Behind the Craft

In this discussion with Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear, the talk ranges from the astonishing scalability of a two-PM team to a ranking of essential PM skills in the AI era. Nan dives into how AI disrupts strategic roles and the necessity for new skills like context and agent management. He shares insights on Linear's unique 10% rule for rapid shipping and demonstrates how AI agents can streamline tasks, transforming project management into a futuristic collaboration of humans and machines.

Aman Khan, Head of Product at Arise, specializes in AI evaluations and large language models. He shares insights on creating AI evaluations, including four essential types every product manager should know. The podcast features a live demo of building evals for a customer support agent, discussing the importance of a golden dataset and aligning AI with human judgment. Aman emphasizes effective prompt crafting and the iterative process critical for enhancing AI performance in real-world applications, particularly in customer service scenarios.

Lee Robinson, VP of Developer Experience at Cursor and a veteran in tech, breaks down how AI is revolutionizing software development. He shares insights on essential setup phases, including tests and git, often overlooked by beginners. The conversation emphasizes the importance of blending human expertise with AI tools. A live demo of building a music tracking app showcases practical applications. Robinson also discusses the evolving role of generalists in tech, encouraging PMs to embrace technical skills in an AI-driven landscape.

Ben Erez, a former PM at Meta, shares insights on acing product management interviews. He reveals the current job market dynamics and the structure of product sense interviews. Learn how to build a personalized AI co-pilot that acts as a supportive interviewer. Ben discusses common mistakes candidates make and the importance of clear communication in interviews. He emphasizes using AI tools for realistic practice, likening it to sports training, as well as strategies for prioritizing user needs.

Jeremy Epling, CPO of Vanta and a former VP at GitHub, shares his insights on leveraging AI for prototyping in product management. He reveals a versatile template that transformed his team’s workflow and discusses why prototypes can surpass traditional product requirement documents. Jeremy conducts a live demo of Vanta’s AI agent and talks about the evolving roles of product managers. He emphasizes the significance of cross-disciplinary relationships and offers practical advice for navigating today's tech landscape.

Meng To, the founder of Aura, specializes in leveraging AI for innovative design, steering clear of generic outputs. He delves into effective prompting techniques and discusses the importance of blending AI with personal creativity. Listeners will learn about crafting unique landing pages, incorporating testimonials, and using animation tools like Spline. Meng emphasizes the significance of manual adjustments alongside AI automation to produce stunning, customized designs. His insights provide a roadmap for designers eager to enhance their creative processes.

Kieran Klaassen, founder of Cora, an innovative AI email assistant, shares his journey in harnessing multiple AI agents to code efficiently with Claude Code. He explains the power of 'agentic coding' over traditional methods, likening it to managing an AI team. Kieran demonstrates live how to build features in parallel, optimizing workflows using custom commands. He also discusses integrating AI for enhanced email management, making coding more accessible for non-engineers, and the importance of experimentation in tech.

Morgan Brown, VP of Product for AI at Dropbox, dives into the transformative power of AI in the workplace. He shares his top three AI workflows designed to save time and enhance productivity. Highlighting Dash, Dropbox's innovative AI agent, Morgan explains how it simplifies finding information across applications. He discusses the importance of quality data in search evaluations and offers insights into effective project management in the AI era. The conversation also touches on balancing speed with meaningful progress and the future of AI in enhancing creativity.

James Evans, Head of AI for Amplitude, explores groundbreaking AI analytics that could revolutionize product monitoring. He discusses the current shortcomings of AI data analysts and shares insights on developing 'goal-specific agents' for optimized decision-making. Evans emphasizes the significance of user feedback in crafting effective AI tools and addresses the evolving nature of AI in analytics. He also tackles concerns about AI potentially displacing jobs in data science while advocating for human creativity in decision-making.

Cameron Adams, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Canva, dives into the transformative power of AI in design. He shares insights on moving from PRDs to hands-on prototypes, emphasizing user testing and collaboration. Cameron recounts the whimsical story behind Canva’s rubber duck easter egg, highlighting its role in user engagement. He also discusses how personalized coaching is integral to their culture, empowering all employees to enhance creativity as they scale. Plus, a bike accident story reveals the grit behind Canva's launch.