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In the first Serverless Craic episode of 2026, Dave Anderson, Mark McCann, and Michael O’Reilly reflect on a five-year journey that began in early 2021 with the idea for The Value Flywheel Effect.

This episode closes out the book series by looking back—warts and all—at what it really took to write, publish, promote, and apply the ideas in practice. The conversation spans writing fatigue, editing realities, imposter syndrome, enterprise adoption, and why the flywheel is arguably more relevant than ever in an AI-first world.

If you care about modern software delivery, cloud strategy, serverless-first thinking, and leading technology change, this one is for you.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & context
Episode 79, first show of 2026, and closing out the book series

01:20 – How the book started (2021 → 2026)
From an idea to a five-year journey

01:35 – Did we enjoy writing the book?
Ideation, Guinness-fuelled drafts, and the reality of writing

02:30 – Shaping the narrative
Why writing is harder than it looks, and why shared context doesn’t scale

04:10 – Atomic essays & capturing thinking early
GitHub, short-form writing, and building habits

05:00 – Would this book have helped us 15 years ago?
Modernisation gaps, agile limits, and why the flywheel mattered

06:00 – The editing process (and thick skin)
What professional editors really do to your manuscript

07:40 – Feedback, criticism, and author psychology
Why the one negative comment sticks

09:15 – Has the book made an impact?
Enterprises, conferences, and unexpected adoption stories

12:40 – Applying the flywheel in real organisations
North Stars, Team Topologies, serverless-first in practice

14:30 – The hardest part of the whole journey
Finishing, introductions, and the truth about selling a book

17:30 – Promotion, modesty, and imposter syndrome
Why marketing a book is a full-time job

19:00 – Influences & supporters
Kent Beck, Adrian Cockcroft, Simon Wardley, and standing on shoulders

21:45 – Is the book still relevant in the age of GenAI?
Why the flywheel + AI is a force multiplier

23:00 – AI, context engineering, and agentic systems
Using codified principles to guide AI effectively

25:30 – Lowering the barrier to good practice
How AI helps teams apply architecture, security, and governance

29:00 – Business strategy vs technical strategy
Is the divide finally disappearing?

31:45 – The emerging “builder” persona
Shifting left, shifting right, and new SDLC realities

34:50 – Closing thoughts & what’s next
AISDLCs, Brownfield challenges, and future episodes

📚 Resources & Links

📘 The Value Flywheel Effect — principles for modern cloud and serverless transformation

🌐 The Serverless Edge: https://theserverlessedge.com

🎥 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly Serverless Crack episodes

💬 Follow the conversation on LinkedIn

💡 Key Takeaways

Writing a book is much harder than most engineers expect

The flywheel was never about tech or business—it’s about both

AI makes codified principles (North Stars, well-architected practices) more valuable, not less

Serverless Craic from The Serverless Edge
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