LinkedIn’s product evolution and the art of building complex systems | Hari Srinivasan (LinkedIn)
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
Navigating Complex Ecosystems in Product Management
This chapter explores the intricacies of product management in complex ecosystems, particularly focusing on the ripple effects of changes within platforms like LinkedIn. It emphasizes the need for structured decision-making and the distinct skills required to manage interconnected versus non-interconnected products.
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Hari Srinivasan is VP of Product at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, where he oversees LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Jobs, and LinkedIn Learning. He’s also a frequent guest lecturer at Stanford University. Previously, he served as the CEO and founder of We Created It, which was acquired by LinkedIn in 2014. Hari has a passion for building products, with experience ranging from creating the first U.S. hybrid SUV to developing a No. 1 app and writing a beloved children’s book. In today’s episode, we discuss:
• LinkedIn’s unique business model and org structure
• How to optimize your LinkedIn experience and improve your chances of getting a PM role
• How to adapt to a skills-first talent market
• The story of Hari’s failed first product review, and how he pivoted for success
• Strategies for building and maintaining complex systems
• How to get into product management
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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linkedins-product-evolution-and-the
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Where to find Hari Srinivasan:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hsrinivasan1/
• Website: https://www.mindofhari.com/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Hari’s background
(05:04) How Twitter brought Lenny and Hari together
(06:32) LinkedIn’s positive evolution, and what they did right
(10:14) Specific changes that made LinkedIn’s feed more interesting
(11:12) Understanding the algorithm and what kinds of content perform best
(12:21) The talent solution product
(15:46) The shift to skills-first hiring, and how LinkedIn changed their approach
(20:24) The open-to-work signal, and the newly released open-to-internal-work signal
(22:13) The PM talent landscape, and tips for landing a PM role
(24:55) How to optimize your LinkedIn profile to get noticed by recruiters
(28:38) Hari’s first product review at LinkedIn
(30:38) LinkedIn’s North Star, and how to operationalize the North Star at any company
(33:24) LinkedIn’s members-first value
(35:32) Building and maintaining complex systems
(38:09) The RAPID framework and the Five-Day Alignment framework
(39:51) What LinkedIn looks for in new hires
(40:51) The latest innovations at LinkedIn
(43:16) LinkedIn Learning
(45:00) Hari’s product management course
(48:19) Advice for people hoping to get into product management
(50:40) How to level up your PM skills
(51:57) Hari’s creative side projects
(55:02) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• Tweet from TheCuriousPM: https://twitter.com/zatin_jatin/status/1658616200560254978?s=20
• The Curious PM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zatin_jatin
• Decision-making at LinkedIn: https://engineering.linkedin.com/blog/2018/03/scaling-decision-making-across-teams-within-linkedin-engineering
• LinkedIn Learning: https://www.linkedin.com/learning
• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: https://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-novel-Gabrielle-Zevin/dp/0593321200
• An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us: https://www.amazon.com/Immense-World-Animal-Senses-Reveal/dp/0593133234
• Star Wars on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/brand/star-wars
• Case 63 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4c9ZKaFtEKweSYOlYvxfvp
• E.T. on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/607451/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial
• BriteBrush: https://www.amazon.com/BriteBrush-Interactive-Smart-Toothbrush-featuring/dp/B07VLL8QH4
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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