Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Competing with giants: An inside look at how The Browser Company builds product | Josh Miller (CEO)

Mar 19, 2023

Josh Miller, CEO and co-founder of The Browser Company and creator of the innovative Arc web browser, dives into the unique culture at his company. He discusses the emphasis on user emotions over traditional metrics in product development and how fostering a genuine connection can drive engagement. Miller also outlines their hiring practices, focusing on multidisciplinary talent and the importance of storytelling in tech. The conversation reveals how their values and collaborative approach set them apart in the competitive landscape of web browsers.

01:28:37

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Episode guests

Josh Miller

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Quick takeaways

Optimizing for feelings is crucial in the design and development process, ensuring users' emotional experience is considered alongside metrics.

Building a remarkable team with a strong sense of purpose and celebrating each team member cultivates a culture of trust and collaboration.

Transparency is key in rebuilding trust in the tech industry, involving users in behind-the-scenes moments to establish an authentic connection.

Unconventional team structures, like membership and storytelling teams, prioritize personal connections and a human-centric experience over traditional business functions.

Deep dives

Optimizing for feelings over metrics

The podcast episode discusses the importance of optimizing for feelings rather than just focusing on metrics. It emphasizes how Silicon Valley often prioritizes graphs and numbers, but this approach leaves out the emotional aspect of user experience. The podcast highlights the need to consider how software makes users feel, whether it's joy, speed, organization, or focus. The guest speaker shares examples from their company, The Browser Company, and their product ARK, where they prioritize optimizing for feelings in their design and development process.

Optimizing Feelings vs. Metrics: The Importance of Evoking Emotions in Software Design

02:18

Experience is the differentiator for commoditized consumer software

03:08

Hiring for Heartfelt Intensity and Intrinsic Motivation

02:39

Naming things to overcome preconceived notions

00:30

Intro

5min

Innovating User Engagement with ARK

15min

Building Values in Tech Culture

28min

Building Genuine Relationships with Users: A Holistic Approach to Product Development

4min

Emphasizing Multidisciplinary Talent Over Traditional Roles

3min

The Transformative Role of Product Managers in Tech

20min

Reimagining the Web Browser

10min

Enhancing Team Dynamics Through Authenticity and Tool Innovation

2min

Insights and Final Thoughts on Using Arc

2min

Brought to you by Writer—Generative AI for the enterprise | Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision | Linear—The new standard for modern software development

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Josh Miller is the CEO and co-founder of The Browser Company, where he helped build Arc, my go-to web browser. In today’s episode, we get an inside look at the unique structure and values of The Browser Company and how their company culture has helped them land some of the best talent in tech. Josh shares ways that his company embraces experimentation, including their “optimizing for feelings” approach to building, and explains why extreme transparency is at the forefront of everything they do.

Special invite link to skip the waitlist: https://arc.net/gift/lenny

Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/competing-with-giants-an-inside-look-at-how-the-browser-company-builds-product-josh-miller-ceo/#transcript

Where to find Josh Miller:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshm

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-miller-b31259106/

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

Referenced:

• Early access to Arc: https://arc.net/gift/lenny

• The Browser Company: https://thebrowser.company/