim-keynote-munich.jpg) May 4, 2026 Drivers & Business Club Munich Keynote · Fishbowl · Dinner [Next event →](#warteliste) The recording of the evening is password-protected. You received the password with your invitation email. [Watch the recording on xalt.de](https://www.xalt.de/en/gene-kim-event/) Topics ## Why this evening mattered Four perspectives, one thread. The companies acting now are defining tomorrow’s market. - **Infrastructure beats code** The new competitive edge isn’t the algorithm — it’s the ability to scale AI infrastructure faster than the competition. - **Hiring freeze meets talent shortage** Can’t find senior developers? Neither can your competitors. Companies that don’t bet on AI augmentation now fall behind — in quarters, not years. - **Compliance as an advantage, not a brake** GDPR, NIS2, the AI Act — German companies see regulation as a brake. The winners use shift-left as a strategic lead. - **Failing as a strategy** Flow, feedback, continuous learning — Gene Kim’s core principles. Whoever fails faster learns faster. Whoever learns faster wins. ## Books by Gene Kim The foundations for the evening. - ![Book cover: The Phoenix Project](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/book-the-phoenix-project.jpg) - ![Book cover: The Phoenix Project (German edition)](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/book-the-phoenix-project-german.jpg) - ![Book cover: Vibe Coding](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/book-vibe-coding.jpg) - ![Book cover: The Phoenix Project graphic novel, Vol. 1](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/book-graphic-novel-vol-1.jpg) - ![Book cover: The Phoenix Project graphic novel, Vol. 2](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/book-graphic-novel-vol-2.jpg) - ![Book cover: The Phoenix Project graphic novel, Vol. 3](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/book-graphic-novel-vol-3.jpg) ![Gene Kim speaking at a lectern in front of an audience](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/gene-kim-on-stage.jpg) Keynote Speaker ## Gene Kim Founder of IT Revolution Advisor to Fortune 500 companies worldwide. He advises Cisco, Disney and John Deere. His framework is used at Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Author of *The Phoenix Project* (1M+ copies, 24 languages) and *Vibe Coding* (2026, Axiom Gold Medal). 30+ years of research in DevOps & IT transformation. This was his first talk in Munich. Three perspectives from practice ## Not a lecture on theory Three entrepreneurs showed what happens when you take Gene Kim’s principles seriously. - ![Portrait of Robin Tiburtius](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/robin-tiburtius.jpg) Vibe coding without IT skills **Robin Tiburtius** Built his own projects with AI without a developer background — the reality check for everyone in the room. Practical experience as a non-developer, an honest account without a sales pitch, the bridge between business and technology. - ![Portrait of Philipp Göllner](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/peter-steinberger/philipp-goellner.jpg) 10 years of XALT — AI-first **Philipp Göllner** From Atlassian consultant to AI-first company. How Gene Kim’s principles transformed a German consulting firm. DevOps principles across 10 years of practice, vibe coding inside his own company, full circle: theory meets reality. - ![Portrait of Marco Burkhardt](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/gene-kim-munich/marco-burkhardt.jpg) AI transformation in day-to-day business **Marco Burkhardt** The entrepreneur’s view: what it takes to get teams on board and turn AI from a buzzword into a competitive advantage. Transformation from an owner’s perspective, practice instead of a pilot project, strategy meets execution. Program ## The evening in review Drivers & Business Club Munich · May 4, 2026 ![Brick building of the Drivers & Business Club Munich at dusk, with a lit path in front](https://xalt-northstar.com/assets/events/peter-steinberger/drivers-business-club-munich.jpg) 1. Reception **Reception & Networking** Arrive and connect over drinks. 2. Opening **Welcome** The evening’s theses — and why this room is no coincidence. 3. Keynote **Keynote: Gene Kim** The author of The Phoenix Project and advisor to Fortune 500 companies on the next disruption: vibe coding, AI augmentation, and why speed is the new moat. 4. Practice **Three perspectives from practice** Not a lecture on theory — three entrepreneurs show what happens when you take Gene Kim’s principles seriously. 5. Fishbowl **Fishbowl discussion** No fixed panel. Chairs sit in the middle — anyone who wants to contribute joins in. That’s how dialogue happens instead of Q&A theater. 6. Dinner **Dinner & wind-down** The best conversations happen after the program. A shared dinner, deeper connections, and the start of a network that extends beyond this evening. More from the evening is password-protected on xalt.de. The password came with your invitation email. [Watch the recording on xalt.de](https://www.xalt.de/en/gene-kim-event/) Wait list ## Join the wait list for the next event We’re already planning the next XALT event. On 2 November, we’ll be meeting Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw. Want to join us? [Find all the details here →](https://xalt-northstar.com/events/peter-steinberger/) Event #2 of the XALT AI Circle, Munich. Keep the conversation going ## Meet us at these user groups Couldn’t make it? Even if you missed this evening — the conversations continue. Regularly, free of charge, with the same people. - **OpenClaw Munich** The Munich community around OpenClaw, agentic engineering and AI-augmented development. Talks, demos, honest exchange. Munich · monthly meetups - **Munich Artificial Intelligence Meetup** Munich’s largest AI community. Talks, discussions and networking around applied artificial intelligence — from research to product. Munich · regular meetups - **Atlassian Community Event Leipzig** The Leipzig ACE community: users, admins and partners around Jira, Confluence and the Atlassian ecosystem. Pragmatic exchange, real use cases. Leipzig · regular meetups - **Atlassian Community Event Munich** The Munich ACE community: users, admins and partners around Jira, Confluence and the Atlassian ecosystem. Pragmatic exchange, real use cases. Munich · regular meetups --- XALT Northstar Gene Kim in Munich, May 4, 2026: Event #1 of the XALT AI Circle. Built by XALT. 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