Product Talk

In today's tech world, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to re-define how we build products and their overall performance. That said, these products are only as effective as the humans who build them. When building AI products, how do you leverage the right data and insights to drive results? As part of our Tech du Jour series, Capital One Managing Product VP Margaret Mayer talks about AI's impact on fintech, the finer points of machine learning & what defines great products.

Most people assume that designers and "creatives" represent a small portion of the population. However, the opposite is true when you enable creativity through interactive processes. What happens when product design becomes democratized and everyone gets involved? As part of our Diverse Voices series, Authentic Design Founder Surya Vanka talks about the impact of design swarms - from breaking down traditional product barriers to solving problems at scale.

The rise of artificial intelligence or AI is impacting how products are made and their overall capacity for learning. That said, it can be difficult to understand its overall impact. What do we know about AI's capabilities - and where are we still figuring it all out? As part of our Tech du Jour series, Jane.ai Founder David Karandish talks about AI's impact on software, where it's most over-hyped and how product teams should evaluate its potential for their roadmap.

Every entrepreneur dreams of turning their big idea into a real business. That said, 85 percent of startups end up failing to get off the ground. What should future leaders of "the next big thing" focus on to build success? Product Guru Bruce Cleveland talks about bridging the "Traction Gap" - providing a prescriptive how-to guide focused on market engineering techniques to enable startup success.

Now more than ever, it's critical for products to connect with their customers on a personal level. That said, marketing tactics have shifted toward impersonal and intrusive ways of building rapport with target users. How can businesses stay rooted in their customers' values while scaling for success at the same time? HYP3R CEO Carlos Garcia shares the secret to building successful products at scale - while never losing focus of delivering customer delight.

To produce meaningful solutions, product managers must be user-focused. That said, they must also keep their business at the forefront of the decision-making process. How can product managers connect with customers in ways that also benefit the bottom line? GetUpside CEO Alex Kinnier discusses the Business of Product - from building value for users and businesses on equal terms, to the importance of hustling to get a new product of the ground.

The tech world may be flourishing with new innovation every day - but it is behind in the times when it comes to equal opportunity for under-represented groups. How can we increase opportunities for everyone to get into tech? As part of our Diverse Voices series, Pivotal Labs fmr Product Lead Michael Fisher talks about what it means to be a black man in tech and how to truly break barriers to enhance representation in the tech world.

Product managers often focus on reimagining a tool or solution from scratch. However, there's plenty of disruptive innovation that comes from incremental changes over time. What is the best way to make an impact with subtle tweaks to a solution? As part of our Product Lifecycle series, Instagram Product Lead Alex Plutzer on how to make your mark with gradual product enhancements. Plus, he talks about the importance of solving the right problem & effectively managing the product lifecycle.

It's easy to look at a simple product and think that it can't be hard to make. However, the simplest interfaces often require the most demanding development. What does it take to bring simplicity to life when facing complexities? As part of our Diverse Voices series, SpotHero Product Lead Jenny Wanger talks about lessons learned as a line cook, optimizing simple interfaces and what it takes to get ahead as a product manager.

In product management, we hear about the importance of data all the time. That said, not every product manager understands what to make of every data set they review. What does it take to make informed product decisions using data? As part of our Product Lifecycle series, Google Product Lead Dacheng Zhao talks about moving from retail management consulting into big data products, why data products stand out from the crowd & what it takes to become a great product manager.

Every product manager's journey takes them on a different path to find the perfect role. Often, this involves using skills from other industries to influence their product decisions. What are the best ways for "product outsiders" to apply these learnings to building great products? As part of our Diverse Voices series, Venmo Product Lead Ashley Phillips talks about how her journalism career ultimately got her into product management, moving from large companies to startups and her personal definition of great products.

Every product manager starts out in a variety of entry points. What does it take to build a long-term career - and most importantly, how do you create value for customers and your business? BioDigital CPO Vivian Chang talks about going from project manager to CPO - along with the importance of being user-focused throughout the product lifecycle and how to scale with revenue-driven products. Click here to read more about Vivian's story: http://bit.ly/2FbTROq

Dating apps have completely turned social interaction upside down - re-engineering how people meet and how we open up to others. How do product managers continue to enhance opportunities for people to find "the one?" Hinge CPO Tim MacGougan talks about the evolution of his product career - leading into the current state of dating apps and what we can expect in the near future. Click here to read more about Tim's story on our blog: http://bit.ly/2Q2P2ru

With more choices than ever before, it's easy to get lost in the app store. How do you build products that stand out? Ovia Co-Founder Gina Nebesar talks about building customer empathy, creating successful prototypes and how to stay ahead of the competition with growth products.

