Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

OpenAI’s CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more | Kevin Weil (CPO at OpenAI, ex-Instagram, Twitter)

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Apr 10, 2025

Kevin Weil, the Chief Product Officer at OpenAI, shares his insights on the rapidly evolving landscape of AI. With a rich background at Twitter and Instagram, he discusses the emerging skills product managers need, like effective evaluation tests and 'vibe coding.' Kevin highlights the sustenance of chat interfaces in AI and the importance of adaptability in product development. He introduces 'model maximalism' and practical prompting techniques that enhance user interaction. His reflections on the lessons learned from the failed Libra project add depth to the conversation.

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00:00 / 00:00

Internal Usage Predicts Success

Kevin Weil noticed internal usage of Instagram Stories and OpenAI's image model exploded before launch.
This high internal engagement served as a strong indicator of the products' potential success.

00:00 / 00:00

Evolving Definition of AI

AI is defined by what computers cannot yet do, becoming "machine learning" once proficient and an "algorithm" when ubiquitous.
This highlights AI's continuous evolution and our shifting perception of computational feats.

00:00 / 00:00

OpenAI Interview

Kevin Weil shared his stressful experience of waiting nine days to hear back from OpenAI after his interview.
It turned out the delay was due to internal matters, not his performance.

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