Scaling AI for Billions: Meta’s Distributed Inference & Capacity Planning Secrets

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Rahul Rai, an Infrastructure Product Manager at Meta with over a decade of experience spanning Cisco, Samsung, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta. In this episode, Rahul unpacks the complexities of AI model development—from training to inference—and reveals how product managers can navigate the technical and strategic challenges of building scalable systems that serve billions of users.

What You'll Learn:

• The fundamentals of AI training vs. inference and why distributed inference is a game changer.

• How to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders—from ML engineers to end users—in building robust, scalable products.

• Real-world insights into capacity planning and the creation of internal tools that impact global-scale operations.

• A candid comparison of PM cultures and career paths at Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, along with tips for transitioning into an infrastructure PM role.

• Recommended resources and actionable advice for any PM looking to excel in high-impact technical roles.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Podcast Intro & Setup

01:46 – Meet Rahul Rai: Background and Career Journey

03:17 – AI 101: Training vs. Inference Fundamentals

06:24 – Deep Dive: Analogies and Real-World Examples of AI Inference

10:03 – Distributed Inference Explained: How Models Stay Current

12:34 – Cost Breakdown: Why Inference Drives 90% of AI Model Costs

17:13 – The Infra PM Role: Balancing Stakeholder Needs

22:43 – Building at Scale: Capacity Planning Tools for Billion-User Platforms

24:36 – Meta’s AI Strategy: Open Source Models and Product Integration

28:28 – Comparing Cultures: PM Roles at Amazon, Microsoft, & Meta

36:50 – Autonomy at Meta: Bottom-Up Problem Solving in Action

40:30 – Growth Opportunities: Essential Skills for Infra PMs

42:46 – Measuring Success: Metrics and Impact in Infrastructure PM

44:32 – Resources for PMs: "First 90 Days" & "Getting Stuff Done"

46:05 – Wrap-Up & Connect: How to Follow Rahul Rai

Recommended Tags:

#ProductManagement #InfrastructurePM #AIInference #DistributedInference #Meta #Amazon #Microsoft #TechLeadership #CapacityPlanning #OpenSourceAI #MachineLearning #ProductManager #TechPodcast