Podcasts

Shweta Shriva

Guest: Shweta Shrivastava - Senior Director of Product Management at Waymo. Shweta has extensive experience in product management, having previously held leadership roles at Amazon Web Services and Cisco, and was the Chief Product Officer at Nauto, focusing on driver automation safety. Key Takeaways: Challenge Assumptions: Continuously question and challenge your own assumptions to ensure you're truly listening and adapting to new information. Customer-Centric Approach: Always work backwards from the customer problem. This principle is crucial in both large companies and startups. Focus on Impact: To get promoted, focus on creating significant impact rather than optimizing for personal advancement. Safety as a Priority: In autonomous vehicle development, safety cannot be compromised. The MVP bar for safety is extremely high. Effective Communication: Implement a "rule of seven" for email threads—if an issue isn't resolved after seven emails, switch to a live conversation to save time and improve clarity. Topics Covered: Autonomous vehicle technology, Product management at Waymo, Safety in self-driving cars, Building trust in technology, Career growth in product management, Effective communication strategies.

Nikita Bier

Guest: Nikita Bier - Founder of Gas and former product manager at Facebook. Nikita is known for creating viral consumer apps like tbh, which was sold to Facebook for over $30 million, and Gas, sold to Discord. He has a track record of building apps that reach the top of the app store charts. Key Takeaways: Latent Demand: Identify opportunities by looking for latent demand where users are going through convoluted processes to achieve a goal. Simplifying this process can lead to explosive adoption. Testing Process: Develop a reproducible testing process to validate ideas quickly. Focus on achieving 100% signal on one aspect of the product at a time. User Experience: Ensure the aha moment occurs within seconds of using the app. This is critical for retaining users in today's fast-paced digital environment. Growth Tactics: Be creative with growth strategies, such as using unique ways to leverage existing APIs and systems. This can include unconventional uses of contact syncing or URL manipulation. Positive Impact: Build products that have a positive impact on users, such as apps that send affirmations, which can significantly affect user retention and satisfaction. Topics Covered: Viral growth strategies, product-market fit, consumer app development, testing and iteration processes, user experience design, ethical growth practices.

Hila Qu

Guest: Hila Qu - Growth Advisor at Reforge and former Head of Growth at GitLab. Hila is renowned for her expertise in product-led growth (PLG) and has authored top-read posts on the subject. Key Takeaways: PLG vs. SLG Funnel: Understand the difference between product-led growth (PLG) and sales-led growth (SLG) funnels. PLG focuses on product usage as a leading indicator of success, whereas SLG relies on marketing interactions to qualify leads. Starting PLG: Begin by mapping out your PLG funnel, identifying missing components like a free trial or self-serve checkout, and understanding where to focus efforts—typically on activation, conversion, or acquisition. Activation Focus: Most B2B products benefit from focusing on activation first, ensuring users quickly reach the product's value (aha moment) to improve retention and conversion. Data Foundation: PLG is fundamentally data-led. Invest in a robust data infrastructure, including product analytics tools like Amplitude, data hubs like Segment, and lifecycle marketing tools to guide users through the funnel. Building a PLG Team: Start with a dedicated growth PM and data analyst to drive the PLG motion, and consider a cross-functional tiger team for initiatives like product-qualified leads (PQLs). Topics Covered: Product-led growth (PLG), sales-led growth (SLG), PLG funnel mapping, activation strategies, data infrastructure, PLG team building, product analytics, growth metrics.

Lulu Cheng Meservey

Guest: Lulu Cheng Meservey - Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer at Activision Blizzard. Lulu is known for her innovative communication strategies, notably during her tenure as head of comms at Substack, where she gained attention for taking bold risks. Key Takeaways: Identify your audience's "cultural erogenous zones" to align your message with their existing passions, making it easier to capture their interest. Use memorable and repeatable messaging by employing jokes, analogies, mental images, or stories to make ideas stick. For underdog startups, focus on building direct distribution channels and engaging with influential individuals to spread your message effectively. Apply the formula: Pressure = Force/Area. Reduce the "surface area" by targeting a specific audience to apply more pressure with the same effort. Embrace going direct by having a founder or senior leader communicate authentically and regularly through a chosen medium, building a direct audience. Topics Covered: Cultural erogenous zones, Messaging frameworks, Going direct, Building an audience, Communication strategies for underdogs, Importance of taking risks in comms.

