MarsBased podcast - Life on Mars

MarsBased

MarsBased podcast - Life on Mars is your go-to space for technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Brought to you by MarsBased, a high-end development consultancy specializing in Ruby, JavaScript, and Python. If you are a software engineer, you can expect deep dives into tech, but we go far beyond the code. We share our first-hand expertise on remote work, company culture, management, and digital transformation based on our journey building a successful lifestyle business. Every two weeks, we sit down with the best founders, investors, experts, and celebrities from across the galaxy to hear their stories.  After years of investing heavily in the startup and tech communities in Barcelona and worldwide, we are bringing that same value to you through this channel. Follow us to join our journey! 🚀 

  1. How standardizing AI boosted our dev efficiency up to 50% | Building MarsBased

    Jun 16

    How standardizing AI boosted our dev efficiency up to 50% | Building MarsBased

    Welcome back to another episode of Building MarsBased, the series where we share the completely transparent reality of how we have built our development agency since 2014. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on our 18-month journey of adopting Artificial Intelligence within our web and mobile development workflows. The rapid evolution of large language models has completely transformed the engineering landscape. However, finding a process that actually worked for a professional agency took a lot of trial, error, and strategic pivoting.  We structured our transition into three clear parts, starting with a Divergence Phase in early 2025. During this time, we went full throttle and let our 30-person team test every tool on the market, from Cursor and Replit to ChatGPT and Raycast AI. While this freedom was an incredible learning experience, it also led to widespread analysis paralysis and left us paying for costly, unused annual subscriptions for tools that the market deprecated just weeks later. Everything changed when we entered our Convergence Phase in early 2026. We made the executive decision to standardize our entire tech stack around Claude Code and introduced a unified RPI (Research, Plan, Implement) methodology across all teams. By putting everyone on the exact same setup, we were finally able to benchmark quality and track results. This standardization triggered an immediate shift from minor marginal gains to a staggering 20% to 50% increase in developer productivity across our client projects. Today, we are operating in a continuous Refinement Phase. Through our daily internal knowledge-sharing sessions called Martian Tapas, our team constantly tests the boundaries of our setup. We are optimizing token consumption with specialized plugins like Caveman and RTK, while simultaneously experimenting with local AI models to ensure our agency maintains long-term regional independence from US-centric, VC-subsidized platforms. Watch the full episode to see exactly how we structured this rollout and how you can apply these professional frameworks to your own development team. If you have any specific questions about our infrastructure, drop a comment below and we might have our CTO, Xavi, break it down in a future video. If you appreciate honest, data-driven insights into the business of software development, please Like, Subscribe, and Share this episode! Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    32 min
  2. Why the AI slop problem is getting worse | David Okuniev (Typeform co-founder)

    May 26

    Why the AI slop problem is getting worse | David Okuniev (Typeform co-founder)

    The AI slop problem is getting worse. AI can crank out code, decks, and landing pages in minutes, but somehow everything starts to look exactly the same. That sameness is not just an aesthetic problem; it is a trust problem. I sit down with David Okuniev (Founder of Typeform and Supercut) to unpack what “taste” really means when anyone can one-shot a product, and why people still crave signals of real craft. We also dive into the hidden cost of easy creation: from small-team dynamics to a "65 PR backlog," we discuss how AI shifts the bottleneck from writing code to building a harness for shipping safely. Beyond the philosophy, we get practical about the future of async work. Supercut’s bet is that the winning Loom alternative is not just about recording your screen, it's about searchable transcripts, AI Q&A, and agentic workflows that turn a video into a document your team can act on immediately. If you care about product design, reliability, and building honest software in the AI bubble, this conversation will sharpen your thinking. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    48 min
  3. Why I left big tech to build again: The reality of being a founder

    May 12

    Why I left big tech to build again: The reality of being a founder

    What is the real difference between a CTO and a VP of Engineering? How do you build a technical team from scratch in a non-tech company? In this Road to CTO episode of the MarsBased podcast, we sit down with Emma Burrows (Ex-Google, Ex-Stripe) to talk about her incredible career path. From her time at Google to leading as CTO at Stripe Payments UK and her current jump into the founder world with Resonant, Emma shares the lessons learned at every stage of the journey. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    46 min
  4. 100x faster every 6 months: Linus Ekenstam on the future of AI

    Apr 7

    100x faster every 6 months: Linus Ekenstam on the future of AI

    The tech landscape is shifting under our feet. In this episode of Life on Mars, our CEO Àlex Rodríguez Bacardit sits down with Linus Ekenstam to discuss the 100x era, a world where technology becomes 100x faster and cheaper every 6 to 12 months. Linus breaks down why the ability to write code has moved from a competitive advantage to a basic commodity. He warns that if you are 100% dependent on a platform's reach, you are no longer in control because your boss is an algorithm. The discussion covers the 100x rule and why you must assume tech will accelerate by 100x every year to plan effectively. We explore the death of the coding moat and why execution is now a commodity while taste is the new differentiator. Linus also discusses algorithm slavery and how to humanize your brand to build your own platform for true defensibility. We also touch upon the future of teams and why MarsBased is moving toward multi-faceted engineers over specialized roles. Finally, Linus provides candid feedback on his experience consulting for giants like Adobe and shares the hilarious story of the 1,000 burger party mistake. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    1h 9m
  5. Is your NDA a rookie mistake? Lessons from 12 years in tech - Building MarsBased #7

