Episodes
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Mihika Kapoor is a design-engineer-PM hybrid at Figma, where she was an early PM on FigJam and is now spearheading development on a new product at the company that’s coming out this June. She’s known as the go-to person at Figma for leading new 0-to-1 products, and, as you’ll hear in our conversation, beloved by everyone she works with. Her background includes founding Design Nation, a national nonprofit focused on democratizing design education for undergraduates; spearheading product launches at Meta; and community building within the NYC AI startup scene. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How to effectively take ideas from 0 to 1 at larger companies
• How to craft a compelling vision
• The importance of vulnerability and feedback
• The role of intuition and product sense in making decisions
• How to practically communicate your vision
• How to balance collaboration and strong opinions
• Advice for building a strong team culture
• Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm
• The current AI revolution and its impact on PM
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor
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Where to find Mihika Kapoor:
• X: https://twitter.com/mihikapoor
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mihikakapoor/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Mihika’s background
(04:29) Core attributes of great product managers
(07:34) Crafting a compelling vision
(12:12) The vision behind FigJam
(18:25) Delivering a vision without design or engineering skills
(21:52) Creating momentum
(26:36) The importance of strong conviction
(27:45) Direct communication
(32:48) Building hype
(42:20) Immersing yourself in user insights
(47:16) Operationalizing user insights
(50:33) Caring deeply about what you build
(54:01) Finding passion in your work
(57:00) Building a strong culture
(01:07:07) Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm
(01:11:48) Design Nation
(01:13:15) Mihika’s weaknesses
(01:16:07) Building new products at larger companies
(01:20:50) Coming up with a great idea
(01:22:49) The key to going from 0 to 1
(01:26:47) Spreading the idea across the company
(01:29:15) Closing thoughts
(01:32:11) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• Figma: https://www.figma.com/
• Sho Kuwamoto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shokuwamoto/
• The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation: https://www.amazon.com/Medici-Effect-Preface-Discussion-Guide/dp/1633692949
• FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
• Cognition: https://www.cognition-labs.com/
• Devin: https://www.cognition-labs.com/introducing-devin
• David Hoang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhoang2/
• Replit: https://replit.com/
• The Making of Maker Week at Figma: https://www.figma.com/blog/the-making-of-maker-week/
• Yuhki Yamashita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/
• Jeff Bezos’ Simple Decision-Making Framework Will Give You Clarity, Conviction, and Courage: https://medium.com/illumination/jeff-bezos-simple-decision-making-framework-will-give-you-clarity-conviction-and-courage-adf8d0183625
• Alice Ching on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceching/
• Karl Jiang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-jiang-4a07424/
• Kris Rasmussen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopherrasmussen/
• Config: https://config.figma.com/
• Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
• Asana: https://asana.com/
• Julie Zhuo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-zhuo/
• StrengthsFinder test: https://www.gyfted.me/personality-quiz/strengthsfinder-test-free
• Dylan Field on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield/
• Vishal Shah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishalnshah/
• Design Disruptors: https://www.invisionapp.com/films/design-disruptors
• Daniel Burka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dburka/
• Jamie Myrold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemyrold/
• Design Nation: https://dn.businesstoday.org/
• Stuart Weitzman on X: https://twitter.com/StuartWeitzman
• Joe Gebbia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgebbia/
• Building a long and meaningful career | Nikhyl Singhal (Meta, Google): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/building-a-long-and-meaningful-career-nikhyl-singhal-meta-google/
• Jambot: https://www.figma.com/community/widget/1274481464484630971/jambot
• Hestia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hestia
• Harry Potter series: https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Paperback-Box-Books/dp/0545162076
• Pachinko: https://www.amazon.com/Pachinko-National-Book-Award-Finalist/dp/1455563927/
• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
• The Overstory: https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/039335668X
• Severance on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/umc.cmc.1srk2goyh2q2zdxcx605w8vtx
• Dune on Max: https://www.max.com/movies/dune/e7dc7b3a-a494-4ef1-8107-f4308aa6bbf7
• Dune: Part 2: https://www.dunemovie.com/
• Arc browser: https://arc.net/
• Pika: https://pika.art/home
• The power of recognition: Why you should celebrate your employees | Josh Miller: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/videos/the-power-of-recognition-why-you-should-celebrate-your-employees-josh-miller/
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Dalton Caldwell is Managing Director and Group Partner at Y Combinator. Prior to YC, he was the co-founder and CEO of imeem (acquired by MySpace in 2009) and the co-founder and CEO of App.net. During his time at YC, he’s advised more than 35 YC unicorns, including DoorDash, Amplitude, Webflow, and Retool, and has worked across 21 different YC batches. He’s also racked up more than 6,500 office hours with founders. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Why founders need to adopt the mindset “Just don’t die”
• The most common reason startups fail
• When to pivot, and characteristics of a good pivot
• The concept of “tar pit ideas” and examples of bad startup ideas
• Why investors say no to startups
• The importance of market size in investment decisions
• The pitfalls of founders over-delegating
• Effective ways to talk to customers
• 20 ideas Dalton is looking to fund
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-1000-yc-startups
—
Where to find Dalton Caldwell:
• X: https://twitter.com/daltonc
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daltoncaldwell/
—
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) Dalton’s background
(04:41) The value of simple advice
(07:04) Dalton’s advice: “Just don’t die”
(08:39) Knowing when to stop
(11:45) Deciding to pivot
(14:26) Characteristics of a good pivot
(17:53) Knowing when to pivot
(19:03) Zip’s journey and finding a market
(21:22) Why Dalton says to “Move towards the mountains and the desert”
(23:45) Tar pit ideas
(26:49) Understanding why investors say no
(29:14) The importance of market size
(32:16) Avoiding over-delegation and hiring senior people too early
(36:43) Why startups fail
(40:30) Effectively talking to customers
(45:17) Examples of startups hustling to talk to customers
(48:01) Patterns of successful startups
(52:05) YC’s Request for Startups
(55:37) Early days of Silicon Valley
(01:05:33) Contrarian corner: growth hacking for early startups
(01:09:28) Failure corner
(01:11:15) Closing thoughts
(01:12:22) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
• Tiger Woods’s website: https://tigerwoods.com/
• Co-Founder Mistakes That Kill Companies & How to Avoid Them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlfjs_eEEzs
• Daniel Alberson’s LinkedIn post about Y Combinator: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alberson_i-left-my-dream-job-as-a-product-manager-activity-7089677882431533056-jJ9H
• Companies in Y Combinator W17 Batch: https://www.ycdb.co/batch/w17
• Brex: https://www.brex.com/
• Retool: https://retool.com/
• Segment: https://segment.com/
• Mixpanel: https://mixpanel.com/
• Whatnot: https://www.whatnot.com/
• Andreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.com/
• Airbnb’s CEO says a $40 cereal box changed the course of the multibillion-dollar company: https://fortune.com/2023/04/19/airbnb-ceo-cereal-box-investors-changed-everything-billion-dollar-company/
• Rujul Zaparde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rujulz/
• Zip: https://ziphq.com/
• Lu Cheng on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lu-cheng-973b7830/
• Avoid these tempting startup tar pit ideas: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Ij-avoid-these-tempting-startup-tarpit-ideas
• Airbnb acquires Localmind to create crowdsourced advice about neighborhoods: https://skift.com/2012/12/13/airbnb-acquires-localmind-to-create-crowdsourced-advice-about-neighborhoods/
• Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/
• Razorpay: https://razorpay.com/
• Total Addressable Market: https://www.productplan.com/glossary/total-addressable-market/
• Lenny Bogdonoff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rememberlenny/
• Milk Video: https://milkvideo.com/
• Lessons from working with 600+ YC startups | Gustaf Alströmer (Y Combinator, Airbnb): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/lessons-from-working-with-600-yc-startups-gustaf-alstromer-y-combinator-airbnb/
• How the most successful B2B startups came up with their original idea: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-the-most-successful-b2b-startups
• Collison installation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18400504
• Stripe: https://stripe.com/
• Patrick Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/
• John Collison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbcollison/
• Tony Xu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xutony/
• Grant LaFontaine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantlafontaine/
• Ryan Petersen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpetersen/
• Lessons on building product sense, navigating AI, optimizing the first mile, and making it through the messy middle | Scott Belsky (Adobe, Behance): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/lessons-on-building-product-sense-navigating-ai-optimizing-the-first-mile-and-making-it-through-t/
• YC’s latest Request for Startups: https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/ycs-latest-request-for-startups
• ERPs: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#new-enterprise-resource-planning-software
• Commercial open source companies: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#commercial-open-source-companies
• New space companies: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#new-space-companies
• A way to end cancer: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#a-way-to-end-cancer
• Spatial computing: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#spatial-computing
• New defense technology: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#new-defense-technology
• Bringing manufacturing back to America: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#bring-manufacturing-back-to-america
• Better enterprise glue: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#better-enterprise-glue
• Small fine-tuned models, as an alternative to giant generic ones: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs#small-finetuned-models-as-an-alternative-to-giant-generic-ones
• Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidhoffman/
• Sam Altman on X: https://twitter.com/sama
• Sean Parker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkersean/
• Owen Van Natta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owen-van-natta-444a7/
• Marc Andreessen on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca
• Picplz 1, Instagram 0 as VC firm Andreessen Horowitz chooses photo app rival: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS2587232395/
• Gustaf Alstromer—How to Get Users and Grow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ikpoF2GH0
• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Yes-Negotiating-Agreement-Without/dp/0143118757
• Founding Sales: The Early Stage Go-to-Market Handbook: https://www.amazon.com/Founding-Sales-Go-Market-Handbook-ebook/dp/B08PMK17Z1
