Ep 40 - How to Become A Product Manager with Somet Kipchilat

How is this former Google and Microsoft leader bringing affordable internet to millions in East Africa?

On this episode of #WorkinginTech, we're talking to Somet Kipchilat. Somet is a seasoned technology leader with nearly a decade of experience shaping groundbreaking programs for major software companies. At Poa Internet, he leads efforts to provide affordable internet access to underserved East African communities as Head of Product. Passionate about digital transformation, Somet has worked at industry giants like Google and Microsoft. At Google, he redefined the Next Billion Users User Experience Research program, optimizing processes for engineering teams in emerging markets. Somet will share his journey in tech leadership, insights on cloud solutions and product management, and advice for making an impact in the global technology industry. He'll also discuss his current work in closing the digital divide in East Africa. 𝕏 CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIALS 𝕏 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juwonthetechie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuwonTheTechie Threads: https://www.threads.net/@juwonthetechie IG: https://www.instagram.com/juwonthetechie/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juwon-io/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juwonthetechie CONNECT WITH SOMET LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skipchilat/ Website: https://sometkip.com/ CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 2:10 - The Journey So Far 9:00 - Building Soft Skills 13:20 - Finding a North Star 18:10 - Best Part of the Job 21:30 - FAANG vs Startup Experience 35:00 - Leading Product Teams 39:10 - Building in Africa 46:25 - Most Important Skill in Product 54:00 - Sharing Bad News 59:50 - Doing Too Much 1:02:20 - Certs vs Experience 1:08:20 - Shoutouts 1:09:43 - Conclusion