Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Thinking beyond frameworks | Casey Winters (Pinterest, Eventbrite, Airbnb, Tinder, Canva, Reddit, Grubhub)

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Mar 30, 2023

Casey Winters, a legendary advisor in the product and growth space with experience at Airbnb and Eventbrite, shares his insights on breaking free from conventional frameworks. He discusses the pitfalls of the 'zero interest rate phenomenon' for product managers and emphasizes the balance of intuition and expertise in startups. Listeners will learn about leveraging network effects and the challenges of consumer subscriptions, along with Casey's contrarian approach to hiring product managers and thoughts on AI's role in the future of product management.

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INSIGHT

Zero Interest Rate PM

The "zero interest rate phenomenon" describes product managers who rely heavily on resources and frameworks instead of their own judgment.
This over-reliance on research and best practices hinders risk-taking and quick learning through shipping.

INSIGHT

CPO Challenges

The CPO role is challenging, with frequent misalignment with CEOs and shifting business needs.
Success is difficult to maintain, and the role often has a short tenure.

ADVICE

Focus on Value

For product managers, prioritize learning quickly and trying things out, especially in uncertain environments.
Focus on adding value to customers and the business, using frameworks as tools, not strict guidelines.

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