What has happened since? A lot. An economic crisis, a pandemic, AI revolutions, chess boxing, learning journeys, conferences online and offline, cardboard engineering, software, a Schaltzeit publishing house (which now stands on its own two feet), research projects – and loads of (crazy) ideas, playful experiments and project firefighting missions from hell.
Nostalgia may not be the strong suit of foresight and ideation, but right now we’re looking back anyway – on the 20 years we’ve been around. Schaltzeit was never just a company, more an ongoing project: What happens if you stay curious?
An idea from 2006 really did grow into something – it became a place. Not a place in the sense of an “address” (though that too), but the kind of place where people come together, try things out, think ideas through to the end – or deliberately don’t.
On March 26, 2026, we raised a glass to our anniversary with the whole team, family & friends, our network and the clients who have helped shape our journey so far. The evening turned into exactly what we had hoped for on our 20th birthday: an evening of beautiful moments, real conversations, the odd teary eye – and plenty of energy and curiosity for the next 20 years.
Where the journey might take us over the next 20 years was already captured that evening: between the bar and the dance floor, we collected predictions for 2046 that are guaranteed to be wrong – or maybe not. The top 5 forecasts were:
- Men and women understand each other without words.
- You can transform into a plant.
- Schaltzeit has been forgotten.
- Online dating is out. Really!
- André retires to the sofa.
What do you think?
Thank you 💜 to everyone who has thought along, pitched in and argued with us over the past 20 years. To those who came, left their mark and moved on – and somehow stayed. And thanks to everyone who celebrated with us on March 27, 2026!
André & André and the entire Schaltzeit team
