Waiting with Resonance
Osnabrück Airport is small, quiet, almost rural. As I wait for my flight to Munich, where the Nextcloud Summit 2025 takes place, more thoughts are whirling through my mind than flights departing from this gate. This moment of standstill contrasts sharply with the weeks that preceded it: chaotic, heavy, but also healing.
“Sometimes a stopover offers the sharpest view of your destination.”
The burden of aviation
Let me be clear right away: I'm flying reluctantly today. Serious thought has been given to alternatives – exploring train routes, calculating timetables, considering CO2 impact. In the end I came to the conclusion that otherwise I simply could not be on time, not equipped, or not even present at this summit. It feels awkward to choose a polluting means of transport for a meeting on digital autonomy and sustainable IT. But sometimes idealism is not black and white.
“Anyone who does not want to compromise will not get anywhere.”
Confusion and Progress
The last period was all about cleaning up personal storms. Not everything can be captured in LinkedIn updates: care calls, waiting rooms, paperwork. We have completed a number of things that have been open for a long time, and at the same time we have taken up the thread again at our association campsite – a place where work and well-being meet. The balance returns.
‘Whoever creates order in the small makes room for the big.’
Back to the Technical Tone
Despite everything – or perhaps precisely because of it – I have started a new assignment with renewed energy. A context where I can really lose my technical baggage, architectural gaze and communicative experience. I expect not only to contribute, but also to be challenged. And that's exactly where I do best.
“Good technology solves problems. Great technology prevents them from arising.”
Nextcloud as Compass
For me, the Nextcloud Summit is more than just a conference. It is a meeting place for people who believe in digital self-determination, open standards and a sovereign Europe. I look forward to the conversations, the inspiration and the feeling of togetherness. We're at a tipping point, and that's exactly where I want to be.
“Sovereignty starts with who owns your data – and that should be you.”
Stickers with a Statement
I hope that in Munich I not only expand my network, but also see a smile appear when I hand out the new Data-Pro stickers. They carry a message that more and more people are beginning to understand:
“If data is the new oil, why are we giving it away?”
English (UK)