Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Jiaona Zhang, SVP of Product at Webflow and a Stanford lecturer, shares insights from her extensive experience at top companies like Airbnb and WeWork. She emphasizes the importance of creating 'minimum lovable products' that resonate with users. Discover how effective roadmaps and storytelling can drive product success, along with tips for early-career PMs on setting ambitious OKRs. Jiaona also reflects on leadership challenges during her time at WeWork, offering valuable lessons on empathy and strategic planning.

Sri Batchu, a growth leader at Ramp and former team member at Instacart and Opendoor, shares invaluable insights on scaling businesses. He discusses Ramp's surprising early growth tactics and the innovative strategies that propelled it to the forefront of the SaaS and fintech sectors. Sri emphasizes the importance of failing conclusively and utilizing a data-driven approach for metrics and measurement. He also advocates for employee autonomy over rigid hours and preferring payback periods over CAC for ROI assessment, revealing essential elements for cultivating rapid growth.

Melissa Tan, a growth expert with a stellar track record at Dropbox, Canva, and Webflow, shares her insights on building high-performing teams. She discusses the importance of first-principles thinking and how it can drive innovation and creativity. Tan also emphasizes effective hiring strategies, including fostering mentorship and clear communication within teams. From her experiences at Dropbox, she reveals key pitfalls companies face in growth strategies and highlights the significance of a strong culture of ownership and collaboration.

Luc Levesque, Chief Growth Officer at Shopify and former executive at Meta and TripAdvisor, shares insights on building effective growth teams. He emphasizes the importance of hiring well and finding great growth advisors to enhance company impact. Luc discusses the transformative power of SEO strategies and adapting to the evolving digital landscape. With anecdotes from Facebook, he reveals vital lessons on recruitment and achieving product-market fit, while also encouraging continuous self-improvement and the balance of personal and professional life.

Nikhyl Singhal, VP of Product at Meta, shares insights from his impressive career at major tech firms and startups. He emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking in career progression and warns against the pitfalls of short-term decision-making. Nikhyl discusses the unique challenges faced by product managers, including the need for mentorship and community support. He also offers wisdom on navigating promotion hurdles and the significance of building a compelling career narrative while adapting management skills as one evolves from individual contributor to leader.

Jeremy Henrickson, SVP of Product at Rippling and former Chief Product Officer at Coinbase, dives into scaling product teams across continents and navigating high-stakes growth. He challenges the notion of MVPs and discusses the unique concept of 'compound startups.' With insights from his Coinbase tenure, he emphasizes the need for localized understanding in global product strategies. Henrickson also shares key hiring practices for nurturing young product managers and the importance of hands-on leadership in fostering a culture of urgency.

Nancy Duarte, CEO of Duarte Inc., has transformed how major organizations like Apple and TED present their ideas. In this discussion, she highlights the power of empathy in storytelling and shares practical tips for creating captivating presentations. Nancy explains strategies to combat nerves, the importance of understanding your audience, and the concept of 'torchbearer' leadership. She also reflects on her journey landing Apple as a client and how effective communication can elevate both personal and professional interactions.

Andy Raskin, a narrative expert known for his work with clients like Gong and Salesforce, shares his insights on crafting powerful strategic narratives. He explains how these narratives can unify teams and resonate with customers, using Salesforce as a case study. Raskin introduces a five-step framework for creating engaging stories and emphasizes the importance of leadership in aligning narratives with company vision. He also discusses the shift in corporate training narratives and the emotional challenges teams face during this creative process.

Gustav Söderström, the Co-President and Chief Product Officer at Spotify, shares insights from his impressive career, including building innovative products and navigating challenges. He discusses Spotify's structural evolution for product development and how AI is transforming the music landscape. Gustav highlights the delicate balance between user feedback and innovation during the redesign of Spotify's feed. He also explores the impact of AI-generated music on artists and muses about the future of podcasting at Spotify.

Scott Belsky, Adobe's Chief Strategy Officer and founder of Behance, shares invaluable insights into product development and leadership. He emphasizes the importance of enhancing product sense and the need to invest in onboarding to optimize user experience. Scott discusses the evolving role of product managers in an AI-driven world, advocating for curiosity and experimentation with new technologies. He also delves into the 'messy middle' of entrepreneurship, highlighting resilience and adaptability as key traits for successful founders navigating challenges.