• Founder-led sales | Pete Kazanjy (Founding Sales, Atrium): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/founder-led-sales-pete-kazanjy-founding-sales-atrium/
• The Sopranos on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos
• The Wire on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/the-wire
• Columbo on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Columbo-Season-1/dp/B008SA89HA
• Oura ring: https://ouraring.com/
• Apple watch: https://www.apple.com/watch/
• SiPhox: https://siphoxhealth.com/
• Dalton & Michael on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ-uHSnFig5Nd98Sc9I-kkc0ZWe8peRMC
• How Future Billionaires Get Sh*t Done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ephzgxgOjR0
• The Student’s Guide to Becoming a Successful Startup Founder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5KCB2p6SB8
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
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David DeSanto is the chief product officer of GitLab, which is the largest remote-only company in the world. They share many of their team meetings on YouTube, and they’ve grown from being an open-source code management product competing with GitHub to a multi-product platform that covers security, compliance, continuous integration, project management, and deployment tools, many of which are infused with AI magic. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How GitLab operationalizes transparency
• The philosophy behind recording and sharing team meetings on YouTube
• Their extensive public employee handbook
• GitLab’s core value of having “short toes”
• Challenges and advice for doing remote work well
• Strategies for ensuring effective communication in a remote work environment
• GitLab’s breadth-over-depth strategy
• The company’s unique approach to AI
• The value of using humor in high-stakes conversations
—
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-gitlab-way
—
Where to find David DeSanto:
• X: https://twitter.com/david_desanto
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddesanto/
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@david.the.beard
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) David’s background
(04:20) Maintaining an epic beard
(05:29) Why GitLab publicly shares team meetings
(09:49) The GitLab Handbook
(11:30) GitLab’s issue tracker
(14:29) How to successfully build a culture of transparency
(18:11) Benefits of operating with transparency
(19:55) The value of building in public
(21:53) How GitLab implements their core value of kindness
(25:16) What it means to have “short toes”
(27:41) Other core values
(32:16) Common reasons for not fitting in at GitLab
(34:42) Advice for remote teams
(42:04) Advice for getting into product
(43:52) Advice for PMs who are struggling in a remote world
(48:25) Specific tools that help with remote work
(53:13) Time zones and remote work
(57:18) Breadth-over-depth strategy
(01:04:14) AI at GitLab
(01:13:11) GitLab’s products and solutions
(01:14:54) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• GitLab: https://about.gitlab.com/
• UX Showcase—David DeSanto introduction to UX team and AMA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEdsmnVKNj4
• The GitLab Handbook: https://handbook.gitlab.com/
• Sid Sijbrandij on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sijbrandij/
• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
• GitLab issues: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/
• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/
• GitLab values: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values
• GitLab organizational structure: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/structure
• GitLab direction: https://about.gitlab.com/direction/
• Dogfooding: A simple practice to help you build better products: https://medium.com/agileinsider/dogfooding-a-simple-practice-to-help-you-build-better-products-b5954af4d5f7
• The ultimate guide to adding a PLG motion | Hila Qu (Reforge, GitLab): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-adding-a-plg
• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building
• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/
• Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986
• Geoffrey Moore on finding your beachhead, crossing the chasm, and dominating a market: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/geoffrey-moore-on-finding-your-beachhead-crossing-the-chasm-and-dominating-a-market/
• Open-core model: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-core_model
• GitLab Duo: https://about.gitlab.com/gitlab-duo/
• GitLab Docs: https://docs.gitlab.com/
• Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/
• GitLab Acquires UnReview to Expand Its DevOps Platform with Machine Learning Capabilities: https://about.gitlab.com/press/releases/2021-06-02-gitlab-acquires-unreview-machine-learning-capabilities/
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less: https://www.amazon.com/Essentialism-Disciplined-Pursuit-Greg-McKeown/dp/0804137382
• The Mission Critical Core/Context Model for Product Managers: https://secretpmhandbook.com/the-mission-critical-corecontext-model-for-product-managers/
• The Devil’s Hour on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-devils-hour/umc.cmc.3zw4tyzd4lvor5mwhujms63x3
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81458416
• Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/TAYLOR-SWIFT-ERAS-EXTENDED-VERSION/dp/B0CP99SN2B
• The STAR method: https://capd.mit.edu/resources/the-star-method-for-behavioral-interviews/
• Artifact News: https://artifact.news/
• Superhuman: https://superhuman.com/
• Arc browser: https://arc.net/
• An inside look at how The Browser Company builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/competing-with-giants-an-inside-look
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Todd Jackson is a Partner at First Round Capital. Before moving into venture capital, he played a crucial role as VP of Product and Design at Dropbox, guiding the company until its IPO in 2018. Prior to Dropbox, Todd led product management for Twitter’s Content and Discovery teams after selling his startup, Cover, to Twitter in 2014. Before Cover, Todd oversaw product development for Facebook’s Newsfeed, Photos, and Groups. He kickstarted his career at Google as an associate product manager and eventually led product for Gmail, witnessing its growth from beta to 200 million users. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Why product-market fit (PMF) matters
• First Round Capital’s four-part PMF framework
• Level one: Nascent product-market fit
• Level two: Developing product-market fit
• Level three: Strong product-market fit
• Level four: Extreme product-market fit
• Examples of companies at each level
• How to know if you’re stuck at a level, and how to get unstuck
• What to change if you’re stuck: persona, problem, promise, and product
• The goals and challenges at each stage
—
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• CommandBar—AI-powered user assistance for modern products and impatient users
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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-framework-for-finding-product-market
—
Where to find Todd Jackson:
• X: https://twitter.com/tjack
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddj0/
—
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) Todd’s background
(06:07) First Round Capital’s PMF framework
(09:07) Why product-market fit is so important
(11:02) Who can benefit from this framework
(12:55) The product-market fit method
(16:54) Broad overview of the framework
(21:35) Level one: nascent product-market fit
(33:16) The four P’s
(39:13) Level two: developing product-market fit
(49:13) Signs you’re stuck at level two, and what to do
(55:12) Level three: strong product-market fit
(01:00:17) Signs you’re stuck at level three, and what to do
(01:02:22) Level four: extreme product-market fit
(01:06:55) Rough timelines for each level
(01:11:18) A quick recap of the framework
(01:12:15) Diving deeper on the four P’s: what to do if you’re stuck
(01:13:56) Dollar-driven discovery
(01:25:11) Apply for the product-market-fit method program
—
Referenced:
• First Round: https://firstround.com/
• Twitter Acquires Cover: https://www.vox.com/2014/4/7/11625332/twitter-acquires-cover-an-android-mobile-startup
• Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/
• Rahul Vohra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulvohra/
• How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit: https://review.firstround.com/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/
• How to validate your startup idea: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/validating-your-startup-idea
• How the most successful B2B startups came up with their original idea: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-the-most-successful-b2b-startups
• How to know if you’ve got product-market fit: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-know-if-youve-got-productmarket
• A guide for finding product-market fit in B2B: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/finding-product-market-fit
• Product-market fit method: http://pmf.firstround.com/
• Stripe: https://stripe.com/
• Plaid: https://plaid.com/
• Paths to PMF: https://review.firstround.com/series/product-market-fit/
• WeWork: https://www.wework.com/
• Casper: https://casper.com/
• Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/
• Christina Cacioppo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ccacioppo/
• Ramp: https://ramp.com/
• Velocity over everything: How Ramp became the fastest-growing SaaS startup of all time | Geoff Charles (VP of Product): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/velocity-over-everything-how-ramp-became-the-fastest-growing-saas-startup-of-all-time-geoff-charl/
• Jack Altman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackealtman/
• Lattice: https://lattice.com/
• Zachary Perret on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zperret/
• Positioning: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/positioning
• Retool: https://retool.com/
• David Hsu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvdhsu/
• Persona: https://withpersona.com/
• Rick Song on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-song-25198b24/
• Lloyd Tabb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloydtabb/
• Looker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looker_(company)
• Jason Boehmig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jboehmig/
• Ironclad: https://ironcladapp.com/
• Lessons in leadership | Scaling an org and tactical management advice | Jack Altman (Lattice): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZzXqf61mrQ
• Filip Kaliszan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliszan/
• Verkada: https://www.verkada.com/
• Ali Ghodsi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alighodsi/
• Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/
• Stripe Radar: https://stripe.com/radar
• Stripe Atlas: https://stripe.com/atlas
• Square Stand: https://squareup.com/shop/hardware/us/en/products/ipad-pos-stand-integrated-card-reader
• Cash App: https://cash.app/
• Square Checking: https://squareup.com/us/en/campaign/banking/checking
• Square Loan: https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5654-get-started-with-square-capital
• Casey Winters on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseywinters/
• How to sell your ideas and rise within your company | Casey Winters, Eventbrite: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-sell-your-ideas-and-rise-within-your-company-casey-winters-eventbrite/
• Josh Kopelman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkopelman/
• The art and science of pricing | Madhavan Ramanujam (Monetizing Innovation, Simon-Kucher): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/videos/the-art-and-science-of-pricing-madhavan-ramanujam-monetizing-innovation-simon-kucher/
• Simon Kucher: https://www.simon-kucher.com/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Claire Vo is the chief product officer at LaunchDarkly and the founder of ChatPRD, likely the most popular PM-specific AI product out there. Before LaunchDarkly, she was a longtime chief product officer at Color and Optimizely. Claire has founded and managed two other companies, Pretty HQ and Experiment Engine, the latter of which Optimizely acquired in 2017. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Knowing what you want in your career and being clear about it
