Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

Tim Holley, VP of Product at Etsy, shares insights from over a decade at the company, focusing on navigating corporate culture shifts and adapting during the pandemic. He discusses Etsy's rapid transition to mask production, enhancing buyer experiences, and optimizing conversion rates through experimentation. Holley emphasizes the importance of collaboration in product management and the need for clear guiding principles. He also explores maintaining authenticity in a competitive marketplace while hiring adaptable talent to foster innovation.

Meltem Kuran Berkowitz, Head of Growth at Deel, has played a pivotal role in scaling the company from $0 to $300M in just three years. In this engaging discussion, she reveals how they leveraged low-cost growth channels and why early awareness campaigns in B2B marketing can be counterproductive. Meltem emphasizes the importance of effective SEO strategies and shares her unique 'traffic light' framework. Additionally, she discusses structuring growth teams and building a solid startup culture to support rapid expansion.

Bob Moesta, co-creator of the Jobs To Be Done framework and CEO of The Re-Wired Group, shares his expertise on understanding consumer behavior. He uses relatable examples, like Snickers versus Milky Way, to illustrate the essence of JTBD in product choices. The conversation covers best practices for interviews with B2B and B2C customers, common pitfalls in implementation, and when JTBD might not be the right approach. Moesta emphasizes the importance of context and genuine customer needs in driving effective product development.

Camille Hearst, Head of Fan Monetization at Spotify, previously shaped creator experiences at Patreon, YouTube, and Apple. She shares valuable insights on enhancing artist-fan connections and innovative monetization strategies in the creator economy. Camille discusses the emotional challenges content creators face with subscription models and the role of unique fan experiences. She also recounts her memorable meeting with Steve Jobs and offers practical advice for founders navigating company acquisitions.

In this discussion, Austin Hay, Head of Marketing Technology at Ramp and a veteran in the Martech landscape, sheds light on the evolving role of marketing technologists. He explains when companies should hire for Martech roles and shares his favorite tools for success. Austin delves into the complexities of attribution models and the importance of robust data management, while also addressing the balance between individual contributions and team dynamics. He wraps up with practical insights on 'thinking gray' for making better decisions.

Christopher Miller, VP of Product for Growth and AI at HubSpot, shares his journey through one of B2B's biggest growth stories. He discusses the shift to product-led growth, emphasizing customer obsession and radical accountability. Chris highlights key skills for success in product management and the importance of mentorship. He also reflects on how personal connections can open doors, using a party anecdote as an example. Listeners gain insights into HubSpot's innovative growth strategies, AI integration, and the evolving company culture.

Geoff Charles, VP of Product at Ramp, shares insights from his experience building one of the fastest-growing SaaS startups. He discusses how a culture of velocity drives Ramp’s success and how effective writing enhances clarity and creativity. Geoff emphasizes empowering product teams through context sharing and encouraging a first-principles approach to problem-solving. He also reveals unique hiring strategies that contribute to Ramp's innovation and offers advice for those looking to break into product management.

Nicole Forsgren, a developer productivity and DevOps expert currently at Microsoft Research, digs into the intricacies of measuring developer productivity. She discusses frameworks like DORA and SPACE, shedding light on the benchmarks of excellence and frequent pitfalls to avoid. Nicole emphasizes the importance of a healthy developer experience, and her Four-Box framework provides a unique approach to analyzing data relationships. Listeners can expect actionable strategies to enhance team culture and productivity, all while embracing the evolving tech landscape.

Ronny Kohavi, a leading expert in A/B testing with a rich history at Airbnb, Microsoft, and Amazon, shares invaluable insights into the world of experimentation. He emphasizes how fostering a culture of experimentation can lead to significant product innovations. The discussion covers common pitfalls in A/B testing, including sample ratio mismatches, and highlights the importance of trust and data integrity. Ronny also shares surprising results from his experiments and best practices for optimizing testing processes, making data-driven decisions essential for growth.

Noah Weiss, Chief Product Officer at Slack, formerly at Foursquare and Google, shares insightful strategies for product managers. He discusses the top traits that great PMs should possess, from communication to decisiveness. Weiss highlights the unique 'complaint storms' approach at Slack for fostering empathy. He also dives into how AI is reshaping product development and the importance of staying customer-aware, but not obsessed. Valuable lessons on team dynamics and innovative user engagement are also key takeaways from this engaging discussion.