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20 Product: Lenny Rachitsky on The 3 Key Roles of the Product Manager, 5 Skills All The Best PMs Have, When To Hire Your First PM, How to Structure the Hiring Process for PMs & What Leaders Can Do to Make Their PMs Successful

15 snips
Mar 16, 2022
Lenny Rachitsky, a product leader with over seven years at Airbnb, shares invaluable insights on product management. He discusses the evolving role of product managers and identifies essential skills for success, such as balancing customer feedback with intuition. Lenny also elaborates on when to hire your first PM and common mistakes founders make during the hiring process. He reflects on his own experiences, including pivotal lessons from Airbnb's missteps, making this a treasure trove for aspiring product leaders and startups.
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ANECDOTE

Lenny's Path to Product

  • Lenny Rachitsky's career began in engineering, leading to a startup acquisition by Airbnb.
  • He transitioned into product management, working on supply growth, reviews, and the Superhost program.
INSIGHT

Airbnb's Product Philosophy

  • Airbnb's success stems from high standards and a focus on the ideal user experience.
  • They work backwards from the ideal, exemplified by storyboarding the entire guest journey.
ADVICE

Three Core PM Jobs

  • Product management involves shaping the product, shipping the product, and synchronizing the team.
  • PMs use customer insights, data, and stakeholder input to define and prioritize what to build.
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