• Finding your zone of genius and how to operate within it
• How to maintain a fast pace in larger companies
• How to make it easy for your boss to help you achieve your goals
• Advice for navigating the tech industry as a woman
• The role of a CPTO and the benefits it brings to organizations
• Why she built ChatPRD
• Tips for building your own AI tools
• The impact of AI on product management and what skills will continue to be important
—
Brought to you by:
• Orb—The flexible billing engine for modern pricing
• Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/bending-the-universe-in-your-favor
—
Where to find Claire Vo:
• X: https://twitter.com/clairevo
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefproductofficer
—
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) Claire’s background
(04:50) How to achieve career progression
(10:11) Avoiding promotion obsession
(13:50) How Claire stepped into leadership roles
(17:24) Operating in your zone of genius
(23:03) How to maintain a fast pace
(27:46) Setting a high bar for quality and talent
(29:54) Normalizing feedback
(33:09) Being a woman in tech
(47:09) The role of a CPTO
(54:19) Building ChatPRD
(59:39) Tips for building a GPT
(01:02:27) The impact of AI on product management
(01:08:08) How AI is changing the product management role
(01:14:36) Efficiency gains with ChatPRD
(01:16:39) Contrarian corner: sales-led product organizations
(01:20:11) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• LaunchDarkly: https://launchdarkly.com/
• Define your zone of genius: Laura Garnett at TEDxMillRiver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ7_r2oWlrw
• Energy Audit: https://beta.mocharymethod.com/blog-post/energy-audit
• How to fire people with grace, work through fear, and nurture innovation | Matt Mochary: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/videos/how-to-fire-people-with-grace-work-through-fear-and-nurture-innovation-matt-mochary/
• Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/radical-candor-from-theory-to-practice-with-author-kim-scott/
• Optimizely: https://www.optimizely.com/
• GitLab: https://about.gitlab.com/
• ChatPRD: https://www.chatprd.ai/
• You should be playing with GPTs at work: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/you-should-be-playing-with-gpts-at
• SpaceX’s Starship: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/
• GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot
• Product management theater | Marty Cagan (Silicon Valley Product Group): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/product-management-theater-marty-cagan-silicon-valley-product-group/
• High Growth Handbook: Scaling Startups from 10 to 10,000 People: https://www.amazon.com/High-Growth-Handbook-Elad-Gil/dp/1732265100
• Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building: https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-People-Tactics-Management-Building/dp/1953953212
• Stripe Press: https://press.stripe.com/
• Circe: https://www.amazon.com/Circe-Madeline-Miller/dp/0316556327
• Poor Things: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458/
• Mythic Quest on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/mythic-quest/umc.cmc.1nfdfd5zlk05fo1bwwetzldy3
• Silicon Valley on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/silicon-valley
• Chrysler Pacifica: https://www.chrysler.com/pacifica.html
• Waymo: https://waymo.com/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Dharmesh Shah is the co-founder and CTO of HubSpot (currently valued at $30 billion) and one of the most fascinating founders I’ve ever met. Dharmesh is the keeper of HubSpot’s Culture Code, built ChatSpot (an AI chatbot built on top of HubSpot CRM) and a game called WordPlay (which grew to 16 million users), and also founded and writes for OnStartups, a top-ranking startup blog and community with more than 1M members. He’s also invested in 100+ startups including OpenAI, AngelList, Coinbase, and Dropbox. In our conversation, we discuss:
• The biggest lessons he has learned from building HubSpot
• The importance of leaning into your strengths
• Dharmesh’s data-oriented approach to public speaking
• How he developed HubSpot’s culture code
• The decision-making process at HubSpot
• His contrarian approach to building products
• Why founders and product teams are all fighting the second law of thermodynamics
• How “flash tags” can save your teams time
• How to decide what ideas are worth investing in
—
Brought to you by:
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• LinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building
—
Where to find Dharmesh Shah:
• X: https://twitter.com/dharmesh
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharmesh/
• Website: https://dharmesh.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) Dharmesh’s background
(04:20) Fun facts about Dharmesh
(06:31) His data-oriented approach to public speaking
(11:45) Advice for adding humor to your presentations
(15:28) Why he has no direct reports
(18:46) You can shape the universe to your liking
(20:02) Lessons from building HubSpot
(23:43) Contrarian ways of running a company
(37:26) Fighting the second law of thermodynamics
(40:29) The importance of simplicity in running a business
(45:22) Succeeding in the SMB market
(50:29) Zigging when others are zagging
(54:17) When it makes sense to go “wide and deep”
(57:33) Using flashtags to communicate opinions
(01:02:44) HubSpot’s decision-making process
(01:09:41) Deciding what ideas to invest in
(01:15:26) Defining and maintaining company culture
(01:30:46) The potential of AI
(01:37:03) Practical advice for learning AI
(01:40:07) Where to find Dharmesh
—
Referenced:
• WordPlay: https://wordplay.com/article/unlimited
• ChatSpot: https://chatspot.ai/
• Indian-origin entrepreneur buys ‘chat.com’ for over $10 million, then sells, donates $250,000 to Khan Academy: https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/indian-origin-entrepreneur-buys-chatcom-for-over-10-million-then-sells-donates-250000-to-khan-academy-382907-2023-05-26
• Kipp Bodnar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kippbodnar/
• The surprising metric presenters should analyze: https://lars-sudmann.com/the-surprising-metric-presenters-should-analyze/
• SoloWare: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dharmesh_for-3-decades-now-in-addition-to-my-day-activity-7166500611247583232-kZgb/
• Brian Halligan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan/
• First Principles: Elon Musk on the Power of Thinking for Yourself: https://jamesclear.com/first-principles
• Peter Thiel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterthiel/
• The second law of thermodynamics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics
• What is an SMB?: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/SMB-small-and-medium-sized-business-or-small-and-midsized-business
• Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/
• Relentless curiosity, radical accountability, and HubSpot’s winning growth formula | Christopher Miller (VP of Product, Growth and AI): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/relentless-curiosity-radical-accountability-and-hubspots-winning-growth-formula-christopher-mil/
• FlashTags: A Simple Hack for Conveying Context Without Confusion: https://www.onstartups.com/flashtags-a-simple-hack-for-conveying-context-without-confusion
• What it means to “disagree and commit”: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16949021
• A Simple Decision Framework: Debate, Decide and Unite: https://connectingdots.com/p/debate-decide-unite
• Dharmesh Shah’s Frameworks for Creating a $1 Billion Net Worth: https://hakune.co/dharmesh-shah-networth/
• Zip: https://ziphq.com/
• The HubSpot Culture Code: Creating a Company We Love: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34234/the-hubspot-culture-code-creating-a-company-we-love.aspx
• How defining values and culture helped Airbnb achieve worldwide success: https://lattice.com/library/how-defining-values-and-culture-helped-airbnb-achie
• What is SQL?: https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/sql/
• GrowthBot: https://community.hubspot.com/t5/Releases-and-Updates/Meet-GrowthBot-from-HubSpot-Labs/ba-p/417985
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Matt Abrahams is a renowned communication expert, with decades of teaching, coaching, and consulting experience. At Stanford University, he teaches a business school class on strategic communication. Beyond academia, he’s a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant, guiding presenters from IPO road shows to prestigious platforms like TED, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations. His acclaimed podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart, garners millions of listeners, and his book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter, equips speakers with practical skills for impromptu success. With a previous bestseller, Speaking Up Without Freaking Out, Matt has empowered countless individuals to speak confidently and authentically. In our conversation, we discuss:
• The concept of “daring to be dull”
• The power of visualization to desensitize oneself to speaking situations
• Managing negative self-talk
• The WHAT structure for delivering toasts (why we are here, how you are connected, anecdote, thanks)
• The ADD structure for Q&As (answer, detailed example, describe relevance)
• Breathing techniques to reduce anxiety, such as the double exhale
• Concrete speaking structures like What? So What? Now What? and the Four I’s (information, impact, invitation, implications)
• Much more
—
Brought to you by:
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• Coda—Meet the evolution of docs
—
Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-speak-more-confidently-and
—
Where to find Matt Abrahams:
• X: https://twitter.com/tftsthepod
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams/
• Website: https://mattabrahams.com/
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ll0MwobDt1JW9gYaOONEo
—
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) Matt’s background
(04:50) Techniques for managing anxiety in public speaking
(10:57) Dare to be dull
(13:40) Reframing anxiety as excitement
(16:08) Using mantras to boost confidence
(18:45) Managing negative self-talk
(20:03) Normalizing speaking anxiety
(23:12) Using conversation as a communication technique
(24:52) Using the double-exhale breathing technique
(28:29) Getting present-oriented
(29:46) Using tongue twisters
(33:34) Broad advice for speaking on the spot
(38:35) The PREP structure
(38:59) The What? So What? Now What? structure
(42:10) Toastmasters and improv
(45:31) Getting better at small talk
(51:05) The importance of sharing back
(52:33) Giving feedback
(56:31) Improving toasts and tributes
(01:02:57) Mastering Q&A sessions
(01:07:25) Apologizing effectively
(01:09:29) Closing thoughts
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Kunal Shah is one of the most well-known and admired product leaders in India. He is the CEO and founder of CRED, an Indian-based fintech startup valued at over $6 billion. Prior to CRED, he founded three other startups, including Freecharge, which he sold for over $400 million to Snapdeal. He has also been an advisor to India’s most influential organizations. In our conversation, we discuss:
• The prevalence of successful Indian immigrants in top CEO roles across the tech industry
• Why companies in India can grow DAUs but not ARPU—and what that means for building products for India
• What most sets India’s market apart
• Challenges and opportunities in the Indian market
• The Delta 4 framework for building new products
• Lessons from building CRED so far
• The power of curiosity and second-order thinking
• Lessons from failure
—
Brought to you by:
• WorkOS—The modern API for auth and user identity
• Orb—The flexible billing engine for modern pricing
• Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision
—
Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/kunal-shah-on-winning-in-india-second
—
Where to find Kunal Shah:
• X: https://twitter.com/kunalb11
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunalshah1/
• Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@CRED_club
—
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) Kunal’s background
(04:22) The Delta 4 framework
(11:00) The success of Indian CEOs in the U.S.
