Welcome to my little corner of the online world. I am originally from a small town in Germany, no coastline, no sailboats, just a lot of hills and vineyards and a teenage crush who turned out to be the love of my life. Fast forward a few decades, and we are living by the Jersey Shore near New York City, having raised four fantastic kids (yes, twins are part of the deal), and spending our days sailing, learning new things, and enjoying a retirement that feels almost suspiciously perfect.

The road here was anything but straight. I studied Computer Science at University of Karlsruhe (now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) in Germany, where I had a full-time job as research and teaching assistant while working on my Ph.D. As I was putting the final touches on my thesis, I got invited to Bell Labs Research in the USA for what I thought would be a short one-year visit. Thirteen years later, I somehow ended up as Head of Bell Labs Research, leading the prestigious global research organization of close to a thousand brilliant minds and fascinating problems.

After an incredible run geeking out at Bell Labs—building cool tech with great teams that make you forget it is actually work—and three fun semesters teaching as Adjunct Professor at Columbia University in New York, my wife (yep, the same wonderful girl I fell for back in high school) and I have reached that sweet spot in life where we can say, “Now it’s our turn.” It is an opportunity to fully enjoy ourselves, chase the fun, and savor every moment. That is why we chose to retire. And doing it this early feels like winning the lottery of time. We know just how lucky we are to be able to make it happen.

We have traded deadlines for spontaneity, ready to visit our kids wherever they land, tackle that moody diesel engine on our sailboat, and sail wherever the wind will blow us for however long we want. Whether it is learning new things, coaching and helping others, or just drifting along the coast with no plan and plenty of snacks, we are diving into this next chapter with excitement and a healthy dose of curiosity. And if you are interested in learning more about my professional background, I invite you to click on this link. And if you are curious where the wind is blowing us these days, we invite you to check out our sailing blog.