Kevin Aluwi

Guest: Kevin Aluwi - Co-founder and former CEO of Gojek. Kevin played a pivotal role in building Gojek into Southeast Asia's largest startup, known for its innovative approach to operations and growth. Key Takeaways: Brand Consistency: Building a strong brand involves creating consistency across all customer touchpoints, from marketing to product features, which helps in forming a deep connection with users. Scrappiness and Innovation: Gojek's early success was driven by scrappy solutions like setting up cash booths for driver payments and hiring private security to protect drivers from local mafias. Super Apps Caution: While super apps are popular in strategy discussions, Kevin warns that their benefits often don't pan out as expected due to the lack of a unifying concept for users. Local Market Adaptation: Success in emerging markets requires understanding unique local dynamics and not just copying models from developed markets. Remote Work and Talent: Building remote capabilities early is crucial for accessing global talent, especially when local resources are limited. Topics Covered: Brand building, scrappiness in startups, super apps, local market adaptation, remote work, talent acquisition, Southeast Asia tech ecosystem.

Josh Miller

Guest: Josh Miller - CEO and co-founder of The Browser Company. Josh has a background in product management and venture capital, having worked at Facebook and Thrive Capital. He co-founded The Browser Company to create Arc, a web browser focused on user experience. Key Takeaways: Optimize for Feelings: Instead of focusing solely on metrics, The Browser Company prioritizes how their product makes users feel, such as joy or surprise, which can naturally drive growth and engagement. Heartfelt Intensity: The company hires individuals with a strong intrinsic motivation and a beginner's mindset, fostering a culture of action and innovation. Unique Team Structures: They have non-traditional teams like storytelling and membership, focusing on holistic relationships with users and public trust-building. Building in Public: Transparency and trust are central, with the company sharing internal processes and meetings publicly to build user trust. Vision for the Internet Computer: Arc aims to be more than a browser, evolving into an "internet computer" that capitalizes on the shift to cloud computing, offering a platform for immersive web-based experiences. Topics Covered: Product building philosophy, team building, company values, shipping quickly, building in public, hiring strategies, optimizing for feelings, vision for Arc and The Browser Company.

Christina Wodtke

Guest: Christina Wodtke - Lecturer at Stanford. Christina is a multi-time author, speaker, and consultant specializing in product development processes, particularly OKRs. She has been a product leader at LinkedIn, MySpace, Zynga, and Yahoo, and founded three companies. Key Takeaways: Start with Celebration: Implementing simple rituals like Friday celebrations can significantly boost team morale and cohesion. Focus on the Why: The core of OKRs is understanding what you're doing each week to get closer to your strategic goals. Simple Structure: Keep OKRs straightforward with one objective and three key results, focusing on outcomes, not tasks. Iterative Learning: Use OKRs to create a learning cycle, allowing teams to adjust strategies based on quarterly reviews. Pilot with the Best Team: Start OKRs with your highest-performing team to learn and adapt the process before scaling. Topics Covered: Importance of celebrations, OKR fundamentals, aligning OKRs with mission and strategy, common OKR pitfalls, storytelling and drawing in product management, effective product culture, and advice for aspiring product managers.

Sriram and Aarthi

Guest: Sriram Krishnan - Partner at a16z. Sriram has a rich background in product management, having worked at major tech companies like Netflix, Meta, Snap, Twitter, and Microsoft. He co-hosts the Aarthi and Sriram Good Time Show, which has featured high-profile guests like Elon Musk. Key Takeaways: Networking and Brand Building: Focus on building authentic relationships without expecting anything in return. Regularly meet peers and leaders to build a network that can be a valuable resource throughout your career. Content Creation: Start creating content early, regardless of your career stage. Consistency and authenticity are key, and you don't need to have achieved major success to share valuable insights. Community Building: Start small and focus on niche interests. Curate a diverse group of people and establish regular rituals to foster a strong community. Imposter Syndrome: Combat imposter syndrome by focusing on your strengths and areas where you have mastery. Everyone experiences it, but leveraging your unique skills can help overcome it. Critique of Jobs-to-be-Done: Sriram argues that the Jobs-to-be-Done framework is too simplistic for real-world product development, which often involves complex trade-offs and systems thinking. Topics Covered: Networking, brand building, content creation, community building, imposter syndrome, Jobs-to-be-Done framework, techno-optimism, product management insights.

