Podcasts about Product strategy

In this episode of the Programmatic Digest, we sit down with Heather Macaulay, President of MadTech, an AdTech consultancy transforming how teams approach data, integrations, and strategy. Heather shares her unexpected journey into ad tech—from Newbury Street project management to Pubmatic to founding MadTech—and the lessons she's picked up along the way. We dive into what it really means to have a strong, scalable tech stack, the common mistakes advertisers make when choosing tools, and why platform connectivity is now mission-critical. Heather also breaks down how MadConnect, MadTech's integration engine, is solving industry-wide challenges around data orchestration and interoperability. We also talk about early career growth, preparedness as a power move, and the importance of being a lifelong student. Plus, Heather shares how AI is shaping her workflow and offers tactical advice for making the most of tools like ChatGPT. If you're in your first few years in the industry—or managing a team that is—this episode is gold.     About Us: We teach historically excluded individuals how to break into programmatic media buying and land their dream jobs. Through our Reach and Frequency® program, an engaged community, and expert coaching, we offer: Programmatic Training & Coaching: Executive Membership: for the busy mid-level to senior or director-level programmatic ninja looking for a structured, high-impact way to stay ahead of evolving trends, sharpen your optimization skills, and connect with like-minded experts Join Here: https://programmaticdigest14822.ac-page.com/executivemembership   Accelerator Program: A 6-week structured program with live coaching, hands-on DSP exercises, and real-time feedback. Sign Up: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/courses/program  Self-Paced Course: Learn at your own speed with full content access. Enroll Here: https://reachandfrequencycourse.thinkific.com/bundles/the-reach-frequency-full-course       Timestamps: (00:00) - Welcome & Guest Intro (01:49) - Heather's Origin Story: From Literature to Ad Tech (04:28) - Events, Community, and Female-Forward Activations (06:28) - What MadTech Does: Product + Data Consultancy (07:26) - Solving Integration Challenges with MadConnect (08:55) - Advice for Newbies: Be Curious, Prepared & Over-Invest (11:47) - Tech Stack Talk: Common Gaps and Evaluation Strategy (15:18) - API Gaps & the Cost of Poor Connectivity (17:31) - Real-World Examples: Activating Audiences with MadConnect (20:35) - Emerging Trend: AI in Strategy, Sales & Workflow (25:03) - How to Use AI as a Junior Team Member (27:27) - Heather's Tips for Prompting, Positioning & Product Copy (30:27) - Final Thoughts & Where to Connect     Meet Our Guest: Heather Macaulay – President, MadTech Connect on LinkedIn     Meet The Team: Hélène Parker - Chief Programmatic Coach https://www.heleneparker.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-parker/   Manuela Cortes - Co-Host  Programmatic Digest In Espanol:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuela-cortes-/     Learn Programmatic: As a TEAM: heleneparker.com/workshop As a Programmatic Ninja: heleneparker.com/course Newsletter: heleneparker.com/newsletter Programmatic Digest LinkedIn YouTube  

Join us for an insightful episode of The Product Podcast with Jon Noronha, Co-founder of Gamma, an AI-first platform revolutionizing how people create presentations, documents, and websites. Starting in 2020 during the height of shelter-in-place, Gamma has achieved remarkable growth, reaching over 50 million users with a lean team of just 30 people. Most impressively, they went from less than a year of runway to cash-flow positive in just 3 months after pivoting to AI, with 80% of their revenue coming from outside the U.S. - all without a sales team.In this episode, Jon breaks down Gamma's unconventional approach to building AI products, challenging traditional notions of team structure and go-to-market strategy. He shares insights on why they prioritize UX designers over PMs, how they achieved rapid international growth without localization, and their strategic decision to focus on the application layer rather than building their own AI models.What you'll learn:- How Gamma evolved from a presentation tool into a full-blown AI content platform- Why they bet on a design-first team structure with 7 UX designers and no traditional PMs- The technology behind their AI implementation and multi-model approach- How they achieved profitability in 3 months through pure product-led growth- Their strategy for reaching 50M+ users with a team of just 30 peopleEpisode Chapters:(00:00) Gamma's Evolution: From Presentations to AI Platform(15:00) Unconventional Team Structure: Why Designers > PMs(20:00) Product-Led Growth: Zero to 50M Users Without Sales(25:00) AI Integration Strategy: Focusing on User Experience(30:00) International Growth: 80% Revenue Outside USKey Takeaways

What happens when your lead engineer leaves and takes the product knowledge with them? In this episode, Ashok Sivanand tackles some of the most pressing product and engineering questions straight from the community—including how to prevent panic-inducing knowledge loss, when founders should or shouldn't vibe code, and how to choose between building full-service or self-serve platforms. Ashok is joined by producer Doug Branson for a first-ever audience Q&A format that covers real problems from real teams. From unit test-driven documentation to AI-assisted code exploration, this episode gives both quick fixes and long-term strategies for building resilient teams. Plus, learn the Lexus vs Scion framework that product leaders are using to determine their go-to-market path when serving both advanced and beginner users. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... How to prevent engineering burnout and knowledge bottlenecks The pros and cons of vibe coding for technical founders Using AI tools like Copilot to debug and document Choosing between full-service vs self-serve platform tools Aligning product strategy with internal team maturity Mentioned in this episode GitHub Copilot Cursor Reddit Product Management Community Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Dr. Maryam Ashoori on the risks and opportunities of AI Maryam Ashoori started studying AI long before it became popular. Now, as the Director of Product Management and Head of Product for IBM's watsonx.ai, Maryam is focused on delivering the best AI solutions. This week Maryam joins Tammy to talk about all things AI implementation and ethics. Maryam shares what AI applications she's most excited about right now and shares some of the biggest risks and opportunities she's seeing with enterprise AI implementations today. She also shares tips for building diverse and high-performing teams. A little hint - the best teams are built on trust and accountability. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Maryam Ashoori Learn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

During a moment of crisis, Best Buy moved fast by turning a pilot program into a nationwide solution almost overnight.Join hosts Chuck Moxley and Nick Paladino as they talk with Robert Neer and Brent Van Wieringen, former Best Buy product leaders who orchestrated one of retail's most impressive digital transformations. With experience leading consumer-facing digital experiences and customer journey optimization, Robert and Brent share how they scaled curbside pickup from 25% of stores to chain-wide in just 72 hours, plus insights from studying competitors' failed attempts during the same period.Key Actionable Takeaways:Create urgency through customer outcomes, not arbitrary deadlines - Focus teams on solving customer problems rather than hitting dates to avoid artificial chaos and shortcutsExpose your entire team to customer pain points - Put engineers, designers, and product managers directly in front of struggling customers to build genuine mission-driven motivationMeasure success beyond conversion rates - Track lifetime value and downstream impact of customer engagement activities, not just immediate transactionsWant more tips and strategies about creating frictionless customer experiences? Subscribe to our newsletter! https://www.thefrictionlessexperience.com/frictionless/ Download the Black Friday/Cyber Monday eBook: http://bluetriangle.com/ebook-Goods Company Website: goodscompany.io  Robert's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertneer/ Brent's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentvanw/ Chuck's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckmoxley/ Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/npaladino/Chapters: (00:00) Introduction(01:45) Pre-pandemic curbside pickup foundation(04:00) 72-hour chain-wide rollout during COVID(08:00) Physical and digital coordination challenges(11:00) Breaking down organizational silos(12:45) Enduring lessons from pandemic transformation(18:35) Creating urgency without chaos(24:55) Building mission-driven teams today(27:55) Product management philosophy and myths(30:50) AI's role in product development(35:50) Common misconceptions about frictionless experiences(37:50) Conclusion