(19:55) Challenges and opportunities in India
(23:04) DAUs vs. ARPU in Indian markets
(25:50) The perception of time in India
(27:55) The curse of focus in Asian markets
(30:33) Challenges and opportunities in India (continued)
(33:23) Lessons learned from building CRED
(36:40) Profit pools can provide valuable insights into the values of a country
(37:55) Founders’ role in company growth
(39:55) Profitability and Indian business culture
(43:24) Advice for staying positive amid criticism
(44:41) The promising market in India
(47:35) The power of curiosity
(52:59) Who Kunal looks up to
(55:31) Kunal’s favorite sources of content
(58:42) Asking great questions
(01:02:54) Contrarian corner: Wealth is nothing but storage of energy
(01:05:26) Failure corner
(01:08:57) Closing thoughts: Share your learnings
(01:09:38) Lightning round
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Emilie Gerber is the founder and CEO of Six Eastern, a top PR agency that’s worked with over 100 tech companies, from stealth startups to publicly traded companies. Before starting her own firm, she worked at Uber, where she led PR for the business development team and B2B programs. Prior to that, she worked at Box on product communications, with a focus on product launches and partnership announcements. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Why, and when, getting press is worth your time
• Common misconceptions about the impact press can have
• The second-order effects of press
• Which areas each publication (TechCrunch, Axios, The Verge, etc.) cares most about
• How to craft your pitch
• How to find and reach reporters
• How pitching press is different from pitching customers
• The effectiveness of direct communication through social media versus traditional press
—
Brought to you by:
• Sprig—Build a product people love
• Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-pr-emilie-gerber
—
Where to find Emilie Gerber:
• Substack: http://onbackgroundintel.substack.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilie-gerber-59612230/
• Website: https://sixeastern.com/
• Email: [email protected]
—
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) Emilie’s background
(04:56) The value of press and second-order effects
(13:00) When press is not worth your time
(17:01) Different publications and their suitability
(25:36) Avoiding negative stories
(27:23) Finding aligned podcasts and awards
(31:12) Advice for reaching out to reporters
(37:23) Controversial pitches
(41:16) Avoiding category creation
(43:26) Examples of pitches that have worked well
(53:32) Pitching to Lenny
(55:46) Effective pitching strategies
(57:45) Improving pitch announcements
(01:03:01) Press releases
(01:07:06) Crafting a compelling story
(01:09:43) Traditional press vs. newsletters, podcasts, and social media
(01:15:50) Building a social media presence
(01:17:51) How to get a Morning Brew feature
(01:19:32) Advice on choosing a PR agency
(01:22:25) Timing and budget for PR
(01:25:39) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/
• Who is Lenny Rachitsky? And what does he know that you don’t about making millions writing online?: https://www.fastcompany.com/90940453/lenny-rachitsky-newsletter-podcast-job-board-substack
• 42-year-old brings in an average of $41,000 a month from his podcast and works on it just 5 hours a week: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/11/lenny-rachitsky-podcast-brings-in-more-than-500k-a-year-heres-how.html
• How This Newsletter Writer Got More Than 300,000 Subscribers, and Now Makes “Significantly More” Than He Did at His Day Job: https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/how-this-newsletter-writer-got-more-than-300000/447172
• Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/
• Contraline: https://www.contraline.com/
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/
• TechCrunch: https://techcrunch.com/
• Axios: https://www.axios.com/
• Fortune: https://fortune.com/
• Term Sheet: https://fortune.com/tag/term-sheet/
• The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/
• Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/
• New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/
• Found podcast: https://techcrunch.com/tag/found/
• Equity podcast: https://techcrunch.com/tag/equity-podcast/
• VentureBeat: https://venturebeat.com/
• Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/
• Clockwise: https://www.getclockwise.com
• Shopify deleted 322,000 hours of meetings. Should the rest of us be jealous?: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/15/1156804295/shopify-delete-meetings-zoom-virtual-productivity
• Shopify canceled all recurring meetings. Should you too?: https://www.getclockwise.com/blog/shopify-cancels-meetings
• Shopify’s new meeting cost calculator is well intentioned—but it’s not addressing the issue: https://www.fastcompany.com/90930137/shopifys-new-meeting-cost-calculator-is-well-intentioned-but-its-not-addressing-the-issue
• Matt Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/voxmatt/
• Ramp: https://ramp.com/welcome
• Corporate card start-up Ramp targets Bill.com with free payments software: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/26/corporate-cards-ramp-targets-billcom-with-free-payments-software.html
• Bill: https://www.bill.com/
• Velocity over everything: How Ramp became the fastest-growing SaaS startup of all time | Geoff Charles (VP of Product): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/velocity-over-everything-how-ramp-became-the-fastest-growing-saas-startup-of-all-time-geoff-charl/
• Column Tax: https://www.columntax.com/
• Propel: https://www.joinpropel.com/
• Gamma: https://gamma.app/
• Gamma brings in $7M to bring the slide deck into the 21st century: https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/28/gamma-brings-in-7m-to-bring-the-slide-deck-into-the-21st-century/
• NewBank: https://www.newbankusa.com/
• Backed by a16z, Relay races to market with Zapier in its crosshairs: https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/11/relay-a16z-zapier-google/
• Zapier: https://zapier.com/
• Rajiv Ayyangar’s thread on X about tag lines: https://twitter.com/rajivayyangar/status/1758179077629100482
• Entropy: https://entropytechnologydesign.com/
• Money 20/20: https://www.money2020.com/
• Jim Bankoff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbankoff/
• Ramping Up: https://www.notboring.co/p/ramping-up
• Aaron Levie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boxaaron/
• Aaron Levie on X: https://twitter.com/levie
• Duolingo on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo
• Morning Brew: https://www.morningbrew.com/
• Tech Brew: https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/
• HR Brew: https://www.hr-brew.com/
• Mark Zuckerberg on Morning Brew Daily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQqsvRHjas4&t=1309s
• How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence: https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transcendence/dp/1594204225
• The Walking Dead on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/70177057
• Yellowjackets on Paramount+: https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/yellowjackets/
• The Last of Us on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/the-last-of-us
• Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro
• TNB Tech Minute: Startup Perplexity Challenges Google With AI Search: https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/tech-news-briefing/tnb-tech-minute-startup-perplexity-challenges-google-with-ai-search/984362d5-a8f0-48b4-8b55-ad7e570a74d2
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Noam Lovinsky has had a distinguished career in product, leaving an indelible mark at Facebook, YouTube, Thumbtack, and currently as the chief product officer at Grammarly. At Facebook, Noam helped establish the New Product Experimentation team; at Thumbtack, he was chief product officer; and at YouTube, he was one of the early product leaders overseeing the consumer experience. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Challenges and lessons from reviving growth at YouTube and Thumbtack
• Lessons from building Facebook’s New Product Experimentation team
• Insights into Grammarly’s success
• Knowing when it’s time to kill your project
• Why diversifying your growth channels is critical
• The power of visioning and storytelling in shaping product strategy
• How to create space for innovation at large companies
• The resilience and motivation of Grammarly’s team in Ukraine
—
Brought to you by:
• Whimsical—The iterative product workspace
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.
• LinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-happiness-and-pain-of-product
—
Where to find Noam Lovinsky:
• X: https://twitter.com/noaml
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noaml/
—
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) Noam’s background
(04:18) Noam’s lack of online presence
(08:06) Lessons from YouTube: advocating for what’s best for yourself and the team
(14:31) Prioritizing what’s best for the business
(19:37) Knowing when it’s time to kill a project
(21:47) Lessons from Thumbtack: diversifying growth channels and overcoming challenges
(26:24) How Thumbtack turned growth around
(31:44) Building Airbnb’s instant booking feature
(35:28) Lessons from Thumbtack: team collaboration and product strategy
(38:38) Lessons from Facebook: building the New Product Experimentation team
(40:43) The importance of starting small and building community density
(46:07) Advice for building a startup within a startup
(48:52) Having an incentive system
(49:34) Lessons from Grammarly: adapting to changing user needs and building for the masses
(54:20) The scrappiness and profitability of Grammarly
(56:56) The resilience and motivation of the Grammarly team in Ukraine
(59:08) General career advice
(01:01:02) When to pull back
(01:02:58) Closing thoughts
(01:03:56) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Substack: https://substack.com/
• Hunter Walk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterwalk/
• The rituals of great teams | Shishir Mehrotra of Coda, YouTube, Microsoft: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-rituals-of-great-teams-shishir-mehrotra-coda-youtube-microsoft/
• Salar Kamangar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salar-kamangar-5a059712/
• Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/
• Thumbtack: https://www.thumbtack.com/
• FRED on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/FRED
• How Airbnb Proved That Storytelling Is the Most Important Skill in Design: https://www.inc.com/yazin-akkawi/the-surprising-technique-airbnb-uses-to-better-sell-an-experience.html
• Google+: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%2B
• Marco Zappacosta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcozappacosta/
• Bryan Schreier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanschreier/
• Whitney Steele on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneydsteele/
• David Shein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidshein/
• The magic of thinking big, by Lenny Rachitsky: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/the-magic-of-thinking-big-by-lenny-rachitsky/
• What Seven Years at Airbnb Taught Me About Building a Business: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-seven-years-at-airbnb-taught
• New apps, new experiences: NPE Team, from Facebook: https://tech.facebook.com/engineering/2019/7/npe-team-from-facebook/
• The Origin Story of the BRC Trash Fence: https://journal.burningman.org/2016/05/black-rock-city/leaving-no-trace/the-origin-story-of-the-brc-trash-fence/
• Nike opens high-tech research and innovation lab: https://www.just-style.com/news/nike-opens-high-tech-research-and-innovation-lab/
• ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/
• Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/
• How to grow a subscription business | Yuriy Timen (Grammarly, Canva, Airtable): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-grow-a-subscription-business-yuriy-timen-grammarly-canva-airtable/
• “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”: https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/the-cave-you-fear-to-enter-holds-the-treasure-you-seek-d624e28c3848
• Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making: https://www.amazon.com/Build-Unorthodox-Guide-Making-Things/dp/0063046067
• For All Mankind on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/for-all-mankind/umc.cmc.6wsi780sz5tdbqcf11k76mkp7
• Fargo TV series on Hulu: https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/fargo
• Arc browser: https://arc.net/
• Competing with giants: An inside look at how The Browser Company builds product | Josh Miller (CEO): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/competing-with-giants-an-inside-look-at-how-the-browser-company-builds-product-josh-miller-ceo/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Marty Cagan is a luminary in the world of product. He’s the author of two of the most foundational books for product teams and product leaders (Inspired and Empowered), he’s the founder of Silicon Valley Product Group (one of the longest-running product advisory groups), and he’s almost certainly worked with more product leaders and teams than any human alive. Now he’s releasing his newest book, Transformed, which is sure to become a staple of tech-powered companies worldwide. Marty’s previous appearance on our show remains one of the most popular episodes to date. In this conversation, we discuss:
