Mercedes and other automakers are rethinking workflow and investment to emphasize speed and collaboration. : Christoph Starzynski is vice president of electric vehicle architecture at Mercedes-Benz and responsible for the EQ vehicles. DENVER — More than a decade ago, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously claimed, "Software is eating the world." That trend certainly is reverberating through the automotive world. What was once a primarily atoms-focused hardware business is increasingly morphing into a bits-driven software and services one.