What happens when EHR competitors actually work together? In this video, we dive into how MEDITECH is collaborating with rivals Epic and Oracle Health, as well as complementary platforms like PointClickCare in Canada to finally make interoperability useful and usable for frontline clinicians.Allie Anderson, Senior Regulatory Program Manager - Canada and Robert Molloy, Director, Canadian Market and Product Strategy from MEDITECH share how:✅Bi-directional exchange across vendors is already live in Canadian hospitals✅Consolidated patient summaries are helping reduce clinician overload✅Shared infrastructure is streamlining rollouts and cutting back red tapeWhat do you think of these new cross-vendor strategies? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith and Randy Silver speak with Dee Miller, Director of Product Strategy and Insights for Product Equity at Adobe. Dee shares her personal journey into inclusive design, and discusses how Adobe is moving beyond accessibility compliance to build genuinely usable, inclusive, and emotionally accessible products. Featured Links: Follow Dee on LinkedIn | The Adobe Accessibility Checker | Listen to previous The Product Experience episode: 'Building Accessible Products' with Jonathan Hassell (CEO & Founder, Hassell Inclusion) Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Samuel Beek, Chief Product Officer at VEED, joins me to share how their team ships AI-powered features in days, not months.We explore VEED's product strategy, how they stay close to users, and what it really takes to build fast without breaking things. If you're building with AI or working in product, this episode is packed with useful takeaways.Topics include:Shipping AI features at startup speedEmbedding user feedback into product decisionsBuilding for scale and testing fastBalancing innovation and executionConnect with Samuel Beek:https://samuelbeek.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelbeekFull episode on YouTube ▶️https://youtu.be/UgFbZhWCrGcBeyond Coding Podcast with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Keena Patel-Moran on building a more holistic healthcare industry As a young professional Keena Patel-Moran saw firsthand how a healthcare product she developed helped save lives. Now the Healthcare and Lifesciences Industry Lead at Launch by NTT DATA, Keena is still working towards building a more human approach to healthcare. This week, Keena sits down with Tammy to discuss ways to improve the industry and give patients the support they need and deserve. Keena reflects on how a personal experience watching a family member's health journey shaped how she views the healthcare industry today. They discuss why doctors should look beyond just symptoms and at the whole individual and make a case that improving healthcare processes is not only better for patients and care-takers but is also good for business. Please note that the views expressed may not necessarily be those of NTT DATALinks: Keena Patel-MoranLearn more about Launch by NTT DATASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ABOUT JOHN AMARALJohn Amaral, CTO and co-founder of Root.io, is a veteran cybersecurity leader with a proven track record of scaling and exiting successful companies. At Cisco, he led Product for Cloud Security—its fastest-growing Security and SaaS business. Before that, he ran product and engineering at CloudLock through its acquisition by Cisco in 2016. Earlier, as SVP of Product at Trustwave, John led its industry-leading security portfolio, culminating in a strategic acquisition by Singtel. Today, he's building Root.io—a next-gen cybersecurity platform pioneering Agentic Vulnerability Remediation (AVR) to automate and eliminate software vulnerabilities at scale. This episode is brought to you by Side – delivering award-winning QA, localization, player support, and tech services for the world's leading games and technology brands.For over 30 years, Side has helped create unforgettable user experiences—from indies to AAA blockbusters like Silent Hill 2 and Baldur's Gate 3.Learn more about Side's global solutions at side.inc. SHOW NOTES:The evolving role of engineering leaders (2:13)“Shift Left is Dead” - Why it's time to “Shift Out” (5:59)Applying Jobs-To-Be-Done & offloading toil with AI (11:00)Root.io's AI-driven approach to security (15:03)Vision First Leadership (22:36)Empowering developers & shipping daily (27:38)Rethinking product & engineering orgs and building your vision muscle (30:47)Unlocking creativity through hobbies (36:37)Rapid fire questions (41:14)LINKS AND RESOURCESThe All-In Podcast - When the pandemic prevented four friends from convening their weekly poker game, they took to the airwaves to socialize and discuss the news of the day. What started on a whim has quickly become one of the top-ranked podcasts in the world.This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

Building great products is only half the battle—the other half is building them with marketing success baked in from Day One. Too many product teams operate in isolation, creating features customers don't understand or positioning that marketing can't sell.Heather Inocencio has cracked the code on building product teams that inherently understand marketing needs. With over 30 years of product experience, she's transformed organizations at companies like The RealReal (driving revenues from $100M to $400M leading to a $1.6B IPO) and Haute Look (scaling to 4M members and a $270M Nordstrom acquisition). Now founder of The Product Consult, she helps brands bridge the critical gap between product development and market success through embedded, hands-on product management that levels up entire organizations.Episode Highlights:Heather's journey from MCI Telecommunications to fractional CPO work (01:52)Why product management was misunderstood in the early 90s and the "German to French" translation role (02:30)The shift from enterprise to high-growth startups and common optimization gaps (03:45)How The Product Consult's embedded approach differs from traditional consulting (09:16)The three-part engagement process: assessment, integration, and successful exit (09:16)Identifying the right clients: transformation needs vs. just "butts in seats" (10:30)Building product-marketing integration from acquisition through engagement (19:15)Overcoming sales team resistance and breaking down departmental silos (23:16)The critical role of aligned success metrics across all departments (24:19)Product manager-company fit: matching disposition and communication styles (32:11)The relief factor: making work easier, not harder, through optimization (36:56)One action product leaders can take tomorrow: individual team assessment (36:56)The Product Consult: theproductconsult.com Graphos Product: GraphosProduct.com Buy "I Need That" and get Laurier's daily Need Feed emails: LMandin.com

Send us a textHow do you lead 950 engineers and still make time for mechanical watches, family, and learning? In this thoughtful and energizing episode from IT Nation Secure 2025, Joey Pinz interviews David Raissipour, Chief Technology & Product Officer at ConnectWise.

In this discussion, Cristina Flaschen, CEO of Pandium, speaks with Kayleen Standridge, Senior Technical Product Manager at Stellar Cyber, about the unique challenges of building integrations within cybersecurity platforms.Kayleen's Background and Approach to IntegrationsKayleen shares her journey from technical support and professional services roles at companies like ClickUp and Podium to leading integration strategy at Stellar Cyber. She highlights how her early customer-facing experience shaped her approach to solving complex integration problems that deliver real value to users.Integration Challenges in CybersecurityStellar Cyber's focus is on unifying security data from a wide array of systems, enabling faster threat detection and response. Kayleen explains that one of the biggest hurdles is accessing highly varied and often locked-down customer environments—many of which rely on legacy or on-premise systems. To address this, her team has developed a streamlined intake and testing process, often simulating data based on API documentation when direct access isn't feasible. This ensures smoother development and troubleshooting, even when working with restricted or inconsistent data sources.Data Quality, Compliance, and SecurityData variability is a constant challenge, especially when logs and records are generated or entered in different formats. Kayleen describes how Stellar Cyber uses log parsers and regex-based solutions to handle these inconsistencies. She also emphasizes the heightened compliance requirements in cybersecurity, such as strict credential management and the need to support on-premise deployments for customers concerned with data sovereignty.Learning Curve and Industry NuancesTransitioning into cybersecurity brought a steep learning curve, particularly with industry-specific terminology and compliance standards. Kayleen notes that company-provided certifications and hands-on experience were key to ramping up quickly. While some integration challenges are unique to security, many - like supporting legacy systems - are common across SaaS industries.The Future of Integrations: Democratization and AILooking ahead, Kayleen sees integrations becoming increasingly democratized and customer-driven, with more plug-and-play options and integration platforms empowering non-technical users. She points to the rise of AI-driven orchestration tools, such as BlinkOps, that enable users to build workflows and integrations with minimal technical knowledge. This shift raises new questions around governance and permissioning, as it becomes easier for non-engineers to connect sensitive systems.Product Strategy and PartnershipsKayleen outlines how Stellar Cyber balances customer-driven integration requests with strategic initiatives, such as building bi-directional integrations with cornerstone platforms like ServiceNow. Partnerships play a crucial role in driving mutual value and go-to-market opportunities, especially with large ecosystem players.Advice for Aspiring Integration PMsKayleen encourages aspiring integration product managers to stay curious, focus on customer problems, and prioritize simplicity in integration design—even if it means taking on more complexity internally. She stresses that the most impactful integrations are those that are easy for customers to deploy and manage, ultimately solving real-world challenges.

In this insightful episode of the Product Rising Podcast, host Cassie welcomes Andrew Skotzko – a product leadership coach and strategic advisor. Andrew shares his unconventional journey into product management, starting from growth hacking and transitioning into engineering, before finally becoming a product leadership coach. He emphasizes the critical difference between strategy and planning, introducing the concept of a strategy as a series of bets rather than a rigid plan. Andrew discusses the importance of ongoing strategy development and the avoidance of the 'strategy cave' mentality, preparing listeners for the challenges of strategic planning and product leadership. Throughout the episode, Andrew provides practical advice for product leaders on when and how to hire a coach, the creative and iterative nature of strategy, and how to effectively align product strategy with business goals. His comprehensive approach offers valuable insights for product leaders aiming to elevate their strategic game and navigate the complexities of product development.00:00 Welcome to the Product Rising Podcast00:48 Meet Andrew Skotzko: From Growth Hacking to Product Leadership03:14 The Journey to Becoming a Product Leadership Coach04:41 The Value of Customized Coaching06:43 A Success Story: Coaching a CPO in the Energy Sector10:22 The Challenges and Rewards of Strategy Development17:15 When to Hire a Product Leadership Coach23:10 Funding and Frameworks for Coaching26:09 Writing a Book on Product Strategy28:50 The Illusion of Control in Business Strategy31:15 The Concept of Bets in Strategy32:23 Differentiating Product and Business Strategy36:30 The Importance of Continuous Strategy Development38:32 Navigating Strategic Planning and Execution41:59 Collaborative Strategy Formation48:06 Avoiding the Strategy Cave Trap52:35 Final Thoughts and Practical Advice