• The rise of “product management theater”
• Changes in the PM role post-ZIRP and the shift from growth to build functions
• The disconnect between good product companies and online product advice
• How over-hiring has created challenges in the product industry
• The most important skills for PMs to build
• How to know if you’re on a “feature team”
• The potential disruption of product management by AI
• Marty’s new book, Transformed: Moving to the Product Operating Model
• Four new competencies required for successful product organizations
—
Brought to you by:
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—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/product-management-theater-marty
—
Where to find Marty Cagan:
• X: https://twitter.com/cagan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cagan/
• Silicon Valley Product Group: https://www.svpg.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) Marty’s background
(04:46) His take on the state of product management
(12:08) Product management theater
(18:33) Feature teams vs. empowered product teams
(24:48) Skills of a real product manager
(29:27) The product management reckoning is here
(32:05) Taking control of your product management career
(34:59) The challenge of finding reliable product management advice
(40:18) The disconnect between good product companies and the product management community
(44:23) Top-down vs. bottom-up cultures
(47:06) The shift in product management post-ZIRP era
(49:44) The changing landscape of product management
(52:05) The disruption of PM skills by AI
(55:56) The purpose and content of Marty’s new book, Transformed
(01:02:05) The product operating model
(01:08:27) New competencies required for successful product teams
(01:11:25) Marty’s thoughts on product ops
(01:15:13) Advice for founders who don’t want product managers
(01:18:06) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Transformed: Moving to the Product Operating Model: https://www.amazon.com/Transformed-Becoming-Product-Driven-Company-Silicon/dp/1119697336
• Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love: https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507
• Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products: https://www.amazon.com/EMPOWERED-Ordinary-Extraordinary-Products-Silicon/dp/111969129X
• The nature of product | Marty Cagan, Silicon Valley Product Group: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-nature-of-product-marty-cagan-silicon-valley-product-group/
• Product Leadership Theater: https://www.svpg.com/product-leadership-theater/
• Product Management Theater: https://www.svpg.com/product-management-theater/
• Linear: https://linear.app/
• How Linear builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linear-builds-product
• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook/
• Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be coders, Jensen Huang warns: https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/27/jensen_huang_coders/
• Epic Waste: https://www.svpg.com/epic-waste/
• What is scrum and how to get started: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/scrum
• CSPO: https://www.scrumalliance.org/get-certified/product-owner-track/certified-scrum-product-owner
• PSPO: https://www.scrum.org/courses/professional-scrum-product-owner-training
• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
• Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products That Create Customer Value and Business Value: https://www.amazon.com/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309
• Shreyas Doshi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyasdoshi/
• Ben Erez’s LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7168978777966891008/
• Oracle: https://www.oracle.com/
• The essence of product management | Christian Idiodi (SVPG): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-essence-of-product-management-christian-idiodi-svpg/
• Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth (CTO): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto/
• Building a long and meaningful career | Nikhyl Singhal (Meta, Google): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/building-a-long-and-meaningful-career-nikhyl-singhal-meta-google/
• Partners at SVPG: https://www.svpg.com/team/
• Trainline: https://www.thetrainline.com/
• Almosafer: https://global.almosafer.com/
• Expedia: https://www.expedia.com/
• Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/
• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/
• The ultimate guide to product operations | Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-product-operations-melissa-perri-and-denise-tilles/
• Understanding the role of product ops | Christine Itwaru (Pendo): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/understanding-the-role-of-product-ops-christine-itwaru-pendo/
• Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making: https://www.amazon.com/Build-Unorthodox-Guide-Making-Things/dp/0063046067
• What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Our-Problem-Self-Help-Societies/dp/B0BVGH6T1Q
• Rivian: https://rivian.com/
• AI-1 airbag vest: https://www.klim.com/Ai-1-Airbag-Vest-3046-000
• Leslie Lamport’s quote: https://quotefancy.com/quote/3702194/Leslie-Lamport-If-you-re-thinking-without-writing-you-only-think-you-re-thinking
• Joan Didion’s quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/264509-i-don-t-know-what-i-think-until-i-write-it
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Ray (Jiayi) Cao is the global head of product strategy and operations for monetization product at TikTok. Prior to TikTok, Ray spent six years at Google helping scale Google Shopping globally. In our conversation, we discuss:
• TikTok’s internal culture and core values
• How TikTok’s product team operates
• How working at TikTok is different from working at Google
• How TikTok rolls out to new markets
• TikTok’s core principle of “context, not control”
• How their sales and product teams work together
• Lessons (and mistakes) from building TikTok’s early go-to-market team
• The importance of hiring for quality rather than quantity
• Insights on being successful on TikTok as a creator, a business, and an advertiser
—
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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-tiktok-culture-strategy-monetization
—
Where to find Ray Cao:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiayiraycao/
—
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) Ray’s background
(04:55) Cultural differences between Google and TikTok
(08:24) Fine-tuning the algorithm for different markets
(12:15) Examples of fine-tuning the algorithm
(15:11) Core principles and values of TikTok
(19:34) Hiring at TikTok
(21:38) Embracing the “always day one” mentality
(25:09) Collaboration between teams
(28:38) Amazon’s cultural influence
(31:14) Setting up the product organization for speed and innovation
(35:38) Building the go-to-market team
(40:18) What makes people successful at TikTok
(43:02) Thoughts on putting in long hours
(44:40) OKRs and planning at TikTok
(49:12) Tips for how to be successful on TikTok
(53:49) Tips for advertising on TikTok
(01:04:03) Getting started with TikTok Ads
(01:08:42) Common mistakes to avoid with TikTok advertising
(01:09:44) Ray’s favorite TikTok account
(01:10:54) Where to find Ray
—
Referenced:
• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/
• Google Shopping: https://shopping.google.com/
• Eugene Wei’s blog: https://www.eugenewei.com/
• TikTok and the Sorting Hat: https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2020/8/3/tiktok-and-the-sorting-hat
• How Netflix builds a culture of excellence | Elizabeth Stone (CTO): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-netflix-builds-a-culture-of-excellence-elizabeth-stone-cto/
• Inside OpenAI | Logan Kilpatrick (head of developer relations): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/inside-openai-logan-kilpatrick-head-of-developer-relations/
• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook/
• Lead with Context not Control: https://www.svpg.com/lead-with-context-not-control/
• Shuba on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tiktokbrownchick
• Duolingo on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo
• Duolingo leagues: https://duolingo.fandom.com/wiki/League
• CapCut: https://www.capcut.com/
• Amanda Talijan (silent baby item reviews) on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda_talijan/video/7321700482018233642
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Andrew Bosworth—or Boz, as most people know him—is the chief technology officer at Meta and head of Reality Labs, the company’s augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) organization, which he created in 2017. Boz joined Facebook in 2006 as their approximately 10th engineer, and in his 18-year tenure he built the original News Feed, Messenger, and Groups, as well as many early anti-abuse and infrastructure systems. At various times he has been the engineering director overseeing Events, Places, Photos, Videos, Timeline, Privacy, and more. Before Reality Labs, he ran the Ads and Business Platform product group, where he led engineering, product, research, analytics, and design, taking annual revenue from $4 billion to $40 billion in five years. Andrew currently leads Meta’s efforts in AR, VR, AI, and consumer hardware across Quest, Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and more. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Stories from the early days of Facebook
• Lessons from Meta’s downturn and recent turnaround
• Meta’s culture of transparency
• Boz’s thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro
• Why communication is the job
• Why you should regularly seek help from your manager
• Lessons in setting incentives and avoiding their misuse
• Why you should optimize for a variety in experience in your career
• The importance of trusting your own expertise and not being swayed by external opinions
• Stories of failures and personal growth
—
Brought to you by:
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• Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto/
—
Where to find Andrew Bosworth:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boz/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boztank/
• X: https://twitter.com/boztank
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bosworth-8247a01/
• Website: https://boz.com/
• Photography website: https://wardenshortbow.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) Boz’s background
(04:48) Fun facts about him
(07:20) Early days at Facebook
(11:11) Advice for founders
(13:22) Leveraging leaders
(19:27) Tips for communicating with managers
(22:10) Transparency at Meta
(27:01) The importance of clear guidelines
(29:11) Involvement in the details
(33:15) Building the News Feed
(37:28) Passion and career growth
(40:25) Exploring new opportunities
(42:02) The value of variety in experience
(45:01) Giving and receiving feedback
(47:38) Boz’s tattoos
(51:30) Communication is the job
(01:00:47) Comparing VR headsets: Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro
(01:10:41) Meta’s downturn and turnaround
(01:16:10) Navigating org changes
(01:20:43) Lessons from failure
(01:26:33) Closing thoughts
(01:29:57) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Reality Labs: https://about.meta.com/realitylabs/
• Quest: https://www.meta.com/quest/
• Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses: https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses
• Taekwondo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwondo
• 4-H: https://4-h.org/
• David Copperfield’s website: https://www.davidcopperfield.com/html/
• MC Hammer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mchammer/
• George W. Bush: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-w-bush/
• Fry’s Electronics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry%27s_Electronics
• Association for Computing Machinery: https://www.acm.org
• Get It Done: https://boz.com/articles/get-it-done
• Patrick Stewart on X: https://twitter.com/sirpatstew
• The FB Exec Practice That Changed the Way I Lead (about HPMs): https://livingos.substack.com/p/fb-exec-hpm
• Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zuck
• Chris Cox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-cox-2896b841/
• Javier Olivan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierolivan/
• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/brian-cheskys-new-playbook/
• Eye of Sauron: https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Eye_of_Sauron
• Ruchi Sanghvi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsanghvi/
• Eric Schmidt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-e-schmidt/
• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/
• Best Advice Sheryl Sandberg Received: If Offered a Seat on Rocket Ship, Get On: https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/newsmakers/best-advice-sheryl-sandberg-received-don-t-idiot-161459450.html
• Veritas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veritas
