Engineer · Designer · Writer · Speaker

Marcel Samyn

I make things that change how people feel.
Software you can lean into. Videos you watch twice. Words worth keeping.

What I do

I'm a maker first. I write software, write essays, a book, make videos on YouTube, and speak about how technology can amplify rather than flatten what's human in us. The thread is the same one: making people feel strong, building things the way they should be, bringing beauty into the world..

When teams bring me in, it's usually for the same reason — to help them ship something that's beautiful enough to screenshot and useful enough to keep around. Founders dreaming in systems, research labs making the future, educators rewiring how we learn. I'm at my best in an environment where I can make decisions and move quickly.

Every video, post, repo, and book commit lands here: a record of giving, kept honest by the source platforms.

Kind words

A small wave of praise

Words from founders, builders, and curious humans I've gotten to work with.

Marcel is a lifesaver. We came up with solutions that I never thought were possible.
Claire Hayek Founder & CEO, MSP Teambuilding
Marcel's an amazing teacher — years and years of experience in programming and all things AI, and he actually cares about your success, so he makes sure you understand.
Breana Bauman Co-Owner, Breana's Cookies
Normally we want to have a conversation before approving someone on the platform — I found your article so good that I just skipped that process. Never done that before.
Frederik De Wachter Digitale Versnelling
I can't really over-recommend his work because I'm truly astonished by this quality. I haven't found anything better so far.
Tatyana Fomina Recruiter, Adecco
Marcel's Prompt Alchemy course was truly incredible. Being able to optimize every feature ChatGPT offers rapidly changed the way I work and study.
Sam Beer Aerospace Engineer
Your video — I have no idea where I came across it — was hugely important for my new business.
Jenn Founder
I like your approach with this kind of group coaching — already thinking how I could use it myself, for my tax advisers who would like to play more golf ⛳️
Jörg Weisner Advisor
It really directly picked me up where I was. Being able to follow along with concrete action steps was absolutely awesome and empowering.
Lisa MVU workshop
I want to have you full time, pay you triple and then I can fire 6 other guys.
CEO AI startup
We demoed the customer portal at a major bank. They asked how big the team was. 'One guy, two days a week.' They were floored.
Colleague AI startup
Your attention to fine details, even in design aspects like typography, enhances the quality of your work. You integrate professionalism with soul.
Breana Bauman Co-Owner, Breana's Cookies
I feel like Superman! After Marcel shared his pro tips, I created 15 reels from a 20-minute video with one click. I AM the creator again, not just the editor.
Aaron Elsner Solopreneur
Well you are the AI king 👑 so far I know 😜
Mily Martin Freelance Designer, Milster Studio
The difference between a search engine and an AI reasoning tool was one lightbulb moment — and that coaching questions lead to great results. Also how you handled the dynamics of the session: well done.
Wilma Werner Coach
Thank you for the last video you posted — I can't wait to automate my content in that way.
Sylvie Mindvalley peer
Thank you for your write-up — I found it very helpful to guide my prompting, and you gave me hot tips on what to implement next.
Max Milne Sprouting Art Therapist
  • Marcel is a lifesaver. We came up with solutions that I never thought were possible.
    Claire Hayek , Founder & CEO, MSP Teambuilding
  • I want to have you full time, pay you triple and then I can fire 6 other guys.
    CEO , AI startup
  • Marcel's an amazing teacher — years and years of experience in programming and all things AI, and he actually cares about your success, so he makes sure you understand.
    Breana Bauman , Co-Owner, Breana's Cookies
  • We demoed the customer portal at a major bank. They asked how big the team was. 'One guy, two days a week.' They were floored.
    Colleague , AI startup
  • Normally we want to have a conversation before approving someone on the platform — I found your article so good that I just skipped that process. Never done that before.
    Frederik De Wachter , Digitale Versnelling
  • Your attention to fine details, even in design aspects like typography, enhances the quality of your work. You integrate professionalism with soul.
    Breana Bauman , Co-Owner, Breana's Cookies
  • I can't really over-recommend his work because I'm truly astonished by this quality. I haven't found anything better so far.
    Tatyana Fomina , Recruiter, Adecco
  • I feel like Superman! After Marcel shared his pro tips, I created 15 reels from a 20-minute video with one click. I AM the creator again, not just the editor.
    Aaron Elsner , Solopreneur
  • Marcel's Prompt Alchemy course was truly incredible. Being able to optimize every feature ChatGPT offers rapidly changed the way I work and study.
    Sam Beer , Aerospace Engineer
  • Well you are the AI king 👑 so far I know 😜
    Mily Martin , Freelance Designer, Milster Studio
  • Your video — I have no idea where I came across it — was hugely important for my new business.
    Jenn , Founder
  • The difference between a search engine and an AI reasoning tool was one lightbulb moment — and that coaching questions lead to great results. Also how you handled the dynamics of the session: well done.
    Wilma Werner , Coach
  • I like your approach with this kind of group coaching — already thinking how I could use it myself, for my tax advisers who would like to play more golf ⛳️
    Jörg Weisner , Advisor
  • Thank you for the last video you posted — I can't wait to automate my content in that way.
    Sylvie , Mindvalley peer
  • It really directly picked me up where I was. Being able to follow along with concrete action steps was absolutely awesome and empowering.
    Lisa , MVU workshop
  • Thank you for your write-up — I found it very helpful to guide my prompting, and you gave me hot tips on what to implement next.
    Max Milne , Sprouting Art Therapist

Current focus

Things I'm building

A glimpse at the collaborations currently lighting me up — each one getting a tailored design, product, and engineering push.

On YouTube

Things I've made out loud

Video essays, walkthroughs, and a bit of thinking on AI, automation, and building well.

Recent writing

From the journal

All posts →

Common questions

Work that feels inevitable — and human

  • Who are you and what do you do?
    I'm Marcel — engineer, designer, systems thinker. I help teams turn restless ambition into things that work and feel right: interfaces that whisper instead of shout, automations that dissolve friction, AI workflows that amplify rather than replace the people using them.
  • What do I actually get when we work together?
    Production code that reads cleanly, integrations that just work, UX considered enough that your users notice. Weekly demos, tangible progress, documentation your team actually opens.
  • What expertise do you bring for complex systems?
    Information architecture that scales, APIs that play nice, frontends in React that feel native. Model-in-the-loop workflows, evaluation harnesses, observability baked in from day one. Elegance under pressure beats cleverness every time.
  • What's your style?
    Calm intensity. Short feedback loops, async-first comms, kerning obsessed because trust lives in the details. If it isn’t beautiful enough to screenshot, we’re not done yet.
  • Who is this for — and how do we start?
    Founders who dream in systems. Research labs making the future. Educators rewiring how we learn. We start with a conversation, then pick the tempo: a 2–6 week build sprint, an advisory rhythm, or build-and-teach so the magic stays when I leave.
  • How do you think about AI, creativity, and people?
    Tools shape souls. I design for sovereignty — interfaces that invite pause, defaults that protect attention, AI that amplifies rather than automates the human. Not just smarter systems, but kinder ones.

Get in touch

Let's build something worth caring about

Send me a note through the contact form. I read every message and reply within a couple of days.