In this Ecommerce Summer School archive episode, we talk about why website speed matters so much for online stores. When sites load too slowly, 90% of shoppers will leave and go somewhere else. Our guest is Darin Archer, Vice President of Product Strategy at Yottaa.com. He explains how third-party apps can slow down your site and shares simple ways to make pages load faster. Darren also talks about how speed improvements can boost sales by 6-12% or more. This is a must-listen for anyone running an online business.Topics discussed in this episode:  Why 90% of consumers leave slow-loading websitesHow e-commerce sites average 60 third-party apps that hurt performanceWhat real user monitoring shows versus office testingWhy third-party apps cause 75% of page load time and 70% of performance issuesHow proper sequencing works like an orchestra instead of a school bandWhat 6-12% conversion rate improvements look like with speed optimizationWhy the 3-second rule varies by brand type and productHow Perry Ellis got 15% conversion lift from 37% speed improvementWhat $5-10 million revenue businesses should prioritize for quick winsWhy site speed optimization offers the best ROI with payback in weeksLinks & Resources Website: https://www.yottaa.com/Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/rapid-insiteLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yottaa/Twitter: https://twitter.com/yottaaGet access to more free resources by visiting the show notes athttps://tinyurl.com/tz65hvd4MORE RESOURCES Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter: https://newsletter.ecommercecoffeebreak.com/ Free Store Optimization Beginners Guide: Instant PDF Download!

Rich Carson (Managing Director, Private Investments, Cambridge Associates) and Jerry Smith (Private Markets Product Strategy Lead, Mercer) join our hosts to discuss a new private markets collaboration between their firms and S&P Global. They explain how this initiative will improve the communication between GPs and LPs and support decision-making, by enhancing the sharing of performance data. Rich and Jerry also share their thoughts on the evolution of the private investment industry. More S&P Global Content:  Software, services & solutions to power growth in the Capital Markets [Blog] As LP-GP relations evolve, the need for a clearinghouse of data is increasing Credits:  Host/Author: Chris Sparenberg and Jocelyn Lewis Guests: Rich Carson, Cambridge Associates and Jerry Smith, Mercer Producer: Georgina Lee www.spglobal.com www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence   FOR INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR USE ONLY. The information contained in this video is provided for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. The material was prepared without regard to specific objectives, financial situation or needs of any investor. Reliance upon information in this video is at the sole risk and discretion of the viewer.

What if virality wasn't a tactic — but the entire product?In this episode, a16z General Partners Erik Torenberg and Bryan Kim sit down with Roy Lee, cofounder and CEO of Cluely, one of the most talked-about consumer AI startups of 2025. Cluely didn't raise a mega round or drop a feature suite to get traction - it broke through by turning distribution into design: launching viral short-form videos, pushing polarizing product drops, and building in public with speed and spectacle.We cover:– Why virality is Cluely's moat– Building a brand-native AI interface– The Gen Z founder mindset– What most startups get wrong about attention– Why creators are the new product managers– Cluely's long-term vision for ambient AICluely is a glimpse at the next generation of startups,  where the line between product and performance is disappearing. Timecodes: 00:00 Introduction 01:07 Early Success02:02 Roy's Journey: From College Kid to Tech Universe04:37 The Turning Point: Harvard and Beyond06:57 Building Cluey: The Early Days08:27 The Viral Strategy: Mastering Algorithms13:56 The 50 Interns Experiment15:30 The Investment Journey: Roy and Bryan's Partnership19:20 Momentum as a Moat: The Future of AI Companies20:32 The Evolution of Product Strategy in the AI Era21:19 The Importance of Speed and Adaptability22:48 The Role of Distribution in Modern Startups24:26 Roy's Journey and Product Development25:25 The Power of User Data and Feedback26:58 Innovative Marketing and Distribution Tactics28:25 The Future of AI Integration and Translucent Overlays32:15 Controversial Marketing and Authenticity34:01 The Impact of Radical Transparency36:42 The Changing Landscape of Professionalism38:26 Concluding Thoughts and Future VisionResources: Find Roy on X: https://x.com/im_roy_leeFind Bryan on X: https://x.com/kirbyman01Learn more about Cluely: http://cluely.com/ Stay Updated: Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16zFind a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

Welcome to Products of Music, a podcast sharing Inside stories and expert insights on product innovation in music technology.In this episode:Host Adam Wakeling speaks with Rodrigo J. Ibieta, Director of Product Management, Hardware Products, at Universal Audio.What to expect:

In this episode of Anchored by the Sword, I'm joined by Naomi Overton—CEO, author, and general editor of Every Woman's Bible. Naomi's heart for people shines through every word as she shares her powerful journey of growing up serving in the orphanages of Tijuana, Mexico, and how a rainy day and a little girl's home changed everything.From that defining childhood moment to leading global ministries like MOPS and Stonecroft, Naomi walks us through her freedom story—a life marked by reconciliation, restoration, and God's vision for flourishing. We also dive into the incredible backstory of Every Woman's Bible—how it came to be, what makes it different, and the worldwide team of women who made it happen.You'll hear about: • Why Ephesians is her anchor • The power of crossing barriers in Jesus' name • How her mission was shaped by love and justice • What it means to truly embrace every woman • Why this Bible is both solid in theology and full of invitationWe also talk about how Every Woman's Bible isn't just another women's Bible—it's an embrace. A place where your story meets God's story and you're reminded you belong.

In this episode of the Additive Snack Podcast, host Fabian Alefeld interviews Alex Oster, Director of Additive Manufacturing at Autodesk. The conversation spans Alex's journey from his early career in 1998 in Bavaria to his current influential role at Autodesk. They delve into the evolution of the additive manufacturing industry, from its early days to the current market dynamics and innovations, including the impact of AI and simulation technologies.  Alex shares stories from his time at FIT and Netfabb, including the challenges and innovations they faced. He explains Autodesk's strategy of integrating specialized tools into one cohesive platform, Fusion 360, which offers comprehensive solutions for both industrial and mass-market applications. They also discuss the crucial role of workforce development and the importance of making advanced manufacturing tools accessible to students and professionals. The episode concludes with thoughts on the future of additive manufacturing and the impact of AI on the industry. 01:09 Alex's Journey into Additive Manufacturing 02:32 Early Industry Challenges and Innovations 07:29 Growth and Development of NetFabb 12:16 Impact of FDM Revolution 21:32 Autodesk Acquisition and Integration 30:13 Fusion 360: A Comprehensive Tool 37:31 Workforce Development and Industry Adoption 47:15 The Rise of Low-Cost Machines 48:29 The Evolution of Metal Additive Manufacturing 49:43 Western Machine Vendors and Market Dynamics 50:03 High-End Custom Machines and Industry Trends 53:49 AI's Role in Additive Manufacturing 54:44 Autodesk's Product Strategy and Market Position 56:52 Simulation and Surrogate Modeling 01:10:01 Challenges in Polymer Simulation 01:11:30 AI and Computer Vision in Manufacturing 01:14:30 The Future of Manufacturing Integration 

In this episode of the Product Thinking Podcast, Melissa Perri sits down with Monica Lewis, VP of Product at LinkedIn, to explore how AI is transforming sales solutions.Monica shares her journey from engineering to leading LinkedIn's billion-dollar Sales Solutions team, focusing on creating powerful AI-driven tools that increase the effectiveness of the sales team.Monica discusses the integration of AI in sales processes and highlights the importance of understanding customer needs to create solutions that address real-world challenges. She emphasizes the role of AI in streamlining tasks, thereby enabling sales professionals to focus on strategic activities that create value for buyers and sellers.If you want to learn how AI can reshape your approach to product management and sales strategy, tune in and gain valuable insights from Monica's experience at LinkedIn.You'll hear us talk about:00:02:54 - Grounding AI in Customer NeedsMonica explains how LinkedIn ensures their AI solutions are centered around customer problems, emphasizing the need for understanding audience and customer requirements first when developing AI-driven products.00:10:27 - Leveraging AI to Improve Sales EffectivenessMonica shares how AI is helping salespeople become more efficient by automating non-customer-facing tasks and providing valuable insights for better decision-making.00:30:01 - Embracing Failure and Rapid TestingMonica shares a pivotal moment at LinkedIn where rapid experimentation and smart risk-taking led to an increase in customer acquisition, highlighting the importance of quick testing, learning, and iteration.Episode resources:- Monica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamlewis/- Check our new course: https://productinstitute.com/p/mastering-product-strategy-overviewTimestamps:00:00 Introduction03:04 Dear Melissa07:49 Building Sales Solutions at LinkedIn13:01 Creating a culture of experimentation16:12 Trends in AI and the evolving role of salespeople21:17 Balancing metrics, data, and user value25:13 Designing user experiences with smart cues30:59 Monica's career pivotal moments and product strategy insights36:59 Managing innovation, bets, and experimentation40:46 The future of sales and advice to younger self