• Communication is The Job: https://boz.com/articles/communication-is-the-job
• Repetition does not spoil the prayer: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/repetition-does-spoil-prayer-constantine-constantinides-m-d-ph-d--1f/
• Janet Lansbury’s website: https://www.janetlansbury.com/
• Dr. Becky on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside
• Boz to the Future Episode 18: The Future According to Matthew Ball: https://www.meta.com/blog/quest/boz-to-the-future-episode-18-matthew-ball-metaverse-epyllion/
• Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro
• Quest 3 headset: https://www.meta.com/quest/quest-3/
• Virtual desktop: https://www.meta.com/experiences/2017050365004772/
• Meta Horizon Workrooms: https://www.meta.com/experiences/2514011888645651/
• After trying the Vision Pro, Mark Zuckerberg says Quest 3 ‘is the better product, period’: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/13/24072413/mark-zuckerberg-apple-vision-pro-review-quest-3
• Lou Holtz on X: https://twitter.com/CoachLouHoltz88
• Gell-Mann amnesia effect: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_Amnesia_effect
• “Wet streets cause rain”: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19026568
• Michael Crichton on X: https://twitter.com/CrichtonBooks
• AI research at Meta: https://ai.meta.com/research/
• Llama 2: https://llama.meta.com/
• Warren Buffett quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/warren_buffett_383933
• Mark Slee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcslee/
• Dave Fetterman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davefetterman/
• Emacs and Vim: https://dev.to/george_udonte/emacs-and-vim-an-overview-for-beginners-2e65
• Ami Vora on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amvora/
• The Dream Machine: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Machine-M-Mitchell-Waldrop/dp/1732265119
• Alan Turing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing
• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Inside-Guide-Becoming-Parent/dp/B09Y4WG7RJ
• Dr. Becky’s website: https://www.goodinside.com/
• The Mandalorian on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-mandalorian/3jLIGMDYINqD
• Scott Trowbridge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-trowbridge-b70866/
• Dave Filoni on X: https://twitter.com/dave_filoni
• Jon Favreau on X: https://twitter.com/jon_favreau
• Mercedes-Benz AMG EQS Sedan: https://www.mbusa.com/en/vehicles/model/eqs/sedan/amgeqsv4
• Tracey Emin “Trust Yourself”: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/tracey-emin-trust-yourself
• Tracey Emin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceyeminstudio
• Rick Rubin: Protocols to Access Creative Energy and Process | Huberman Lab Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpgqXCkRO-w
• Ansel Adams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Donna Lichaw is an internationally sought-after executive coach, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. She helps visionary founders, CEOs, and executive teams level up their leadership and scale their impact while staying true to their mission, purpose, and themselves. Donna works with leaders at companies like Google, Disney, Twitter, Microsoft, Mailchimp, and Adobe, as well as a plethora of mission-driven startups and nonprofits. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How our personal narratives influence our success and failure
• Why identifying your superpowers (and kryptonite) is so important, and how to do it
• The value of doubling down on your strengths rather than trying to fix weaknesses
• How to acknowledge and reframe feelings of impostor syndrome
• The Double Diamond framework for personal growth and goal-setting
• The power of visualization and how it can fuel motivation and creativity
—
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—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-discover-your-superpowers-own-your-story-and-unlock-personal-growth-donna-lichaw-author/
—
Where to find Donna Lichaw:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlichaw/
• Website: https://www.donnalichaw.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) Donna’s background
(04:25) Donna’s origin story and transition to coaching
(08:38) The power of storytelling in leadership
(11:36) Becoming the hero of your own story
(14:49) Changing your story
(21:19) Understanding and shifting others’ stories
(25:41) Imposter syndrome
(31:28) Exploring different types of kryptonite
(36:41) Identifying and leveraging strengths
(43:53) Identifying superpowers
(56:39) Running experiments
(01:01:52) Using product frameworks for personal growth
(01:12:41) Identifying subconscious goals
(01:15:27) Envisioning impact
(01:16:44) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• The Leader’s Journey: Transforming Your Leadership to Achieve the Extraordinary: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Journey-Transforming-Leadership-Extraordinary/dp/1959029134
• Effective Leadership Is Transformational, by Ken Blanchard: https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2019/06/13/effective-leadership-is-transformational/
• Ken Blanchard’s website: https://www.blanchard.com/
• How to write a kickass README: https://dev.to/scottydocs/how-to-write-a-kickass-readme-5af9
• This Week #5: Overcoming impostor syndrome, introducing growth to an org, and how to partner with your Data Scientist: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/this-week-overcoming-impostor-syndrome
• Community Wisdom: Dealing with impostor syndrome as a PM: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/community-wisdom-dealing-with-impostor
• Stuart Smalley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Smalley
• Kryptonite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryptonite
• How Dyslexic Thinking Gives Entrepreneurs a Competitive Edge: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisoncoleman/2023/05/16/how-dyslexic-thinking-gives-entrepreneurs-a-competitive-edge/
• Characterizing Creative Thinking and Creative Achievements in Relation to Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9283685/
• Robert Iger: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/leaders/robert-a-iger/
• CliftonStrengths test: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
• VIA Character Strengths: https://www.viacharacter.org/
• How to fire people with grace, work through fear, and nurture innovation | Matt Mochary (CEO coach): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-fire-people-with-grace-work-through-fear-and-nurture-innovation-matt-mochary-ceo-coach/
•10 Steve Jobs Quotes That’ll Stick With You Long After You Read Them: https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-steve-jobs-quotes-thatll-stick-with-you-long-after-you-read-them
• Gestalt coaching: https://gestaltcenterforcoaching.com/
• Gestalt therapy: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/gestalt-therapy
• Head, Heart and Hands: http://creatingminds.org/tools/head_heart_hands.htm
• Managing nerves, anxiety, and burnout | Jonny Miller (Nervous System Mastery): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/managing-nerves-anxiety-and-burnout-jonny-miller-nervous-system-mastery/
• The User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love: https://www.amazon.com/Users-Journey-Storymapping-Products-People/dp/1933820314
• For All Mankind on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/for-all-mankind/umc.cmc.6wsi780sz5tdbqcf11k76mkp7
• Ted Lasso on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy
• The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Possibility-Transforming-Professional-Personal/dp/0142001104
• IMPRESA Monkey Noodle Stretchy String Fidget/Sensory Toys: https://www.amazon.com/IMPRESA-Glitter-Stretchy-Phthalate-Latex-Free/dp/B0868X6NRQ
• Dolly Parton quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/21268-find-out-who-you-are-and-do-it-on-purpose
• Donna’s favorite fidgets: https://pen-name.notion.site/Donna-Lichaw-s-Favorite-Fidgets-f84f241d31704a498d71d3502af1821b?pvs=4
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Elizabeth Stone is the chief technology officer of Netflix. She previously served as vice president of product data science and engineering, and as vice president of data and insights, at Netflix. Before Netflix, Elizabeth was vice president of science at Lyft, chief operating officer at Nuna, a trader at Merrill Lynch, and an economist at Analysis Group. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Elizabeth’s advice for career advancement
• Netflix’s unique high-performance culture
• How, and why, Netflix maintains a high bar for excellence
• Intentional leadership practices
• How to foster an “open door” culture within your team
• The Keeper Test and how it contributes to maintaining a high bar for excellence
• The power of transparent communication
• Much more
—
Brought to you by:
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.
• Sendbird—The (all-in-one) communications API platform for mobile apps
• Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-netflix-builds-a-culture-of-excellence-elizabeth-stone-cto/
—
Where to find Elizabeth Stone:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-stone-608a754/
—
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) Elizabeth’s background
(04:36) Life as CTO vs. VP of Data
(05:57) The role of economists in tech companies
(08:32) Using economics to understand incentives
(10:07) Success and career growth
(20:15) Setting expectations
(25:02) Advice for how to avoid burnout
(27:44) Netflix culture: high talent density
(30:31) Netflix culture: candor and directness
(31:45) The Keeper Test
(39:01) Maintaining a high bar for excellence
(43:54) Netflix culture: freedom and responsibility
(46:18) Unconventional processes at Netflix
(47:55) Examples of candor
(51:44) Data and insights team structure
(01:00:12) Staying close to teams
(01:02:31) Advice on being present
(01:07:40) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• What to Know About the Netflix Cup, Today’s First-Ever Live Sports Event: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/netflix-cup-live-event-date-news
• Ann Miura Ko interview | The Tim Ferriss Show (Podcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GO0Ks_VGg
• Netflix culture: https://jobs.netflix.com/culture
• No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention: https://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Netflix-Culture-Reinvention/dp/1984877860
• Reed Hastings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedhastings/
• Netflix’s “Keeper Test” and Why You Need It | Lorne Rubis: https://www.highlights.lornerubis.com/2015/08/the-netflix-keeper-test-and-the-courage-to-take-it/
• The Hunger Games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games
• Nan Yu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/
• Work Life Philosophy: https://jobs.netflix.com/work-life-philosophy
• The Scoop: Netflix’s historic introduction of levels for software engineers: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/netflix-levels/
• Chaos Monkey: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Chaos-Monkey
• Ali Rauh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-rauh/
• Keith Henwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-henwood/
• Jeff Bezos’ Morning Routine of Puttering Around—How It Works: https://medium.com/illumination/jeff-bezos-morning-routine-of-puttering-around-how-it-works-9d73f359ac8d
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/What-Talk-About-When-Running/dp/0307389839
• A Fine Balance: https://www.amazon.com/Fine-Balance-Rohinton-Mistry/dp/140003065X
• Triangle of Sadness on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/movie/triangle-of-sadness-f60937bd-45f4-469a-938f-db95026953a1
• Beef on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81447461
• Fellow pour-over coffee set: https://fellowproducts.com/products/stagg-xf-pour-over-set
• Peloton bikes: https://www.onepeloton.com/shop/bike
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Jason Lemkin created and runs SaaStr, the world’s largest community for B2B/SaaS founders, and is the managing director of SaaStr Fund, a $90 million venture capital firm specializing in early-stage enterprise investments. He is also the mastermind behind two major tech conferences each year—one in the Bay Area, drawing in over 15,000 people, and another in Europe, with a crowd of more than 3,000 SaaS executives, founders, and entrepreneurs. Before SaaStr, Jason wore many hats: CEO and co-founder of EchoSign (later bought by Adobe), vice president at Adobe Systems, co-founder and president of NanoGram Devices Corp., vice president of NeoPhotonics, and a senior director at BabyCenter. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How far you should go without a salesperson
• Signs it’s time to hire salespeople
• Why you need to hire two salespeople
• How to compensate your salespeople
• How to interview salespeople
• When to hire a VP of Sales
• How to prevent their flaming out
• How to scale your sales org
• How to improve the relationship between your sales and product teams
• Much more
—
Brought to you by:
• CommandBar—AI-powered user assistance for modern products and impatient users
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.
