Martijn Veldkamp
Enterprise Architect · Virtual CTO · Farmer · Sarcastic Realist
Cutting Through the Hype
I spend my days architecting large-scale solutions for the complex organisations and my evenings staring at the horizon on a farm in North Holland. It’s a contrast that keeps me sane: cutting-edge AI and cloud architecture by day, and things that actually work like gravity, old Volvos, and slow-drip coffee from my Mocca Master.
My philosophy is borrowed from Colin Chapman: “Simplify, then add lightness.”
In a world obsessed with adding more “features” (and currently, throwing “AI” at problems like it’s magic dust), I focus on strategic architecture, Conway’s Law in action, and maintaining a healthy scepticism for the current AI gold rush. To me, most Generative AI is a very expensive, very advanced autocomplete. It’s a tool, not a saviour.
Latest Articles
Thoughts on architecture, AI strategy, governance, and the art of building systems that last.
- What Darmok and Jalad Can Teach Us About Governing Meaning in Agentic AI
Report this article Patrick Parker Patrick Parker Published Sep 8, 2026 + Follow In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Darmok,” the Universal Translator is working and… Read more: What Darmok and Jalad Can Teach Us About Governing Meaning in Agentic AI - Human override is a Queue
Doesn’t it look pretty? Human override is a Queue Report this article Martijn Veldkamp Martijn Veldkamp Published Oct 7, 2026 + Follow We are delivering systems where we… Read more: Human override is a Queue - Confidence is not a Control
Just because it looks green and fuzzy, does not mean it is actual governance Confidence is not a Control Report this article Martijn Veldkamp Martijn Veldkamp Published Oct… Read more: Confidence is not a Control - Demo Debt
Apparently it is a podcast image? Demo Debt Report this article Martijn Veldkamp Martijn Veldkamp Published Oct 30, 2026 + Follow “But it worked in the demo”. I… Read more: Demo Debt - Slack is not waste
(No, not the enterprise app, the unbooked space in your calendar. Also this is not an attack on Lean, well not meant now in this article, who knows,… Read more: Slack is not waste - The Exit Door is part of the Architecture
Every supplier contract contains an exit clause. Most of us read some form of termination section in a contract. Some have and declared the lock-in problem solved. There… Read more: The Exit Door is part of the Architecture
Work With Me
I help organisations cut through complexity — whether that means designing an AI strategy that isn’t just a vendor pitch, untangling technical debt, or providing Virtual CTO leadership for teams that need strategic direction without the permanent headcount.
What I bring: Strategic architecture, data & AI governance, digital transformation leadership, and the pragmatism to tell you when the emperor has no clothes.
Reach out on LinkedIn or drop me an email.