Most founders dive straight into building — features, user flows, no-code tools — before they've nailed the strategy that actually drives traction: brand. In this episode, Sophia Matveeva shares why brand must come before product, especially for non-technical founders building tech-enabled businesses. You'll learn the four brand foundations every founder needs — whether you're launching a new venture or scaling an existing one: Clarity — Who you serve and why you exist Story — What problem you solve and what's at stake Trust Signals — How to build credibility before or beyond your user base Voice — How to speak to your market without jargon Sophia also shares examples from Uber, Goldman Sachs, and her own company, Tech for Non-Techies, which is trusted by governments and Fortune 500s to teach non-technical leaders how to succeed in the digital economy. If you want customers, talent, and investors to take your venture seriously — and you're not building brand strategically — this episode is for you. Chapters 00:00 – Code vs Brand 01:11 – Logos Are Not Brands 02:37 – Why Trust Matters More Than Features 04:37 – Non-Technical Founders' Common Mistake: Features Before Brand 09:38 – Investors Back Missions, Not Apps 11:40 – Think Like an Investor 12:30 – 4 Brand Foundations Before Product 18:13 – What's Next: Cannes Lions Insights Episodes to help you build your personal brand: 170. Advisory Boards: why join them & why have them 146. How to get headhunted   For the full transcript, go to: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/258-why-you-need-a-brand-before-you-need-an-app   FREE COURSE: 5 Tech Concepts Every Business Leader Needs To Know   Growth Through Innovation If your organisation wants to drive revenue through innovation, book a call with us here. Our workshops and innovation strategies have helped Constellation Brands, the Royal Bank of Canada and Oxford University.

Send us a textIn episode 240 of The Data Diva Talks Privacy Podcast, host Debbie Reynolds, “The Data Diva,” welcomes Ian Glazer, Vice President of Product Strategy at SGNL (SGNL.ai) and co-founder of IDPro. With decades of leadership in digital identity, Ian shares insights on how identity, privacy, and security have become essential foundations of digital interaction.They explore how identity has shifted from managing usernames and passwords to helping individuals assert who they are in digital spaces. Ian and Debbie examine the rise of “proofing creep,” where services now require government IDs and biometric selfies, raising questions about over-collection and user dignity. Ian explains that identity is how privacy controls are enforced, and that organizations need to ask what data they are collecting, what it represents, and how it should be protected.The conversation covers mobile driver's licenses, biometric authentication, and government-backed digital ID programs. Ian raises concerns about fragmented identity systems that could create barriers to global access and digital inclusion. They also discuss challenges with age verification laws that translate physical-world practices poorly into online environments, often leading to excessive data demands.Ian outlines how emerging AI systems acting on behalf of users present new identity challenges around authority, authentication, and accountability. He ties this to similar concerns around digital estate management, emphasizing the need for consistent identity frameworks across different contexts.Closing the episode, Ian calls for an empathetic approach to designing identity systems, one that recognizes real-world conditions such as aging, accessibility needs, and unequal access to technology. Debbie and Ian agree that identity systems should be easy to use, respectful of users, and built to support everyone, not just tech-savvy individuals.Support the show

On this episode of Animal Spirits: Talk Your Book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael Batnick⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ben Carlson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are joined by Todd Mathias, Head of U.S. Product Strategy & Development at Franklin Templeton to discuss US outperformance vs international, currency headwinds, macro uncertainty in the US, the value factor overseas, and much more! Find complete show notes on our blogs... Ben Carlson's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Wealth of Common Sense⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Michael Batnick's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Irrelevant Investor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Feel free to shoot us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠animalspirits@thecompoundnews.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with any feedback, questions, recommendations, or ideas for future topics of conversation. Check out the latest in financial blogger fashion at The Compound shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.idontshop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Investing involves the risk of loss. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be or regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions. Michael Batnick and Ben Carlson are employees of Ritholtz Wealth Management and may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this video. All opinions expressed by them are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Ritholtz Wealth Management. See our disclosures here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ritholtzwealth.com/podcast-youtube-disclosures/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Compound Media, Incorporated, an affiliate of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ritholtz Wealth Management⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do successful product leaders balance technology, customer needs, and business strategy in a rapidly changing retail environment? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Foot Locker Head of Product Avery Worthing-Jones will be speaking on the evolving landscape of product leadership and innovation. Avery shares unique insights from leading product teams through transformative periods like the pandemic and the rise of AI, offering a candid look at building high-performing, diverse product teams that drive real business value.

Tim Herbig Connecting the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product DiscoveryIn this episode, we welcome Tim Herbig, a product leadership coach with a special focus on OKRs, in addition to product strategy and discovery. Tim shares his unique journey from product management to coaching, elaborating on the complexities and nuances of implementing OKRs in various business contexts. Through his insightful discussion, Tim covers the misconceptions about OKRs, the importance of adapting them to your specific needs, and effective strategies for measuring success. He also dives into the integration of product discovery and product strategy with OKRs, offering practical advice for product leaders facing challenges with OKR implementation. Whether you're in a startup or a large enterprise, Tim's expertise provides valuable perspectives on how to make OKRs work for your team.00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:48 Tim Herbig's Journey into Product Management01:52 Transition to Coaching and Consultancy03:53 Specialization in OKRs and Product Management06:50 Adapting OKRs to Different Contexts09:46 Challenges and Strategies in OKR Implementation13:58 Measuring Success and Influence in OKRs22:47 OKRs in Product vs. Broader Company Context25:38 The Role of OKRs in Strategy and Discovery27:11 Confidence and Hypotheses in Strategy29:36 OKRs in Startups vs. Large Enterprises32:07 Adapting OKRs to Fit Your Context33:47 Common Misconceptions and Best Practices40:00 Aligning OKRs Across Teams47:43 When to Bring in OKR Support50:57 Conclusion and Contact Information

 In this episode of the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, Lukas Voss speaks with Gaurav Gupta, SVP of Product Strategy and Performance Management at Med-Metrix, about the rising role of artificial intelligence in revenue cycle management—and why transparency matters more than ever. Gaurav unpacks the challenges of “black box” AI, including staff distrust, compliance risk, and limited oversight, and explains how explainable AI can drive smarter, more trustworthy outcomes. Tune in to learn how healthcare leaders can evaluate AI tools with confidence and future-proof their RCM strategies.This episode is sponsored by Med-Metrix.

