I'm Max Tietz - a developer who builds small projects, shipped lightning-fast and at high quality, while keeping costs down. AI is the tool; two decades of building is what makes the output good.
I've been writing software for most of my life. In 2015 I founded MessengerPeople, a SaaS platform for WhatsApp and business messaging. We grew it into a serious product used by hundreds of brands - and in 2021 it was acquired by Sinch.
Ten years later, I'm doing it again. SendSeven is the same idea at heart - business messaging - but rebuilt for how people actually communicate now, with everything I learned the first time and a decade of better tools behind it. Same problem, sharper answer. It's where my focus is today.
What runs through all of it is the way I think. I'm an engineer who thinks like a founder: I'm fascinated by scalability and I like to design things with growth in the back of my mind - build the simple version now, but in a way that doesn't paint the ambitious version into a corner later. I own CodeWorx UG, but it's a small holding company - I'm not running an agency. Most of my energy goes into my own products.
Not everything I've built has been software. From 2023 to 2026 I ran a little wine bar - k12.wine - far more a hobby than a money-maker. Plenty of people dream of having a bar at some point; I actually did it. It taught me some good lessons, I'm glad I did it, and I don't really miss running one. 🙂
In March 2023 I also became a father. My daughter rearranged my priorities and my perspective more than anything else ever has - and if you're a parent too, you already know exactly what I mean. It's a big part of why my time has become something I spend deliberately.
So I'm usually booked out, and I pick projects carefully - I only take on work I'm genuinely interested in, or that's worth investing my own time and money in.
These are strange, fast-moving times. AI is changing how software gets built at a pace that's honestly a little dangerous - and genuinely thrilling. Pretending otherwise isn't an option: you adapt and stay ahead of the curve, or you fall behind. I choose to stay ahead, and that's a big part of why I can move fast and keep costs down.
The interesting problem isn't whether to use AI - it's trust. I don't pretend to read every line a machine writes. So the real work today is building the tooling, tests and guardrails that let you move at this speed while keeping quality and security where they need to be. That's the hard part right now, and it's exactly where two decades of experience earns its keep.
Marketing sites, landing pages, and small web apps - built clean, fast, and easy to maintain.
Tools, automations, and internal apps. Well-scoped one-time builds that just do the job.
Moving data between systems safely - mapping, cleaning, and validating every step of the way.
Practical AI integrations and assistants that solve a real problem - not just a demo.
WhatsApp and email messaging & notification flows - drawing on years built in the space.
I can host and run what I build for you, so it stays live, updated, and looked after.
I'm an entrepreneur and a founder, not a long-term contractor. I'm not looking to embed in someone's team for years, and I won't promise to nurse a system for the next decade - that kind of commitment is reserved for my own products and companies. What I'm genuinely good at is well-scoped, one-time work: I come in, build the thing properly and fast, and hand it over clean. If it's useful, I can keep hosting and running it for you afterwards - but the build itself has a clear start and a clear end.
Speed, quality, and lower cost at the same time. That combination is the whole point.
Clearly-scoped projects with a defined start and finish. No retainers, no open-ended commitments.
I don't take on maintenance-heavy, multi-year engagements - I save that for my own companies. Yours ships clean and stays simple.
Happy to host and run what I build so it stays live - remote only, no on-site support, no surprise obligations.
A SaaS platform for WhatsApp and business messaging - grown from an idea into a product used by hundreds of brands, and acquired by Sinch in 2021.
messengerpeople.com →Doing it again, a decade later. Business messaging rebuilt for how people communicate today - same hard problem, sharper answer, and everything I learned at MessengerPeople baked in.
sendseven.com →Usually booked out - but always open to genuinely interesting work: short-term builds, or small projects worth investing time or money into. The fastest way to find out is to email me.
Actively - in these times, using it well isn't really optional. The real challenge isn't whether to use AI, but trust: the tooling and guardrails that let you move this fast while keeping quality and security intact. That's where experience earns its keep.
Clearly-scoped one-time projects: websites, small software, data migrations, AI tools, and WhatsApp/email messaging. Hosting available. Remote only - no retainers, no on-site support.
Max Tietz - founder of MessengerPeople (acquired by Sinch, 2021), now building SendSeven. Based in Augsburg, Germany; I also own the holding company CodeWorx UG.
Truth is, I've always wanted to write. There are far too many things rattling around in my head - about software, building companies, scaling things, AI, and the lessons that don't fit in a single sentence. The hard part was never having something to say. It's sitting down and actually getting it out of my head and onto the page.
This is where it'll live when I finally do. No posts yet - but consider this the placeholder for future me. Check back.
Coming soonI'm always excited to hear about a cool project - something worth investing money and/or time in, or work I could actually code. If you've got something interesting, tell me about it.
info@codeworx.de →