Laura Modi

Guest: Laura Modi - CEO and Co-founder of Bobbie. Laura previously worked at Airbnb as Director of Hospitality, where she focused on strengthening the host community and improving marketplace quality. She founded Bobbie, the only female-founded and mom-led organic infant formula company in the US. Key Takeaways: Slow Growth Strategy: During the infant formula shortage, Bobbie chose to prioritize existing customers over new growth by halting new subscriptions, ensuring reliability and building customer trust. Brand Building: Focus on creating a brand that resonates with customers' existing concerns. Bobbie's brand addresses the guilt and stigma associated with formula feeding. Content and Community: Bobbie emphasizes content and community over commerce, establishing thought leadership through platforms like Milk Drunk, which provides educational resources and drives organic growth. Hiring for Innovation: Embrace naivety and hire individuals from diverse backgrounds who bring fresh perspectives, such as hiring a news anchor to lead marketing for storytelling expertise. Manufacturing Momentum: Create artificial deadlines to maintain momentum and drive progress within the organization. Topics Covered: Growth strategy, brand building, crisis management, hiring practices, direct-to-consumer business challenges, content marketing, community building, leadership during tough times.

Claire Hughes Johnson

Guest: Claire Hughes Johnson - Former COO of Stripe. Claire played a pivotal role in scaling Stripe from a small startup to a major player in the fintech industry. Previously, she spent a decade at Google in various leadership roles, including VP of self-driving cars and global online sales. Key Takeaways: Decision-Making Clarity: If you're unsure who the decision maker is, assume it's you to maintain momentum. It's better to act than slow down the company. Personal Operating Principles: Develop self-awareness to build mutual awareness. This foundational principle aids in effective management and leadership. Early Company Structure: Establish foundational documents like mission, long-term goals, and operating principles early to guide company growth and maintain alignment. Communication Cadence: Use a variety of communication channels to ensure consistent and clear messaging across the company, adapting the frequency to the team's needs. Effective Meetings: Clearly define the purpose and desired outcomes of meetings. Make implicit objectives explicit to avoid unnecessary gatherings and enhance productivity. Topics Covered: Scaling operations, decision-making frameworks, personal operating principles, company structure, communication strategies, effective meetings, role of a COO.

Gustaf Alstromer

Guest: Gustaf Alströmer - Group Partner at Y Combinator. Gustaf has worked with over 600 startups at YC and previously led the growth team at Airbnb, significantly impacting the focus on climate tech investments. Key Takeaways: The most common reason startups fail is not talking to users, which prevents finding product-market fit. Continuous customer engagement is crucial. Successful founders exhibit a strong will to win, are inspirational, and possess excellent communication skills. They are often technical and focus on customer needs over investor demands. In YC Office Hours, the focus is on identifying what holds startups back from moving faster and setting clear, actionable goals. Climate tech is a booming area with significant business opportunities, driven by political support and corporate demand for decarbonization solutions. For non-technical founders, valuing engineering and possibly learning to code or finding a technical co-founder is essential for startup success. Topics Covered: Airbnb's unique culture, YC Office Hours insights, common startup mistakes, importance of technical co-founders, attributes of successful founders, climate tech opportunities, and advice for applying to YC.

Annie Pearl

Guest: Annie Pearl - Chief Product Officer at Calendly. Annie Pearl has a rich background in product management, having served as CPO at Glassdoor and Director of Product Management at Box. She is also a member of Skip, a community for chief product officers, and serves on the board of two companies. Key Takeaways: Product Strategy Clarity: Establish a clear product strategy by defining your target market, segments, and personas. This helps in prioritizing features and aligning the team towards a common goal. Transitioning to Sales-Led Growth: When moving from a product-led to a sales-led growth model, hire salespeople with experience in inbound sales and who understand your target buyer, which may initially be department heads rather than IT leaders. Cultural Shift for Focus: Emphasize focus within the organization by clearly defining target users and markets, which aids in making strategic decisions and saying no to non-aligned opportunities. Planning and Execution Framework: Use a phased approach to product development with stages like discovery, solutioning, build, and launch. Commit to timelines only for phases within your control to improve estimation accuracy. Leveraging Internal Resources: Use internal meetings like OPA (Opportunity/Problem Assessment) to foster collaboration and debate among PMs, enhancing decision-making and problem-solving. Topics Covered: Product strategy, transitioning to sales-led growth, cultural focus, planning and execution frameworks, internal collaboration tools, Calendly's growth story, hiring and team building.