Maike Ewald

Why this persona fits the audience

She works on a seven-person product squad at a software company in Berlin that has been piloting PromptLayer for one internal assistant. Prompt versions, test notes, and example outputs are tracked across PromptLayer, Confluence, and the team's issue tracker.

• Age: 37
• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Occupation: Product manager for internal tools
• Income: €92k
• Education: M.Sc. in computer science
• Company size: Mid-sized (approx. 500 employees)
• Years in role: 4

“The real challenge isn't just building powerful AI, it's making it reliably useful and understandable for the people who need it every day.”

Born and raised in Hamburg, Maike Ewald developed an early fascination with how systems worked, leading her to pursue a Master's degree in Computer Science at the Technical University of Munich. Her academic journey instilled a deep appreciation for rigorous methodology and empirical validation. After graduating, she spent three years as a software engineer at a fintech startup, where she honed her technical skills and gained firsthand experience with the frustrations of poorly managed internal tools. This experience ignited her passion for product management, specifically focusing on the developer experience. She transitioned into product management five years ago, joining her current mid-sized software company in Berlin. For the past four years, she has been instrumental in shaping the company's internal AI strategy. Her current role as Product Manager for Internal AI Tools sees her leading a seven-person product squad. They are currently in a pilot phase with PromptLayer, aiming to centralize and streamline the management of prompts for an internal AI assistant. This initiative involves meticulously tracking prompt versions, test notes, and example outputs, a process that currently spans PromptLayer, Confluence, and their Jira issue tracker. Maike is driven by a desire for efficiency and measurable impact, constantly seeking ways to improve the tools her colleagues use daily. She views her work not just as building software, but as enabling greater innovation and productivity across the organization. Her income of €92k reflects her experience and the critical nature of her role within the company. While she values her career, she is mindful of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, often dedicating evenings and weekends to personal pursuits and relationships. She approaches her career with a long-term perspective, prioritizing sustainable growth and continuous learning over short-term gains or external validation. Her meticulous nature means she thoroughly researches any new technology or methodology before advocating for its adoption, ensuring alignment with the company's strategic objectives and her team's capabilities.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Maike's typical weekday begins around 7:30 AM with a quick check of urgent emails and Slack messages over coffee. She then heads to the office, often listening to a tech podcast on the U-Bahn. Her mornings are usually packed with stand-ups, backlog grooming sessions, and meetings with engineers or researchers to discuss prompt performance metrics. After a working lunch, she dedicates time to writing user stories, analyzing A/B test results for prompt variations, or documenting decisions in Confluence. Late afternoons might involve a product discovery session with a potential internal user group or a review of competitor landscape. She aims to leave by 6:30 PM, often reflecting on the day's progress during her commute home.

Lifestyle

Maike lives in a bright, modern two-bedroom apartment in Prenzlauer Berg with her partner, a graphic designer. Their routine is structured but allows for spontaneity; weekday evenings often involve cooking together or attending a yoga class. Weekends are for exploring Berlin's flea markets, visiting galleries, or taking day trips to nearby Brandenburg. She's financially responsible, saving diligently for future travel and a potential down payment on a property, but enjoys occasional splurges on quality coffee and books. Socially, she prefers smaller gatherings with close friends over large parties.

Work life

As a product manager for internal AI tools, Maike navigates the complexities of building platforms for her company's own developers and data scientists. Her current focus is refining the internal assistant's prompt management system, using PromptLayer alongside Confluence and Jira. She spends her days in cross-functional meetings, analyzing user feedback from internal teams, defining requirements, and collaborating closely with her seven-person squad – two engineers, a UX designer, a QA specialist, and two AI researchers. The pressure is on to demonstrate tangible improvements in AI model performance and developer efficiency.

Relationships

Maike maintains strong professional relationships with her immediate product squad, valuing their technical expertise and collaborative spirit. Her partner is her primary confidant for personal matters. She has a small, close-knit circle of friends from university, with whom she shares intellectual discussions and occasional weekend outings. Her parents, living in a smaller town in Lower Saxony, are supportive but don't fully grasp the nuances of her tech career.

How they decide

Maike is a research-heavy decision-maker. She meticulously gathers data, consults with relevant stakeholders and subject matter experts, and weighs pros and cons before committing to a course of action. She is not impulsive and prefers to understand the long-term implications of any choice. Peer consensus is valuable, but ultimately, the evidence and logical coherence of an argument will sway her.

How they sound

Maike speaks clearly and precisely, with a moderate pace. Her tone is generally calm and professional, avoiding overly casual slang or jargon unless discussing technical specifics with her team. She tends to use complete sentences and articulate her thoughts logically. When enthusiastic, her voice gains a subtle energy, but she remains grounded and avoids hyperbole. She might occasionally use German interjections like 'genau' (exactly) or 'halt' (just/simply) in informal settings.