The Intentional Product Manager Podcast From Execution to Influence: Navigating AI, Innovation, and Strategic Product Leadership (with Mick Gupta)
AI didn’t change the Product Management job. It changed the tempo.
And most PMs are responding the wrong way.
Producing more artifacts instead of making better decisions.
Using AI to look busy instead of getting ruthless about what matters.
In this episode of the Intentional Product Manager podcast, Shobhit Chugh sits down with Mick Gupta (Head of Product, GenAI Monetization & Incentives at Scale AI). Mick has led product across Amazon, Microsoft, Airbnb, Meta, SoFi, and Brex, and he breaks down what actually matters for PMs in the AI era: judgment, evals, dogfooding, and stakeholder alignment through vision.
You’ll learn:
- Why AI makes output cheaper, but doesn’t make output judgment free
- How eval-driven development turns “seems good” into “is good”
- Why dogfooding matters more than ever for AI products
- How to ramp fast in a new company with a repeatable operating system
- How vision becomes the decision framework that drives alignment
- How to protect thinking time and build experimentation into your week
If you’re a PM trying to break into AI, level up into leadership, or stop drowning in artifacts and start driving decisions, this one is for you.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:06 Mick's Career Journey and Key Experiences
04:39 Challenges of Embedding in New Organizations
07:33 Product Management Insights and Advice
09:12 AI in Product Management
18:23 Future Trends in AI and Product Management
21:40 Balancing Innovation and Daily Responsibilities
22:19 Balancing Meetings and Mental Health
23:05 Starting Small with Side Projects
23:26 Leveraging AI in Product Management
23:55 Creating Enjoyable Side Projects
28:41 The Importance of Vision in Stakeholder Alignment
32:40 Common Mistakes and Lessons for PMs
38:47 Breaking into AI Product Management
42:38 Fun Questions and Final Thoughts
Connect with Mick:
- X: @mickgupta
- Email: mickgupta@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickgupta/
Connect with Shobhit:
www.intentionalproductmanager.com