Most PMs still think velocity = impact. They're wrong. If no one on your team owns adoption, retention, or revenue—then growth isn't anyone's job. Jayson Robinson joins Convergence.fm to unpack why most product teams are built to ship—but not to grow. From leading growth at Toptal and BairesDev to advising SaaS companies and launching enterprise products at M&S, Jayson has seen where traditional product orgs fall apart—and what high-agency PMs actually do differently. We cover how to spot deadweight roles, when founders need to let go, and what happens when you hire people who are better at agile ceremonies than business outcomes. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why velocity without measurable outcomes is a red flag The critical differences between growth PMs and generalist PMs What high-agency PMs do that process-driven PMs can't replicate How to interview for ownership, not just experience The real reason “translator” PMs are getting phased out What happened when HP focused on output over market alignment How Duolingo's growth org became its engine of compounding retention Why founders who don't let go end up being the ceiling Lessons from Netflix, Shopify, and Linear on org design that scales   Mentioned in this episode The HP Way by David Packard — Buy the book Duolingo's Growth Strategy — Lenny Rachitsky breakdown Shopify Product Leadership — First Round article Linear's Product Development Approach — Read on Linear's blog High Agency Hiring — Michael Dearing on First Round Jayson's blog post on the future of PM roles: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jaysonkrobinson_the-product-manager-role-is-speciating-activity-7315760215277121536-1LcF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGxt90BvpkwcznT5WbhfSl0aK9PPNhWLy4 Mind the product talk by ElevenLabs and build measure learn cycle  Jason's Linkedin profile  Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Krithika Shankarraman was the first marketing hire at OpenAI and Stripe and led marketing at Retool. At OpenAI, she established marketing foundations for ChatGPT for consumers and enterprises, as well as their developer API platform. While at Stripe, she spent over eight years building and scaling their marketing function from scratch. An engineer turned marketer, Krithika brings a uniquely analytical approach to marketing. She currently serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at Thrive Capital, where she helps portfolio companies on all things marketing.What you will learn:1. Why do most marketing playbooks often fail, and what's a better way?2. Which marketing lever should I pull first?3. Why is trying to be better than competitors usually a losing strategy?4. How do I craft positioning that actually converts?5. What makes messaging stick with developers, enterprises, and consumers?6. What pricing experiments actually move revenue?7. What is working at OpenAI really like?8. Why does consistency and quality matter more than speed?—Brought to you by:Eppo — Run reliable, impactful experimentsAirtable ProductCentral—Launch to new heights with a unified system for product developmentLinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business—Where to find Krithika Shankarraman:• X: https://x.com/krithix• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krithix/• Website: https://krithix.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Krithika(04:22) Early marketing lessons from OpenAI(11:17) Diagnosing marketing needs(15:06) The DATE framework and why being cheaper is a race to the bottom(17:11) Marketing strategies at Retool(22:29) Insights from marketing at Stripe(32:33) The importance of consistent marketing communication(39:55) Criteria for hiring a marketing expert(41:43) “Capital M” vs. “lowercase m” marketing(43:05) ChatGPT vs. Claude: market dominance(45:31) The future of AI and its societal impact(47:09) Work-life balance(48:41) Transitioning to Thrive(52:35) Career advice for marketers(55:00) The importance of taste and creativity in the AI era(01:00:04) AI product pricing(01:03:21) AI tools in marketing(01:05:17) Failure corner(01:08:46) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• OpenAI: https://openai.com/• Stripe: https://stripe.com/• Retool: https://retool.com/• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/• Sam Altman talks about his business model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLnyjxgFxew• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan• Pricing your SaaS product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/saas-pricing-strategy• Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/• Stripe Connect: https://stripe.com/connect• John Collison on X: https://x.com/collision• Patrick Collison on X: https://x.com/patrickc• Cristina Cordova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinajcordova/• Hackpad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackpad• Building Wiz: the fastest-growing startup in history | Raaz Herzberg (CMO and VP Product Strategy): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-wiz-raaz-herzberg• Wiz: https://www.wiz.io/• Thrive Capital: https://thrivecap.com/• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Claude: https://claude.ai/new• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/• Lessons from scaling Stripe | Claire Hughes Johnson (former COO of Stripe): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-scaling-stripe-tactics• Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/• Everyone's an engineer now: Inside v0's mission to create a hundred million builders | Guillermo Rauch (founder and CEO of Vercel, creators of v0 and Next.js): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyones-an-engineer-now-guillermo-rauch• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• OpenAI's CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more | Kevin Weil (CPO at OpenAI, ex-Instagram, Twitter): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/kevin-weil-open-ai• April Dunford on product positioning, segmentation, and optimizing your sales process: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/april-dunford-on-product-positioning• A step-by-step guide to crafting a sales pitch that wins | April Dunford (author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting• Severance on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/• Granola: https://www.granola.ai/• Some people think AI writing has a tell—the em dash. Writers disagree: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/04/09/ai-em-dash-writing-punctuation-chatgpt/—Recommended books:• Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning So Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It: https://www.amazon.com/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/1999023005• Circe: https://www.amazon.com/Circe-Madeline-Miller/dp/0316556327/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

In this episode of Corporate Treasury 101, we explore how corporate treasurers can enhance collaboration with Procurement and Accounts Payable (AP) teams to optimize working capital, reduce the cost of capital, and improve cash flow visibility. Tamir Shafer and Rajiv Ramachandran from Coupa share insights on the interdependencies between Treasury, Procurement, and AP, and how technology platforms can break down silos and streamline these critical financial functions. With growing complexity in supply chains and supplier payment management, treasurers need new strategies and tools to drive efficiency and financial health across the organization.Tamir Shafer, Area Vice President at Coupa and a former Treasury practitioner, offers a unique perspective on how Treasury can better engage with Procurement and AP. Rajiv Ramachandran, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at Coupa Pay, explains how integrated spend management platforms empower companies to gain early visibility into payments and cash flow forecasts while enabling innovative solutions like dynamic discounting. Together, they unpack how Treasury can become a strategic leader by working closely with these departments.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeThe roles Procurement and AP play and their impact on Treasury operationsHow Treasury, Procurement, and AP interconnect to manage supplier contracts, payments, and liquidity riskWays data analytics and technology platforms like Coupa improve spend visibility and cash flow forecastingPractical insights on dynamic discounting and working capital optimization across the supply chainTips for breaking down organizational silos and fostering cross-department collaboration for financial transformationEpisode Breakdown & Timestamps [00:00] – Introduction and $100 AFP Certification Discount [00:37] – Meet Tamir Shafer and Rajiv Ramachandran from Coupa [02:17] – What Does a Procurement Department Typically Do? [06:11] – Supplier Contracts, Risk, and Treasury's Role [08:54] – Understanding the Accounts Payable Process [13:17] – Optimizing Working Capital through Dynamic Discounting [20:01] – Simplifying Payment and Financing with Technology [25:27] – Integration Challenges and Supplier Onboarding [30:10] – Interdependencies Between Procurement, AP, and Treasury [37:03] – How Coupa Enables Collaboration Through Unified Platform [42:54] – Learning Across Departments and Breaking Silos [48:00] – Why Coupa Linked Procurement, AP, and Treasury [56:00] – Final Advice: Treasurers as Superheroes and Change Agents [58:00] – Closing and How to Learn More About Coupa and Our GuestsFollow Our Guests:Tamir ShaferLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamir-shafer-0722434/ Website: https://www.coupa.com/ Coupa (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/company/coupa-software/ Rajiv RamachandranLinkedIn:

BONUS: Marcelo Calbucci reveals Amazon's secret innovation framework that transforms product development! Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this BONUS episode, we explore "The PRFAQ Framework" (visit also the website) with author Marcelo Calbucci. He shares how Amazon's innovative approach to product development can be adapted by founders, product managers, and teams across industries. Learn how this powerful methodology creates alignment, clarifies vision, and ensures customer-centricity in product development. The Origins of PRFAQ "I learned the PR FAQ method at Amazon and realized this is a great tool that would be valuable for founders and product leaders." Marcelo Calbucci shares how his experience at Amazon introduced him to the PRFAQ framework—a structured approach to product ideation and development. He explains how this methodology transformed his thinking about innovation and why he felt compelled to share it with a wider audience through his book. The framework addresses a critical gap he observed in how teams approach product development, often lacking the clarity and customer focus needed for success. Understanding the PRFAQ Framework "PR FAQ stands for press release and frequently asked questions—it's a method to talk about and define a vision for the product." The PRFAQ framework is a six-page document with a highly prescriptive structure. Marcelo breaks down the components: Page 1: A press release announcing the product Page 2+: Customer FAQ addressing potential questions Page 3+: Internal FAQ covering implementation details This document serves as the foundation for product development, helping teams align on vision and strategy before diving into execution. Marcelo emphasizes that the framework forces teams to articulate the "why" behind their work, not just the "what" and "how." The Alignment Challenge "Challenge: pick a few people from your organization, ask each one 'why are we doing this?' Chances are you will get a different answer from different people." One of the most significant challenges in product development is the lack of alignment across teams. Marcelo highlights how common it is for team members to have different understandings of product goals and strategy. Without a shared vision, teams risk building features that don't solve the right problems or address customer needs effectively. The PRFAQ framework creates alignment by documenting and socializing product vision in a consistent format that encourages discussion and feedback. Practical Implementation Tips "Use the PRFAQ as a textual document, instead of a PowerPoint presentation—the discipline of writing helps clarify thinking." Marcelo offers several practical tips for implementing the PRFAQ approach effectively: Write things out in paragraphs rather than bullet points Consider writing the FAQs before the press release Use the document as a tool for discussion, not as a polished deliverable Conduct review sessions with peers, team members, and stakeholders Focus on substance over style—the goal is to discover feedback He emphasizes that the act of writing forces clearer thinking and exposes gaps in logic or understanding that might otherwise remain hidden. The Amazon Way "At Amazon, every product starts with a PRFAQ. It starts with someone having an idea. The first thing they do is to write the PRFAQ." Marcelo provides insight into how Amazon implements this framework across the organization. Every product initiative begins with a PRFAQ document that articulates the vision and strategy. Teams spend time discussing and refining this document before moving into execution. This methodical approach allows Amazon to get early feedback on ideas, helping to identify potential issues before significant resources are invested. The framework has been a cornerstone of Amazon's ability to innovate consistently across diverse product areas. Customer-Centricity in Practice "Here's one lesson about product leadership: understand the problems better than even the customer understands them." The customer-centric nature of the PRFAQ framework is one of its greatest strengths. By forcing teams to anticipate customer questions and articulate benefits from their perspective, the framework ensures products are built to solve real problems. Marcelo explains that sometimes the "customer" might be internal, but the principle remains the same—deeply understanding the problems before proposing solutions. This approach has proven particularly effective at Amazon, where customer obsession is a core value. Learning from the Book Development Process "In interviewing teams using the method, I discovered that the problem was convincing the whole team about the PRFAQ method." Interestingly, Marcelo applied the PRFAQ framework to the development of his own book. Through this meta-application, he discovered that the biggest challenge wasn't explaining the method itself but convincing entire teams to adopt it. This insight shaped the book's approach—making product strategy discussions less academic and more practical. He focused on providing concrete examples and templates that teams could immediately apply to their work. Resources for Deeper Learning "Read examples first, pay attention to how you write the phrases in the document." For listeners wanting to explore the PRFAQ framework further, Marcelo recommends starting with examples to understand the tone and structure. His book website offers resources and templates to help teams implement the framework. He emphasizes that seeing the framework in action is often more valuable than theoretical discussions, which is why he includes numerous examples in his book and supplementary materials. About Marcelo Calbucci Marcelo Calbucci is a founder, product and engineering leader, and innovation expert passionate about solving customers' biggest challenges through software. With over two decades of experience, he has launched dozens of products across industries and mentored nearly a thousand founders and professionals, shaping the future of product development and innovation. Marcelo Calbucci is the author of "The PRFAQ Framework: Adapting Amazon's Innovation Framework to Work for You," which describes Amazon's PRFAQ method—a strategic approach designed to refine and present new product ideas by focusing on customer-centric narratives. You can link with Marcelo Calbucci on LinkedIn and connect with Marcelo Calbucci on Substack.

