My guest today is Sanchan Saxena, SVP at Atlassian.
Sanchan worked directly with 4 of the best founders out there — Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger (Instagram), Brian Armstrong (Coinbase), and Brian Chesky (Airbnb). In our chat, he shares what we can learn from each founder’s superpowers and the 4 traits he always looks for when hiring exceptional PMs.
(00:00) The secret product approach that sets Airbnb and Apple apart
(01:21) Inside Instagram's early days at 100 employees
(03:07) Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger's superpowers
(04:54) How "do the simple thing first" led to Instagram Stories' success
(07:15) The single common trait shared by the greatest founders
(08:50) Brian Armstrong's golden rule, "No decision by committee"
(13:36) "Unconstrained thinking" with Brian Chesky at Airbnb
(18:21) What Brian Chesky learned from Disney movies and storytelling
(23:29) Why obsessing over metrics kills product quality
(27:43) Shifting focus to prioritize customers and craft in your company
(30:55) Climbing the ladder From PM to product director and VP
(33:38) Mastering the yin and yang of product management
(42:02) How to set yourself up to get lucky in your career
Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/sanchan-instagram-airbnb-coinbase
Where to find Sanchan:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanchans/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@therealsanchan
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