• LinkedIn Ads—Reach professionals and drive results for your business
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/building-a-world-class-sales-org-jason-lemkin-saastr/
—
Where to find Jason Lemkin:
• X: https://twitter.com/jasonlk
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmlemkin/
• Website: https://www.saastr.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) Jason’s background
(06:18) The importance of sales in B2B businesses
(11:23) Signs that you should start hiring salespeople
(14:19) Attributes to look for in early sales reps
(19:08) Hiring a VP of Sales
(26:43) The role of a VP of Sales
(30:06) Interviewing salespeople
(45:16) Determining sales compensation and quota
(53:34) Transitioning from 100% commission to a smaller percentage
(56:58) Indicators of a hard-to-sell product
(59:39) Scaling the sales organization
(01:05:26) Understanding sales roles and titles
(01:10:02) Product involvement in sales, and vice versa
(01:20:32) Thoughts on product teams taking on P&L responsibilities
(01:27:23) One thing founders can do to become better at sales
(01:31:02) The ideal trial length for a free trial sales team
(01:39:50) Closing thoughts
(01:41:43) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Marc Benioff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/
• Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/en/
• Yamini Rangan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan/
• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/
• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/
• Twilio: https://www.twilio.com/
• Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/
• GitHub: https://github.com/
• Columbo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1466074/
• What is Davos and why is it important? Your guide to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting: https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/01/15/what-is-davos-and-why-is-it-important-your-guide-to-the-world-economic-forums-annual-meeti
• Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/
• Satya Nadella on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyanadella/
• Glengarry Glen Ross on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Glengarry-Glen-Ross-James-Foley/dp/B002NN5F7A
• The Wolf of Wall Street on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Wall-Street-Leonardo-DiCaprio/dp/B00IIU9FQY
• A step-by-step guide to crafting a sales pitch that wins | April Dunford (author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/a-step-by-step-guide-to-crafting-a-sales-pitch-that-wins-april-dunford-author-of-obviously-awesom/
• Pipedrive: https://www.pipedrive.com/
• Sam Blond on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-blond-791026b/
• Gong: https://www.gong.io/
• Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/
• ZoomInfo: https://www.zoominfo.com/
• Apollo: https://www.apollo.io/
• Daniel Chait on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhchait/
• SAP: https://www.sap.com/
• Lessons on building product sense, navigating AI, optimizing the first mile, and making it through the messy middle | Scott Belsky (Adobe, Behance): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/lessons-on-building-product-sense-navigating-ai-optimizing-the-first-mile-and-making-it-through-t/
• VistaPrint: https://www.vistaprint.com/
• Procore: https://www.procore.com/
• Matt Mullenweg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattm/
• Wordpress: https://wordpress.com/
• SaaStr University: https://app.saastruniversity.com/collections/20252
• From Impossible to Inevitable: How SaaS and Other Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue: https://www.amazon.com/Impossible-Inevitable-Hyper-Growth-Companies-Predictable/dp/1119531691
• Pavilion: https://www.joinpavilion.com/
• Top 10 Learnings about Free Trials with Tomasz Tunguz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfQNJpnxmMw
• The Terminal List on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/The-Terminal-List-Season-1/dp/B09HYNH8TK
• Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount: https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/top-gun-maverick
• OpusClip app: https://www.opus.pro/
• OnePlus Open smartphone: https://www.amazon.com/OnePlus-Dual-SIM-Unlocked-Smartphone-Hasselblad/dp/B0CHN7M531/
• SaaStr conferences: https://www.saastr.com/events/
• Marketo: https://go.marketo.com/about-marketo-landingpage-emea.html
• Zoomtopia: https://zoomtopia.com/
• Money20/20: https://us.money2020.com/
• Shoptalk: https://shoptalk.com/
• Jeff Lawson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffiel/
• Eric Kwan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickwan/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky are the authors of best-selling books Sprint and Make Time. They have helped more than 300 teams design new products and bring them to market, including those at YouTube, Gusto, One Medical Group, and Slack. Jake and John are co-founders of the venture capital firm Character, where they support startups with capital and sprints. Previously, they were operating partners at Google Ventures and, before that, design leaders at Google, where John worked on Google Ads and YouTube and Jake helped build Gmail and co-founded Google Meet. In our conversation, we discuss:
• “Busy bandwagon” and “infinity pools”
• Creating one “highlight” each day
• Their four-part framework for productivity
• How to use the calendar to design your day
• How creating friction can help you avoid distractions
• Tips on creating a distraction-free phone
• Strategies for managing email and distractions
• The importance of reflecting on the day and making time for meaningful work
• Design sprints
—
Brought to you by:
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• Whimsical—The iterative product workspace
• WorkOS—The modern API for auth and user identity
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/making-time-for-what-matters-jake-knapp-and-john-zeratsky-authors-of-sprint-and-make-time-co-fou/
—
Where to find Jake Knapp:
• X: https://twitter.com/jakek
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-knapp/
• Website: https://jakeknapp.com/
—
Where to find John Zeratsky:
• X: https://twitter.com/jazer
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnzeratsky/
• Website: https://johnzeratsky.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) About Jake and John
(04:10) Recording the audiobook for Make Time
(06:06) What people often get wrong when trying to become more productive
(11:24) The busy bandwagon and infinity pools
(15:22) Real talk: Jake and John’s productivity levels
(20:10) The four-part framework for getting more done: Highlight, Laser, Energize, Reflect
(25:15) Step 1: Highlight
(28:08) Designing your day with a calendar
(30:52) The Groundhog Day mentality
(35:10) Tactical advice for implementing the highlight method
(39:30) An example of a failed highlight
(48:08) Step 2: Laser
(51:12) Creating intentional friction to avoid distractions
(57:28) Curating a distraction-free phone
(01:07:58) Resetting expectations and slowing your inbox
(01:14:51) Systems over willpower
(01:18:14) Managing email distractions
(01:18:49) Step 3: Energize
(01:22:05) Step 4: Reflect
(01:26:30) Introduction to Sprint
—
Referenced:
• Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Time-Focus-Matters-Every/dp/0525572422
• Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days: https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-audiobook/dp/B019R2DQIY
• Make Time blog: https://maketime.blog/
• Make Time blog on X: https://twitter.com/maketimeblog
• Character: https://www.character.vc/
• Google Ventures: https://www.gv.com/
• Character Labs: https://www.character.vc/labs
• Strategies for becoming less distracted and improving focus | Nir Eyal (author of Indistractable and Hooked): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/strategies-for-becoming-less-distracted-and-improving-focus-nir-eyal-author-of-indistractable-and/
• Groundhog Day on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Groundhog-Day-Bill-Murray/dp/B000SP1SH6
• Reclaim.ai: https://reclaim.ai/
• Feed Blocker for LinkedIn: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/feed-blocker-for-linkedin/eikaafmldiioljlilngpogcepiedpenf
• The Lord of the Rings: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0544003411
• MagSafe charger: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MHXH3AM-A-MagSafe-Charger/dp/B08L5NP6NG/
• Nanit app: https://www.nanit.com/pages/nanit-app
• Arianna Huffington’s Phone Bed Charging Station: https://www.amazon.com/Arianna-Huffingtons-Charging-Station-Walnut/dp/B0799ZG1LY
• Cell Phone Lock Box with Timer: https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Android-Self-Discipline-Achieve-Addiction/dp/B0CG8V4YG3?th=1
• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich: https://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/dp/0307465357
• The Economist: https://www.economist.com/
• Odysseus: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odysseus
• Mailman: https://www.mailmanhq.com/
• Future: https://www.future.co/
• Notion: https://www.notion.so/
• Miro: https://miro.com/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Logan Kilpatrick leads developer relations at OpenAI, supporting developers building with the OpenAI API and ChatGPT. He is also on the board of directors at NumFOCUS, the nonprofit organization that supports open source projects like Jupyter, Pandas, NumPy, and more. Before OpenAI, Logan was a machine-learning engineer at Apple and advised NASA on open source policy. In our conversation, we discuss:
• OpenAI’s fast-paced and innovative work environment
• The value of high agency and high urgency in your employees
• Tips for writing better ChatGPT prompts
• How the GPT Store is doing
• OpenAI’s planning process and decision-making criteria
• Where OpenAI is heading in the next few years
• Insight into OpenAI’s B2B offerings
• Why Logan “measures in hundreds”
—
Brought to you by:
• Hex—Helping teams ask and answer data questions by working together
• Whimsical—The iterative product workspace
• Arcade Software—Create effortlessly beautiful demos in minutes
—
Find the transcript for this episode and all past episodes at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/episodes/. Today’s transcript will be live by 8 a.m. PT.
—
Where to find Logan Kilpatrick:
• X: https://twitter.com/OfficialLoganK
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logankilpatrick/
• Website: https://logank.ai/
—
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) Logan’s background
(03:49) The impact of recent events on OpenAI’s team and culture
(08:20) Exciting developments in AI interfaces
(09:52) Using OpenAI tools to make companies more efficient
(13:04) Examples of using AI effectively
(18:35) Prompt engineering
(22:12) How to write better prompts
(26:05) The launch of GPTs and the OpenAI Store
(32:10) The importance of high agency and urgency
(34:35) OpenAI’s ability to move fast and ship high-quality products
(35:56) OpenAI’s planning process and decision-making criteria
(40:22) The importance of real-time communication
(42:33) OpenAI’s team and growth
(44:47) Future developments at OpenAI
(47:42) GPT-5 and building toward the future
(50:38) OpenAI’s enterprise offering and the value of sharing custom applications
(52:30) New updates and features from OpenAI
(55:09) How to leverage OpenAI’s technology in products
(58:26) Encouragement for building with AI
(59:30) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• OpenAI: https://openai.com/
• Sam Altman on X: https://twitter.com/sama
• Greg Brockman on X: https://twitter.com/gdb
• tldraw: https://www.tldraw.com/
• Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai/
• Boost Your Productivity with Generative AI: https://hbr.org/2023/06/boost-your-productivity-with-generative-ai
• Research: quantifying GitHub Copilot’s impact on developer productivity and happiness: https://github.blog/2022-09-07-research-quantifying-github-copilots-impact-on-developer-productivity-and-happiness/
• Lesson learnt from the DPD AI Chatbot swearing blunder: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lesson-learnt-from-dpd-ai-chatbot-swearing-blunder-kitty-sz57e/
• Dennis Yang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisyang/
• Tim Ferriss’s blog: https://tim.blog/
• Tyler Cowen on X: https://twitter.com/tylercowen
• Tom Cruise on X: https://twitter.com/TomCruise
• Canva: https://www.canva.com/
• Zapier: https://zapier.com/
• Siqi Chen on X: https://twitter.com/blader
• Runway: https://runway.com/
• Universal Primer: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-GbLbctpPz-universal-primer
• “I didn’t expect ChatGPT to get so good” | Unconfuse Me with Bill Gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Ymdc6EdKw
• Microsoft Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/
• Lennybot: https://www.lennybot.com/
• Visual Electric: https://visualelectric.com/
• DALL-E: https://openai.com/research/dall-e
• The One World Schoolhouse: https://www.amazon.com/One-World-Schoolhouse-Education-Reimagined/dp/1455508373/ref=sr_1_1
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324
• Gran Turismo: https://www.netflix.com/title/81672085
• Gran Turismo video game: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/gran-turismo/
• Manta sleep mask: https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask
• WAOAW sleep mask: https://www.amazon.com/WAOAW-Sleep-Sleeping-Blocking-Blindfold/dp/B09712FSLY
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Megan Cook is the head of product for Atlassian’s Jira software, which is used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies, has over 125,000 customers globally, over 15 different products, and is by far the most popular project management tool in the world. Megan has been at Atlassian for just under 11 years, and before this role, she was an analyst, a developer, and an Agile coach. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How to get buy-in for your ideas
• The value of starting small
• How, and why, creating space for play is so essential
• How Jira stays ahead of endless competition
• Atlassian’s approach to launching new product lines
• Tactical tips for making remote work, work
• A personal failure and the lessons learned from it
—
Brought to you by:
• Teal—Your personal career growth platform
• Sprig—Build a product people love
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.