Users, threat actors, and the system design all influence—and are influenced by—one another. To design safer systems, we first need to understand the players who operate within those systems. Kelly Shortridge and Josiah Dykstra exemplify this human-centered approach in their work. In this episode we talk about:The vital role of human factors in cyber-resilience—how Josiah and Kelly apply a behavioral-economics mindset every day to design safer, more adaptable systems.Key cognitive biases that undermine incident response (like action bias and opportunity costs) and simple heuristics to counter them.The “sludge” strategy: deliberately introducing friction to attacker workflows to increase time, effort, and financial costs—as Kelly says, “disrupt their economics.”Why moving from a security culture of shame and blame to one of open learning and continuous improvement is essential for true cybersecurity resilience.Kelly Shortridge is VP, Security Products at Fastly, formerly VP of Product Management and Product Strategy at Capsule8. She is the author of Security Chaos Engineering: Sustaining Resilience in Software and Systems.Josiah Dykstra is the owner of Designer Security, human-centered security advocate, cybersecurity researcher, and former Director of Strategic Initiatives at Trail of Bits. He also worked at the NSA as Technical Director, Critical Networks and Systems. Josiah is the author of Cybersecurity Myths and Misconceptions: Avoiding the Hazards and Pitfalls that Derail Us.During this episode, we reference:Josiah Dykstra, Kelly Shortridge, Jamie Met, Douglas Hough, “Sludge for Good: Slowing and Imposing Costs on Cyber Attackers,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2211.16626 (2022).Josiah Dykstra, Kelly Shortridge, Jamie Met, Douglas Hough, “Opportunity Cost of Action Bias in Cybersecurity Incident Response,” Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 66, Issue 1 (2022): 1116-1120.

Who coaches PMs if Directors or CPOs don't understand how features get built? ...or don't understand how to build a strategy?Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel as we analyze Ravi Mehta's PM competency framework and debate which skills actually matter at each level of product management!#ProductManagement #Leadership #ProductStrategyREFERENCES"How to Become a Peak Product Manager" by Ravi Mehta: https://www.ravi-mehta.com/product-manager-skills/= = = = = = = = = = = =LINKS Arguing Agile: http://arguingagile.comYouTube: https://youtu.be/d9byEWuGbBoSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596= = = = = = = = = = = =Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

In this exclusive 5 Insightful Minutes interview, Omar Akilah, SVP of Product Strategy at Infios, joins Omni Talk to explore how AI is impacting retail order management systems. From modular OMS architecture to predictive inventory optimization and AI-enhanced customer service, Omar explains why the future of retail fulfillment depends on intelligent, scalable, and purpose-built solutions. Learn how leading retailers can ditch the spreadsheets and future-proof their operations today. Key moments include: 0:11 – Omar joins to talk about how AI is impacting OMS 0:30 – What is a modular order management system and why it matters 1:25 – How Shopify brands can scale with modular tech 2:00 – Why AI—not systems—should power retail functionality 2:52 – How predictive AI is transforming order orchestration and fulfillment 3:44 – Examples of AI in real-time inventory management and optimization 5:00 – Eliminating spreadsheets and manual what-if rules 6:10 – The future: AI as a companion to enhance—not replace—retail jobs 7:50 – AI-augmented agents for better customer service 8:11 – Final thoughts from Omar on intelligent systems and retail agility Music by hooksounds.com #aiinretail #ordermanagement #retailtech #omnichannel #Infos #RetailAI #inventoryoptimization #machinelearning #ecommerce #omnitalk #retailinnovation Sponsored Content

How do you move from dabbling with AI and vibe coding to building real, production-grade software with it? In this episode, Austin Vance, CEO of Focused returns and we transition the conversation from building AI-enabled applications to fostering AI-native engineering teams. Austin shares how generative AI isn't just a shortcut—it's reshaping how we architect, code, and lead. We also get to hear Austin's thoughts on the leaked ‘AI Mandate' memo from Shopify's CEO, Tobi Lutke.  We cover what Austin refers to as ‘AI-driven development', how to win over the skeptics on your teams, and why traditional patterns of software engineering might not be the best fit for LLM-driven workflows.  Whether you're an engineer,product leader, or startup founder, this episode will give you a practical lens on what AI-native software development actually requires—and how to foster adoption on your teams quickly and safely to get the benefits of using AI in product delivery. Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Inside the episode... Why Shopify's leaked AI memo was a "permission slip" for your own team The three personas in AI adoption: advocates, skeptics, and holdouts How AI-driven development (AIDD) differs from “AI-assisted” workflows Tools and practices Focused uses to ship faster and cheaper with AI Pair programming vs. pairing with an LLM: similarities and mindset shifts How teams are learning to prompt effectively—without prompt engineering training Vibe coding vs. integrating with entrenched systems: what's actually feasible Scaling engineering culture around non-determinism and experimentation Practical tips for onboarding dev teams to tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and Vercel AI SDK Using LLMs for deep codebase exploration, not just code generation Mentioned in this episode Cursor Windsurf LangChain Claude GPT-4 / ChatGPT V0.dev GitHub Copilot Focused (focused.io) Shopify internal AI memo Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Listen or watch as Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando debate whether communication is the primary function of product managers. We explore how and if PMs can balance effective communication across stakeholder groups while still delivering results, in addition to other topics, such as: What percentage really is communicationThe power-interest matrix for stakeholder managementBalancing narrative leadership vs technical excellenceCreating vision without authorityMaking the invisible turn visibleWhat makes a good one-page vision documents#ProductManagement #Agile #Communication= = = = = = = = = = = =REFERENCESArguing Agile 201: Mastering Stakeholder Communication and ManagementArguing Agile 205: Debating Impact versus Visibility in Product ManagementArguing Agile 123: PRDsWho Moved My Cheese, Spencer Johnson, 1998Geoffrey Moore, Crossing the Chasm, 1991Working Backwards, Bill Carr & Colin Bryar, 2021The Power/Interest Grid, Eden & Ackermann, 1998= = = = = = = = = = = =LINKS Arguing Agile: http://arguingagile.comYouTube: https://youtu.be/MEKYApOb4xcSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596= = = = = = = = = = = =Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

ABOUT FARNAZ AZMOODEHFarnaz is the CTO at Linktree, the leading social platform for creators and small businesses. Linktree enables its users to unify, curate, and monetize their online presence. Farnaz started her career at Google, focusing on the ad tech space. Farnaz then joined Snap, leading Snap's AR monetization team before scaling to run Snap's Platform and product engineering. Farnaz earned her bachelor's degree in computer science from Sharif University of Technology before moving to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Southern California. After fulfilling the credits for a master's degree, she decided to enter the tech industry where she could contribute to human progress by bringing products to millions of users. Build AI Voice Agents with ElevenLabsElevenLabs is the leading Voice AI platform for developers with thousands of ultra-realistic, human-like voices across 32 languages.Developers use ElevenLabs to build life-like, conversational AI voice agents to handle customer support queries, appointment scheduling, and even offer personalized 1-1 tutoring.Get started for free at elevenlabs.io/elc SHOW NOTES:Taking on product & design 3 months into a new role (3:01)Going from delivery to discovery: mindset shifts for eng leaders (5:58)Identifying the current state of engineering, product & design (10:59)Decision-making based on anecdotes vs. data (12:50)Pivoting strategies to optimize for small, fast teams to improve cross-functional collaboration (15:04)Signals to pivot your product approach & ****make different bets (16:59)Complementary skill sets for rapid iteration (19:14)How to avoid silencing critical input & transform team frustration into product insight (20:41)Applying the 80/20 rule to complex product surfaces (23:46)Case Study: Reprioritizing the LinkTree product w/ 80/20 approach (25:46)Bringing on a strategic product partner & kicking off org change (27:28)Be honest about your knowledge gaps (29:09)How Farnaz's experiences at Snap inform her leadership as CTO (33:21)When pattern matching fails: frameworks for checking assumptions (35:22)Where EPD Is headed: cross-functional evolution in the age of AI (38:10)Rapid fire questions (38:58)This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

