The Importance of Passion and Assumptions in Product Development

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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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

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