    Mar 17

    Is your NDA a rookie mistake? Lessons from 12 years in tech - Building MarsBased #7

    Signing a non-disclosure agreement just to have an initial coffee or hear a pitch is often the ultimate "tell" that you’re a rookie in this industry.  In this episode of Building MarsBased, our CEO Àlex Rodriguez Bacardit breaks down why we stopped signing NDAs "left, right, and center" and how we transitioned into using them as a qualification tool rather than a barrier to entry. After 12 years of running MarsBased and talking to over 1,000 potential leads, we’ve found that the most "secretive" inventors often have the least to show. Àlex dives into the red flags of the "revolutionary" solopreneur and explains why established clients with significant budgets rarely demand an NDA upfront. We also share the behind-the-scenes story of how we simultaneously worked for rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona by understanding that real business secrets rarely live in the software itself.  Finally, we discuss how we use AI to spot predatory clauses in seconds, ensuring we remain business partners rather than just another service provider. Get in touch:Send your questions to hola@marsbased.com for future episodes of Building MarsBased. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    25 min
  6. Troy Hunt: 12 years of Have I Been Pwned & the truth about AI scams

    Mar 3

    Troy Hunt: 12 years of Have I Been Pwned & the truth about AI scams

    We sit down with Troy Hunt, the creator of Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), to discuss the evolution of cybersecurity over the last 12 years. We explore whether AI is truly changing the nature of data breaches, why the banking industry is still stuck with insecure SMS, and the fascinating story of how HIBP remains a lean, bootstrapped team of three people despite handling billions of queries. Troy also opens up about the 2019 acquisition process that almost changed everything and why he is ultimately glad the deal fell through. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    38 min
  7. Agency Q&A: Recruiting "Champions" and optimizing for answer engines (AEO) Building MarsBased #6

    Feb 17

    Agency Q&A: Recruiting "Champions" and optimizing for answer engines (AEO) Building MarsBased #6

    How do you find employees who care as much as the founders? And in an AI-driven world, should you stick to traditional SEO or pivot to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)? In this episode of Building MarsBased, CEO Alex Rodriguez Bacardit answers two deep-dive questions from the agency community. We explore the "Champion" profile, why former freelancers and entrepreneurs are the secret to delegation, and how MarsBased hit 30 people in 2025 by restructuring their leadership. We also discuss the marketing strategy behind their new spin-off, GPT apps. Alex explains why they are using paid ads for the first time in 12 years and how to optimize your content so AI bots recommend your brand. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    33 min
  8. Scaling a remote team: Lessons on trust, productivity, and firing | Building MarsBased #5

    Jan 27

    Scaling a remote team: Lessons on trust, productivity, and firing | Building MarsBased #5

    In this fifth episode of Building MarsBased, Àlex Rodriguez Bacardit reflects on nearly 12 years of operating as a remote-first company since 2014. Inspired by the 37signals philosophy, MarsBased was designed as a "hard remote" entity to optimize for productivity over mere presence, a model that forced the founders to defend their professional authority without a physical office during the early years. To maintain human connection in a distributed team, the company established rituals like Martian Days, quarterly in-person meetings, and Martian Tapas, where team members showcase new skills or tools. A key principle in avoiding "second-class citizens" is ensuring that no major company decisions are made during informal hangouts in Barcelona, keeping the playing field level for everyone regardless of their location. The MarsBased hiring strategy specifically filters for seniors, former entrepreneurs, or freelancers who are exceptional written communicators, as remote environments can feel isolating or "hostile" for those who lack experience in self-management. This professional maturity is supported by a streamlined tech stack, evolving from Basecamp to Linear, and a culture of 100% trust from day one, rather than a system of surveillance. While remoteness brings challenges like the "loneliness slump" around month 12, the company remains 95% faithful to its original 2014 vision. By treating employees like adults and prioritizing quality over quantity, MarsBased continues to thrive as an independent, bootstrapped lifestyle business. Support the show 🎬 You can watch the video of this episode on the Life on Mars podcast website: https://podcast.marsbased.com/

    40 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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out of 5
3 Ratings

About

MarsBased podcast - Life on Mars is your go-to space for technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Brought to you by MarsBased, a high-end development consultancy specializing in Ruby, JavaScript, and Python. If you are a software engineer, you can expect deep dives into tech, but we go far beyond the code. We share our first-hand expertise on remote work, company culture, management, and digital transformation based on our journey building a successful lifestyle business. Every two weeks, we sit down with the best founders, investors, experts, and celebrities from across the galaxy to hear their stories.  After years of investing heavily in the startup and tech communities in Barcelona and worldwide, we are bringing that same value to you through this channel. Follow us to join our journey! 🚀 

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