Today, we're talking with Jake Hookom, EVP of Product at Perforce. In this episode, we'll explore: How Jake's focus on "category carving" at Four51 helped them soar above the sea of headless commerce tools and into a successful exit Why most PMs are wrong to measure success on features shipped - it's about solving user problems throughout the entire customer journey And, how Sitecore's enormous practitioner community provided market awareness and a means to drive product adoption beyond anything they could do alone disrupts the world Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobhookom/ Perforce: https://www.perforce.com/ Resources Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, Kevin Maney: https://www.harperacademic.com/book/9780062407610/play-bigger/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:17 Joining 451 During COVID 02:24 First 90 Days Strategy 04:21 Defining a New Category 08:07 Focusing on B2B Market 10:16 Product as a Spectrum 15:59 Importance of Compliance 19:37 Success and Acquisition 20:17 Joining the Java Champions Community 21:22 The Acquisition by Sitecore 22:29 Focusing on B2B Product Sales 24:16 Building a Practitioner Community at Sitecore 25:40 Leveraging Community Feedback 30:00 The Role of Product in Solving Problems 33:52 Engaging and Growing the Community 39:27 Outro Follow LaunchPod on YouTube We have a new YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@LaunchPod.byLogRocket)! Watch full episodes of our interviews with PM leaders and subscribe! What does LogRocket do? LogRocket combines frontend monitoring, product analytics, and session replay to help software teams deliver the ideal product experience. Try LogRocket for free today. (https://logrocket.com/signup/?pdr) Special Guest: Jake Hookom.

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Kiren Sekar, Chief Product Officer at Samsara, a $20+ billion company revolutionizing physical operations technology. Since its founding about 10 years ago, Samsara has become a leader in IoT and AI solutions for industries like transportation, manufacturing, and construction.As CPO, Kiren leads Samsara's product strategy and development, overseeing a team of ~700 people in R&D. Under his leadership, Samsara has successfully built an integrated platform that combines hardware sensors and cameras with sophisticated software solutions, collecting over 10 trillion data points annually to help businesses improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability.we explore how Samsara balances hardware and software development, uses their 70/20/10 framework for product roadmap prioritization, and leverages AI to enhance driver safety and operational efficiency. Kiren also shares insights on building and scaling product teams in a rapidly growing enterprise environment.What you'll learn:- How to implement a 70/20/10 framework for product roadmap prioritization- Strategies for building and scaling R&D teams across hardware and software- Methods for creating effective customer feedback loops combining data and field visits- Approaches to balancing customer requests with innovation initiativesKey Takeaways

In this episode of Beyond the Systems Podcast, I sat down with multi six-figure entrepreneur Jennifer Morilla to dive deep into her "one product, one funnel" business approach. After experiencing serious burnout in 2023, Jen completely restructured her business around a single signature offer - her Simplify to Implify Accelerator - and hasn't looked back.We explore how shiny object syndrome keeps entrepreneurs trapped in a cycle of creating multiple programs (when really, we should be doubling down on what's already working!). Jen shares the exact moment she realized she needed to simplify, including the hilarious story of making her OBM sign a contract promising not to let her create any new programs.If you're feeling scattered with too many offers or struggling to stay focused on one revenue stream, this episode unpacks why simplicity leads to sustainability. We discuss how Jen structures her program to maintain quality while reducing her time investment, her content marketing strategy for a single offer, and the mindset shifts required to trust that one excellent product can outperform multiple mediocre ones.What I love most about this conversation is Jen's transparency about her entrepreneurial journey - from travel blogger to burnt-out coach to focused business owner - and how personal development played a crucial role in her business transformation. Listen in for a refreshingly honest take on building a profitable, sustainable online business without the hustle.More about Jennifer Morilla: Jennifer Morilla is a multi-six-figure entrepreneur, business mentor, and TEDx speaker with over 10 years of experience, helping entrepreneurs turn their personal brands into thriving six-figure businesses through online marketing and brand-building strategies.Connect with Jennifer Morilla:Website: https://jennifermorilla.com/Instagram: @jennifer.morillaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermmorilla/Connect with Sam:Website: https://www.systemswithsam.com/services Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/systemswithsam/ ​​LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwhiz/

Co-hosts Kat Garbis and Sean Rabbitt are joined by Suraj Mohandas (Vice President of Product Strategy), Emily McRoberts-Froese (Sr. Education Leadership Executive), and John Wetter (Director of Technology & Information Services Hopkins Public Schools) to discuss the current landscape for admins supporting K-12 .    Meet John Wetter, an IT Professional, Jamf customer, and public speaker out of Minneapolis, joins the Jamf team to discuss the current changes and evolution of supporting K-12, including security, privacy, budget, AI initiatives and more.    The team leans on Wetter's experience to understand how they are navigating cyber and physical threats in K-12 schools, best practices in identity, if AI has a place in education, and advice to other IT professionals in the K-12 space. 

What do candy bars, couches, and car dealerships have in common? For Andrew Glaser, they're all opportunities to understand how real people make decisions — and why most product teams get those decisions wrong.   In this episode, Andrew shares his journey from hedge fund manager to product strategist, and now founder of Swizzle, an AI product built around Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) thinking. He opens up about how false positives, feature bloat, and over-reliance on personas lead teams down the wrong path — and what it really takes to make something customers will hire. We get into the guts of JTBD, from how to know when you've hit causality in an interview, to why understanding tradeoffs is more useful than knowing demographics. Andrew shares practical frameworks and surprising stories — including what Snickers can teach you about product-market fit, why most sofas don't sell, and how Intercom 15x'ed revenue just by reframing how they talked about their product.  Whether you're building software or selling furniture, this conversation will challenge how you think about customer insight — and give you tools to sharpen your product bets. Inside the episode… Why false positives in customer research can wreck a strategy How JTBD helped turn around a billion-dollar furniture retailer The 4 real jobs behind buying a sofa  Snickers vs. Milky Way: A JTBD breakdown of context and tradeoffs What most people get wrong about customer interviews Why personas don't drive decisions — and what actually does How Intercom used JTBD to grow from $5M to $75M Using AI to support high-consideration decisions How to know what your product is allowed to suck at Why survey data without context leads to bad bets     Mentioned in this episode Andrew's Startup Swizzl -  https://swizzl.ai/ Andrew's cofounder Bob Moesta - https://therewiredgroup.com/about/bob-moesta/ Clay Christensen's HBR article: “Know Your Customers' Jobs to Be Done” - https://hbr.org/2016/09/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be-done “Demand-Side Sales” by Bob Moesta - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544509987/?bestFormat=true&k=demand%20side%20sales%20101&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_12&crid=8C2BLR9H1HF6&sprefix=demand%20side%20 “Competing Against Luck” by Clayton Christensen - https://www.amazon.com/Clayton-Christensen-Competing-Against-%E3%80%902018%E3%80%91/dp/B07KPWQQY3/ref=sr_1_2 Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Immigration compliance is a hot topic that businesses simply can't afford to ignore. With increasing scrutiny from government agencies and hefty fines on the line, staying on top of your I-9s has never been more critical. This week on THRIVE, Gene sits down with John Fay, immigration attorney and director of Product Strategy at Equifax Workforce Solutions, to cut through the noise and break down exactly what business owners need to know. You'll learn about common mistakes, the consequences of making them (hint: they're costly), and practical advice for protecting your business. Don't miss this timely conversation — it's essential listening for any employer. Get an in-depth tutorial on how to prepare for a surprise audit during this on-demand webinar: https://bit.ly/3GeFI3x [Frequently Updated] Here's your guide to all things Form I-9:  https://bit.ly/3Y98pFp Topics include: 00:00 – Episode preview and welcome 00:55 – Introduction to John Fay and his expertise 01:17 – Form I-9 overview 05:09 – Employer verification process 06:34 – Document retention and review 08:13 – Challenges in document verification 10:00 – Advice for employers amid increased scrutiny 12:26 – Employee protections and obligations 14:14 – ICE inspections and potential penalties 19:19 – E-Verify overview 23:20 – Future of immigration compliance 26:09 – Wrap up and thank you DISCLAIMER: The information presented in this podcast, and that is further provided by the presenter, should not be considered legal or accounting advice, and should not substitute for legal, accounting, or other professional advice in which the facts and circumstances may warrant. We encourage you to consult legal counsel as it pertains to your own unique situation(s) and/or with any specific legal questions you may have.

Text me your content win!Everyone is chasing passive income, but how do we achieve it with digital products?Whether you're a content creator or a travel content creator, adding digital products to your income streams can help you create passive income and more financial freedom. But here's the thing—most people make one huge mistake when launching their first product. In this episode, I'm exposing my entire 2025 digital product strategy so you can avoid the pitfalls and start profiting faster.

