Alex Hardimen

Guest: Alex Hardiman - Chief Product Officer at the New York Times. Alex has an extensive background in journalism and tech, having previously been Chief Product Officer at The Atlantic and leading the news product at Facebook post-2016 election. Key Takeaways: The New York Times focuses on building a subscription bundle that includes news, cooking, games, audio, sports, and shopping to become an essential daily resource for users. Product teams at the Times work closely with journalists, blending editorial judgment with product development to create impactful storytelling formats. The Times' acquisition of Wordle was a strategic move to enhance their games category, and the integration focused on maintaining the game's core experience while adding user features like stat tracking. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Times pivoted quickly to provide essential information, making critical coverage free and developing tools to help users understand local infection and vaccination rates. The Times aims to reach 15 million subscribers by 2027, focusing on a connected family of products that serve various user needs beyond news. Topics Covered: Product strategy at the New York Times, integrating journalism with product development, acquisition and integration of Wordle, impact of COVID-19 on product priorities, future vision for the New York Times, differences in product management between tech and news organizations.