Every product manager thinks about leadership opportunities - and the first question is, "how do I get there?" Acorns Product Director Paige Conrad talks about how to sell yourself, promoting inclusion in the workplace and what it takes to make great products.

studiored Founder Philip Bourgeois is my guest on this week's podcast episode. Learn about his processes for developing digital and physical interactions throughout the development process, that have made his firm the leading producer of wearables and bio-tech hardware in Silicon Valley. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com.

My guest on this episode is Michael Katz, CEO & Co-Founder of mParticle. He talks about the culture and practices that have allowed him to build product-focused teams that continually execute, deliver value, and leave a legacy. About the Guest: Michael Katz is Co-Founder of mParticle and serves as its Chief Executive Officer and Director. He is responsible for creating and overseeing the execution of mParticle's vision of becoming the premier mobile data solution. He is formerly the Vice President of Optimization & Analytics at Yahoo via the acquisition of Interclick, a company he founded, organically grew to $140M in revenue, and sold to Yahoo for $270 million in 2011. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com

In this podcast interview, I sit down with security guru Rene Kolga for a chat about building security products. He talks about how it's different from building for any product, yet how it's similar. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com.

"Today, our phones and camera are trying to take us into another reality"...and that reality is AR/VR/MR. On this episode, I interviewed Wevr Head of Product Sami Ramly to share with us why and how to build for this new paradigm. Learn the thought-processes Sami uses at Wevr to tackle the world of augmented and virtual reality.

In order to be nimble, you need to have a great team that grows with your organization's technology and culture. Join Patty Mccord and I on this podcast epsiode about how you should tackle team development and management as a Product Manager. Patty headed up HR at Netflix for 14 years and helped develop the Netflix Culture Deck, which is still a staple onboarding document for companies today. Her book "Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility," focuses on how the high-performing culture at Netflix was formed — advocating complete honesty and using challenges as motivation rather than incentives.

Building "products that count" involves more than just developing a great product, it's about creating a memorable user experience from beginning to end. Sure, making sure your infrastructure is technically solid and functioning is integral, but how do you make this process inspiring? How do you create a process that encourages the user to integrate your product into their daily life? and share it with their friends and peers? In this month's podcast episode, I chat with Box CPO Jeetu Patel about how you can begin building the user experience in early development and how you can have the biggest customer impact at scale.

Why would anyone want to hire a middleman, like someone to get your groceries, especially if you have time to take care of the planning and shopping yourself? On today's episode, my guest Marina Krakovsky discusses her book The Middleman Economy. Marina shatters old stigmas about middlemen of yesteryear, explaining why some middlemen have disappeared while many others have gained in importance. She offers clear suggestions about what today's businesses must do to make technological progress work for them, not against them. On the show, you'll hear Marina's opinion that despite predictions that the internet would destroy the need for middlemen, she argues they're more valuable than ever though their roles have changed.

How is technology making a difference in your life today? On today's episode, my guest Selina Tobaccowala discusses her newest startup Gixo and how she plans to help consumers lead healthier lives. You'll hear Selina compare and contrast her experiences with Evite, the company she co-founded; SurveyMonkey, the company she helped grow and scale to 200 million users; and Gixo, her current-day startup that she co-founded with Al Lieb. Selina also shares insight into what makes a great Product Manager and how to take your career to the next level. It starts with carving your own path, a lot of success starts with you taking on more responsibility—be proactive and ask for more from your manager instead of waiting for them to come to you. Selina also tells me that PMs are the glue that makes all the pieces work and it's important to know the answers to the following: What are the important areas of feedback that helps drive your product? What are the business metrics? What are the strategic goals? How do you make sure you have a great engineering partner (or team)? Selina's Recommended Readings Reid Hoffman No Sweat To learn more about Selina, visit gixo.com or her Medium page.

What are the qualities you look for in a great product manager? Today, my guest David Fradin shares his thoughts on what makes a successful, innovative product leader. David is a classically trained Product Manager, now coach, that worked with Steve Jobs at Apple and worked for David Packard at HP—all in all, he's been in the product management industry for over 47 years across 27 different organizations and verticals. On the podcast, you'll hear David's mnemonic "S.P.I.C.E S." and you'll learn the six keys to building insanely great products which stands for: strategy, process, information, customers, employees, and systems & tools David tells me one of the most important things that a product manager should do is to start as a leader to assess the product lifecycle. David Fradin's Influencers Steven Johnson Innovation Tools: The most successful techniques to innovate cheaply and effectively

How can "game thinking" help strengthen long-term engagement with your users? Today, on this episode, my guest Amy Jo Kim discusses how she helps entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life with game thinking to help accelerate early product design.