A frustrated CEO, a legacy system no one liked, and a looming contract deadline — this episode unpacks the story of how one team broke out of vendor-driven inertia and took back control of their tech strategy. What started as confusion and friction turned into clarity and confidence, all through the power of intentional facilitation and a tightly structured two-day workshop. You'll hear how a group of cross-functional stakeholders aligned on priorities, identified risky assumptions, and rapidly shaped a new path forward — including a validated RFP and scoring rubric — in just 16 hours. This episode is packed with practical tips for anyone facing a big, high-stakes decision with too many options and too little time. Inside the episode... A CEO's challenge with legacy tech and vendor pressure How a two-day workshop turned chaos into clarity The role of facilitation in accelerating strategic alignment Stack ranking, 2x2 matrices, and other prioritization techniques Why solo work before group discussion makes a huge difference Designing better user stories from the ground up Using ChatGPT to draft faster, better RFPs and rubrics How to spot and de-risk your most dangerous assumptions Tactical facilitation tips for running your own workshop The impact of intentional structure, breaks, and focus Mentioned in this episode ChatGPT RFP (Request for Proposal) templates and scoring rubrics Integral's Plus/Delta/Learn framework Facilitation techniques like 2x2 matrices, stack ranking, dot voting Data integration planning Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge. Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.   Follow the Pod Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/ X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence Instagram: @podconvergence

Send us a textIn this episode of UX Leadership by Design, Mark Baldino talks with Mauricio Steffen, Senior Director of Product Management at Ericsson, about the crucial role customer research and empathy play in successful product management. Mauricio shares his unique career path, transitioning from corrections officer to frontline support, then into product management, highlighting how deep, empathetic listening skills have been essential across all roles. The conversation explores how to scale customer feedback processes, synthesize insights effectively, and navigate stakeholder management. Mark and Mauricio challenge the common misinterpretation of Henry Ford's quote about customer research, emphasizing the importance of genuinely understanding underlying customer needs. Practical advice is offered for breaking through organizational blinders, advocating for meaningful change, and maintaining balance when strategic initiatives seem misaligned with immediate customer requests.Key TakeawaysEmpathy and Active Listening: Genuine empathy and active listening are key skills that transcend industry and job function, essential for product management success.Scaling Customer Feedback: Utilize scalable methods like AI (LLMs) to analyze and summarize customer feedback at scale, uncovering patterns and root causes effectively.Root Cause Analysis: Go beyond surface-level customer requests by digging deeper to uncover true underlying problems and needs, rather than just stated wants.Stakeholder Engagement: Engage stakeholders early, make them feel heard, and clearly communicate decisions to achieve alignment and minimize resistance.Embracing Customer Feedback: Treat customer feedback as a valuable gift; show appreciation and continuously demonstrate that input shapes your product decisions.Admitting Mistakes: Develop the courage to pivot or stop projects when customer and market feedback indicates potential failure; maintaining an honest, reflective process is key to sustainable success.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Mauricio Steffen02:09 Career Journey: From Corrections Officer to Product Management06:57 The Role and Philosophy of Product Management09:59 Influencing Stakeholders: Education, Listening, and Empathy12:42 Scaling Customer Feedback and Leveraging AI15:34 Why “Faster Horse” Is a Cop-Out: Understanding Customer Needs22:49 Breaking Organizational Blinders with Customer Insights26:07 The Challenge of Admitting Mistakes and Changing Course29:37 Root Cause Analysis: From Wants to True Customer Needs35:33 Empathy as the Key Skill for All Stakeholder ManagementResources & LinksConnect with Mauricio Steffen on LinkedIn Connect with Mark on LinkedIn Fuzzy Math - B2B & Enterprise UX Design Consultancy

Cassidy Fein is currently leading growth for Autopatch within Windows Servicing and Delivery at Microsoft. Based in NYC, she has over 10 years of experience driving product innovation, scaling teams, and delivering customer-centric solutions. Throughout her career, she's demonstrated a passion for empowering the next generation of product leaders, especially through her teaching with Mind … The post 161 / 3 Core Tenets of Product Strategy and Execution, with Cassidy Fein appeared first on ITX Corp..

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Philipp Kandal, Chief Product Officer at Grab, Southeast Asia's leading super app serving over 40 million monthly active users across eight countries.Originally launched as a taxi-hailing service in Malaysia, Grab has evolved into a comprehensive platform offering ride-hailing, food delivery, financial services, and more. After acquiring Uber's Southeast Asia operations in 2018, Grab went public in 2021 and is now valued at approximately $20 billion, generating $2.8 billion in revenue with 19% year-over-year growth.We explore Grab's transformation from a single-service app to a super app powerhouse, diving into their hyperlocal approach to product development, organizational structure, and how they leverage technology to solve unique challenges in Southeast Asia.What you'll learn:How Grab evolved from a taxi-hailing service to a super app by following user needsStrategies for competing with global players through hyperlocal solutionsHow to structure product teams for both platform and business innovationThe role of user immersion in improving driver and consumer experiencesWays to balance growth with profitability in emerging marketsEpisode Chapters:(00:00) Introduction and Grab's Evolution(10:00) Building Product Teams at Scale(20:00) Hyperlocal Strategy in Southeast Asia(30:00) Product Development Through User Understanding(40:00) Balancing Growth and Profitability(50:00) Technical Innovation and ChallengesKey Takeaways

In the Building Better Developers podcast episode, hosts Rob Broadhead and Michael Meloche share valuable insights into effective product enhancement strategies. They explore how businesses can improve and expand their products and services without adding unnecessary complexity or sacrificing quality. If you're a business owner, product manager, or developer, this episode is packed with practical advice on how to grow your offerings sustainably in a customer-focused manner. Why Product Enhancement Strategies Matter Rob opens the discussion by pointing out that technology is often one of the biggest business expenses after staffing costs. Whether it's software, infrastructure, or digital services, improving your product shouldn't be about simply adding more—it should be about increasing value. When done right, product enhancements can: Improve customer satisfaction Strengthen brand loyalty Open new revenue streams Reduce friction in the customer experience Three Smart Ways to Enhance Your Product Rob and Michael break down three key ways to approach product enhancement: Add Meaningful Features or Integrations Focus on features your customers actually want. This could be reporting tools, new integrations, or quality-of-life improvements that solve real problems. Expand Service Offerings For service-based businesses, enhancement may involve broadening what you offer. For example, moving from just front-end development to full-stack services. Improve Quality and Performance Not all enhancements need to be visible. Sometimes, the best improvement is making your product faster, more reliable, and easier to use. Avoiding Common Product Enhancement Pitfalls The hosts emphasize that not all enhancements are good enhancements. Adding unnecessary features can bloat your product, confuse customers, and increase maintenance overhead. Michael introduces the concept of product quality of life—the long-term usability and effectiveness of your product. If you're not careful about how you enhance your products, they can become outdated or inefficient over time. They also warn against growing too fast. Adding too many features without the proper infrastructure can stretch your team thin and reduce overall product quality. How to Stay Customer-Centric A key theme of this episode is the importance of listening to your customers. Rob and Michael recommend: Conducting regular customer surveys or interviews Building relationships with power users Testing enhancements quickly and rolling back if they don't add value Your product enhancement strategies should always be driven by honest feedback, not assumptions. Your Next Step The episode wraps up with a challenge: What is your next product enhancement strategy? Before your next release or feature update, ask yourself: Does this enhancement provide real value to my customers? Do I have the resources to support it? Will it improve the overall customer experience? If you're unsure, start by gathering feedback. Your customers' input is the key to meaningful, sustainable product growth.

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Vrushali Paunikar, Chief Product Officer at Carta—the company revolutionizing how private companies manage equity and capital. Originally starting as a cap table management solution, Carta now manages over $150 billion in assets and positions itself as the "Network ERP for Private Capital," supporting over 50,000 companies from early-stage startups to pre-IPO giants.As CPO at Carta, Vrushali has been instrumental in driving the company's evolution from a single-product focus to a comprehensive platform serving various stakeholders in the private capital ecosystem. Her unique background, including experience at Rocket Lawyer and an interesting hobby as an amateur florist, brings a fresh perspective to product leadership in fintech.In this episode, we'll explore Carta's transformation from a cap table management tool to a comprehensive platform for private capital, diving into organizational structure changes, international expansion strategies, and innovative approaches to product development.What you'll learn:How Carta expanded from cap table management to fund administration by deeply understanding customer needsStrategies for restructuring product teams from a business unit model to a modular approachInsights into different approaches for international expansion (organic vs. acquisition)The role of micromanagement as a temporary coaching tool in product developmentHow to balance platform ambitions with focused executionContent:(00:00) Introduction and Personal Background(05:00) Carta's Evolution Story(15:00) Organizational Transformation(25:00) International Expansion Strategy(35:00) Leadership Philosophy & Management Style(45:00) Product Strategy & Market PositioningKey Takeaways