—
Find the transcript for this episode and all past episodes at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/episodes/. Today’s transcript will be live by 8 a.m. PT.
—
Where to find Megan Cook:
• X: https://twitter.com/meganwcook
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cookmegan
—
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) Megan’s background
(03:50) Creating space for play and psychological safety on teams
(07:36) Peer feedback groups
(10:30) Sharing stories of failure
(13:33) The “10 dollar” game for priorities
(15:24) Advice on making remote work, work
(24:16) Getting buy-in for your ideas
(28:33) The importance of staying open-minded
(34:05) A quick summary of how to get buy-in
(36:45) Fighting the good fight
(38:15) Identifying customer pain points
(43:04) Starting small and showing success
(46:08) Launching new product lines
(53:35) Atlassian’s gated process for new product ideas
(58:00) How Jira stays ahead of competitors
(01:04:28) Learning from failure
(01:08:30) Fight club
(01:10:08) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira
• Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/
• Bitbucket: https://bitbucket.org/product
• Ben Crowe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-crowe-67299714/
• Ash Barty on X: https://twitter.com/ashbarty
• Atlassian’s blog, Work Life: https://www.atlassian.com/blog
• Lessons learned: 1,000 days of distributed at Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/distributed-work-report
• New research: How to make time for the work that matters: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/calendar-redesign-experiment
• Atlas: https://www.atlassian.com/software/atlas
• Confluence: https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence
• Lenny’s swag store: https://lennyswag.com/
• What is CSAT and how do you measure it?: https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/customer/what-is-csat
• The UX research reckoning is here | Judd Antin (Airbnb, Meta): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-ux-research-reckoning-is-here-judd-antin-airbnb-meta/
• Charlie Sutton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesutton/
• Nokia 6100: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_6100
• Compass: https://www.atlassian.com/software/compass
• Jira Product Discovery: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/product-discovery
• Canva: https://www.canva.com/
• Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love: https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507
• Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building: https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-People-Tactics-Management-Building/dp/1953953212
• Foundation on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/foundation/umc.cmc.5983fipzqbicvrve6jdfep4x3
• Foundation book series: https://www.amazon.com/Foundation-3-Book-Boxed-Set-Empire/dp/0593499573
• Traeger smoker: https://www.traeger.com/shop/wood-pellet-grills
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe -
Jonny Miller is the founder of Nervous System Mastery, a course that has helped hundreds of founders and tech leaders cultivate calm, reduce nervousness, enhance resilience, and elevate their sense of aliveness. Having personally benefited from Jonny’s teachings, I’m especially excited to have him on the show. In this episode, we discuss:
• How shifting your focus from the mind to the body can help ease nervousness
• The power of breath in changing states
• The importance of “interoception”
• Specific breathing exercises to both calm and excite your nervous system
• The A.P.E. (awareness, posture, and emotion) framework for recognizing body signals
• The “feather, brick, dump truck” phenomenon
• The concept of emotional debt and how to release it
• The competitive advantage of feeling emotions
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Jonny’s five-week boot camp, Nervous System Mastery, will equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate greater calm and agency over your internal state. Learn to rewire maladaptive stress responses and improve your sleep (use code LENNY for $250 discount). Apply here.
—
Brought to you by:
• Teal—Your personal career growth platform
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security.
• Miro—A collaborative visual platform where your best work comes to life
—
Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/managing-nerves-anxiety-and-burnout-jonny-miller-nervous-system-mastery/
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Where to find Jonny Miller:
• X: https://twitter.com/jonnym1ller
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnym1ller/
• Website: https://www.jonnymiller.co/
• Podcast: podcast.curioushumans.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Course: https://nsmastery.com/lenny
—
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) Jonny’s background
(07:19) The bottom-up approach to nervousness and anxiety
(09:42) The power of breath in changing states
(11:47) The concept of state over story
(13:56) Personal experiences with nervousness
(15:01) Breathing exercises to calm you down
(20:40) The “espresso” breath exercise to give you energy
(25:44) Interoception and the A.P.E. framework
(34:47) The “feather, brick, dump truck” phenomenon
(37:40) Recognizing emotional debt and avoiding burnout
(40:47) Using somatic-oriented therapy for healing
(45:26) Telltale signs of emotional debt
(48:13) The competitive advantage of “feeling the feels”
(50:20) Advice for people overwhelmed by stimuli
(52:36) The NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) practice for emotional release
(55:38) Daily practices for emotional well-being
(58:23) Thoughts on meditation
(01:01:26) The Body Keeps the Score
(01:01:58) Contrarian corner
(01:04:43) Lightning round
—
Jonny’s If [This] Then [Breathe] Recipes:
• If [overwhelmed], then [hum]
• If [anxious], then [breath of calm]
• If [lethargic], then [espresso breath]
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Referenced:
• The Operating Manual for Your Nervous System: https://every.to/p/the-operating-manual-for-your-nervous-system
• Afferent vs. Efferent Neurons: https://www.osmosis.org/answers/afferent-vs-efferent-neurons
• Insular cortex: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insular_cortex
• Jonny’s TED Talk, “The gifts of grief”: https://www.ted.com/talks/jonny_miller_the_gifts_of_grief/details
• Humming (Simple Bhramari Pranayama) as a Stress Buster: A Holter-Based Study to Analyze Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Parameters During Bhramari, Physical Activity, Emotional Stress, and Sleep: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10182780/
• 14-Minute Guided NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjXX2c72fYY
• Breathing Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety | Dr. Andrew Huberman on the Physiological Sigh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSZKIupBUuc
• Interoception: the hidden sense that shapes well-being: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/15/the-hidden-sense-shaping-your-wellbeing-interoception
• Exteroception: https://dictionary.apa.org/exteroception
• Interoceptive Awareness and ADHD: https://chadd.org/adhd-news/adhd-news-adults/interoceptive-awareness-and-adhd/
• Childhood Trauma Affects Stress-Related Interoceptive Accuracy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6813623/
• The Hour Between Dog and Wolf: How Risk Taking Transforms Us, Body and Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Hour-Between-Dog-Wolf-Transforms/dp/0143123408
• Somatic Experiencing: https://www.somaticexperiencing.com/
• Hakomi Institute: https://hakomiinstitute.com/
• Decisions and Desire (about Antonio Damasio’s work): https://hbr.org/2006/01/decisions-and-desire
• When enough is enough | Andy Johns (ex-FB, Twitter, Quora): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/when-enough-is-enough-andy-johns-ex-fb-twitter-quora/
• What Is Yoga Nidra?: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-yoga-nidra
• Becoming Fully Yourself, What AI Wants, Family Rituals & Rites of Passage, with Kevin Kelly: https://podcast.curioushumans.com/episodes/becoming-fully-yourself-what-ai-wants-rites-of-passage-with-kevin-kelly
• Tim Ferriss: https://tim.blog/
• The Power of Sensations: Intermediate’s Vipassana Body Scan: https://insighttimer.com/carola.ananda/guided-meditations/the-power-of-sensations-intermediates-vipassana-body-scan-meditation
• Vipassana Meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/en/index
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma: https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0670785938
• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Tiger-Healing-Peter-Levine/dp/155643233X
• Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words: https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/04/29/david-whyte-consolations-words/
• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success: https://www.amazon.com/15-Commitments-Conscious-Leadership-Sustainable/dp/0990976904/
• The Conscious Leadership Group: https://conscious.is/
• Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That’s Lost Its Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Recapture-Rapture-Rethinking-Death-World/dp/0062905465
• Kubo and the Two Strings on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Kubo-Two-Strings-Charlize-Theron/dp/B01K5BSWX0
• Wolfwalkers on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/wolfwalkers/umc.cmc.amuoq00hqelfi98j0gvg641x
• Scavengers Reign on Max: https://www.max.com/shows/scavengers-reign/50c8ce6d-088c-42d9-9147-d1b19b1289d4
• Jerry Colonna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-colonna-reboot/
• Ra Optics “Sunset” blue-light blockers: https://raoptics.com/collections/night-lenses
• Nurosym vagal stimulation device: https://my.nurosym.com/vns1564/
• Pulsetto vagal stimulation device: https://pulsetto.tech/new-year/?gc_id=20124962116&h_ad_id=686249897188&gad_source=1
• Apollo vagus nerve stimulator: https://apolloneuro.com/products/apollo-wearable
—
Additional research:
• Cellular allostatic load is linked to increased energy expenditure and accelerated biological aging: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453023003001
• Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093/full
• Relationship between interoception and emotion regulation: New evidence from mixed methods: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032718323723
• Out-of-the-blue panic attacks aren’t without warning: body sends signals for hour before: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21783179/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe - Show more
