Brian Tolkin

Guest: Brian Tolkin - Head of Product and Design at Opendoor. Brian has a strong background in product management, having been an early employee at Uber where he led the launch and global expansion of uberPOOL and started the product operations function. Key Takeaways: Product and Ops Synergy: Successful tech-ops companies like Uber and Opendoor operate most efficiently when product and operations teams work harmoniously, akin to a "twin turbine jet plane." Deep Customer Understanding: Starting in operations provides a deep understanding of the business and customer needs, which is crucial for building scalable tech solutions. Product Reviews: Effective product reviews should focus on improving the product rather than being intimidating. They should foster a culture of open, constructive feedback. Jobs to be Done Framework: This framework helps teams empathize with customers and understand the broader context of their needs, especially in complex, infrequent transactions like real estate. Handling Stress: Maintaining calm under pressure is vital. Reflecting stress onto teams can be counterproductive, and learning from past stressful situations can build resilience. Topics Covered: Product and operations synergy, product reviews, jobs to be done framework, handling stress, scaling Uber and Opendoor, experimentation with low sample sizes, Zillow partnership, intuition vs. data in decision-making.