What are three words you would use to describe yourself to help build your personal brand? On today's podcast, you'll hear Dorie Clark discuss her books, what keeps her committed to helping people get their ideas heard, how she uses the 3-word exercise to start the branding process, and much, much more.

Are you telling the big-picture story that'll influence change? What is the structure of belonging in the digital age? These are just a few questions the CEO and Founder of Get Storied, Michael Margolis, asks on today's episode. Michael has a background in cultural anthropology, and he works with people who are changing history; people who are doing things that have never been done before. On this episode, you'll hear his insights on why storytelling is more crucial than ever in our age of disruption and innovation. First and foremost, it's all about the human experience. Emotion starts first. As consumers, we buy on emotion and justify with logic. On this podcast, you'll hear about Michael's story and how he got into his role as a Narrative Strategist and what keeps his passion for storytelling alive. You'll also hear great advice on why online comes first when it comes to your personal story and brand. Michael mentions how you write your about page and bio is one of the most important skills we don't get taught. Finally, you'll hear Michael explain why as product managers, we take for granted what other people want to know. He mentions: "You have to see it and feel it before you can believe it." To learn more about Michael follow him on Twitter or visit https://www.getstoried.com/redpill. Sign up for the Oct 1-Day Masterclass with Michael Margolis; find tickets on Eventbrite. Michael's viral blog post: The Resume is Dead, The Bio is King

Founder and CEO of Product School, Carlos González de Villaumbrosia, talks about his insights into what makes a great product manager in this episode. Carlos started his career in software development in Spain—but he knew he always wanted to be in Silicon Valley because he was very excited about technology. Carlos mentions to me that in addition to engineering, he also went to business school. Both career paths were great in their own respect—but he wanted to find something in the middle. Engineering, as he recalls, was very low-level and technical and business school was very high-level and strategic. That's where he found product management—his passion and dream. On the show, you'll hear how Carlos found the formula with Product School where people can learn the latest and greatest with product management and tech while keeping their life. He also provides advice to companies who are looking to hire for their first product role and beyond. His top three product management qualities to look for in any product person includes: Technical Skills: When talking about software (or websites and applications) you need to be comfortable understanding and knowing how the technology works. It doesn't mean you need to be a software engineer, but, you need to know about the technical inner workings of the product itself. Industry Domain: Products vary from industry, market, country. You'll have an advantage if you understand your target market, customer, and product market. Communication Skills: As a product manager, you're going to spend most of your time communicating rather than executing. You need to know how to talk to all different types of people from all different departments and beyond. It's the 80/20 rule. Click the link to find out more about, The Product Book: How to Become a Great Product Manager, a book inspired by the learnings and curriculum of Product School. To get more insights on product management visit Product School to see their events or join their free Slack Community. To connect with Carlos, find him on LinkedIn.

Founder of Portigal Consulting, Steve Portigal, talks about user research, books, and how much there is to learn about people on today's episode. Located just outside of San Francisco in Pacifica, CA, you'll find Steve's consultancy. Here, he aims to help companies harness the strategic power of user research. In this episode, Steve provides his expertise and thoughts on how to uncover compelling insights with customers. He mentions how important it is to leave your worldview at the door when you're studying other people. Steve also explains the "art" of asking the right question and how it's both a science and art form. Finally, you'll hear practical product manager career advice to get you to the next level. Click the link to find out more about Steve's most recent book Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories. Use coupon code: PTCfriends for 20% off at checkout. To get more user research advice, or to connect with Steve, visit his website http://www.portigal.com/ or find him on Twitter.

Founder and CEO at WorkFusion, Max Yankelevich, talks about his desire to build products people use. Max provides his thoughts on the AI revolution and its future. He also gives advice to entrepreneurs who want to work in the B2B space, provides a glance into a typical day at WorkFusion, and stresses the importance of being a customer-focused business. His advice: don't postpone the first contact with the customer; be iterative with your product.

On this podcast, I interviewed Adam Lasinky about his bestselling book,"Wild Ride, Inside Uber's Quest for World Domination". He discusses why he chose to take a close-up look at Uber's rise as a global tech business phenomenon. Adam reveals his brief stint as an Uber driver and how the drivers have made the company what it is today. He talks about the brilliance of Uber capitalizing on driver's assets (i.e. their cars), why no entrepreneur should try to be Travis Kalanick, and the future of technology.

Head of Product at Amplitude, Justin Bauer, talks about his non-traditional path to becoming a rising star in Silicon Valley's Product Management scene. Justin provides some insightful advice on analyzing data to make an outstanding product. He also talks bout being distinctive in your product management career, a typical day at Amplitude, and the importance of listening to customer needs.

In this episode, Gaurav Hardikar talks about the future of e-commerce. He discusses how to design products that provide an efficient shopping process for consumers, how he drives engagement at Shopkick, and the need to balance stakeholders needs with needs of consumers. He also talks about the qualities needed to be a great Product Manager and what it is like being a minority in Silicon Valley.

In this compelling conversation, Jules Walter discusses his role at Slack to drive user growth. He talks about Slack's unique, transparent culture and how Slack uses its own product within the company. He reveals how Slack makes decisions and increases productivity by communicating internally with their own product. He also discusses his perspective on the future of mobile, the best qualities of a Product Manager, and his experience being a minority within Silicon Valley.

In this interview, Katherine Kornas talks about Pandora's commitment to both culture and innovation. She talks about the importance of using simplicity and inspiration to inspire growth. She also delves into how Pandora listens deeply to its consumers to understand their habits through qualitative and quantitative measurement techniques. By doing so, Pandora is committed to personalization of their products.

I've had the chance over the past few months to interview 5 product gurus: Marty Cagan, Teresa Torres, Jeff Gothelf, Rich Mironov and Dan Olsen. This podcast compiles the best moments of those interviews including their views on what makes a great product, what makes a great product manager and more

Patricia Roller talks about balancing the art + science of product management based on her experience as Co-CEO at frog design inc. In this conversation, Patricia delves into the importance of teamwork as a product manager. She also explains how to navigate the balancing act of handling so many moving parts by focusing on the end goal of meeting customer needs.

On this episode, former FBI High Stakes Negotiator Chris Voss shares the nine effective principles to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life. He discusses how to gain a competitive edge by using counterintuitive strategies and tactics including emotional intelligence. He also emphasizes the need for highly effective communication (which includes highly effective listening) to become a successful negotiator. On this compelling episode, you will learn why it is important to look at the long-term benefits of any business deal and focus on the greater good.

Joyce Solano talks about her experience learning how to reinvent of Adobe from a software co. to marketing co. She also talks about empathy, brand positioning, and how defining company goals to create your brand story.

Jeff Gothelf talks about the shift in mindset needed to scale your business. He makes the case that you must think about yourself in the software business. Secondly, he says we need to shift into thinking about how to manage all the departments and roles within a software business. He discusses why leaders need to rethink the way that tech businesses are managed so they can innovate and drive their companies forward.

In this podcast, Anneka talks about understanding the art and science of customer relationships, risk/reward ratio for businesses, and how to build your network through leveraging the people around you.

Clara Nam talks about her passion for product design. She speaks about her job in Silicon Valley as a Product Designer on the Growth team at Yelp. She shares her experience on iterating the Yelp mobile app and finding design solutions to make a successful product. She also discusses using metrics to predict product growth and what it's like being a women in tech.

Thought leader Sally Thornton discusses how to create ownership of your career while finding work/life balance. She discusses how to create your ideal career through a system and framework that motivates you. She also discusses how to create a human-centered work culture that benefits individuals and the companies they work for.

Serial tech entrepreneur Sachin Rekhi talks about his journey in Silicon Valley to take his products from the idea stage to being sold to a top social media company. He candidly shares his experience on the challenges of working in Silicon Valley in 2016 and gives advice on building great products by learning what type of product manager you are.

Silicon Valley Product Management veteran Rich Mironov discusses his experience in the product manager role and shares some tips to be successful and move up the ladder in your career. He discusses critical aspects of the job such as cross functional communication and the role of incentives.

Marty Cagan discusses the importance of focusing on impact when designing great products. He emphasizes that it is essential that product managers put the customer first to build products that people love. Additionally, he points out how the culture of a business can have a great effect on whether a product can be successful.

How do you know what to build next? It's all about product discovery, argues product guru Teresa Torres. She shares best practices for product discovery, understanding what customers want, and then building it right. Through impact and empathy we can shift the focus from designing within and hoping a product finds success to human centered design.

Stuart Foster talks about the importance of simplicity in making your brand stand out in the marketplace. He delves into how to create an unforgettable brand by focusing on the value of a company. He explains why mass marketing is no longer valid because we are now inundated with advertising and need our marketing messages delivered based on context (i.e. on where we receive them).

Guillermo discusses the importance of efficiency in product design, human centered design that creates a 'wow' factor, and how direct experience with a product plays a major role in the widespread adoption of a product. This is a fascinating discussion that delves in Guillermo's extensive knowledge of space architecture and the future of technology.

Nell discusses singularity including the notion of AI personhood. She talks about how AI is here to stay because of what she refers to as the 'autonomous distributed corporation'. She emphasizes that knowledge is power and postulates that it makes sense to involve AI when there is so much data available.