Product Talk
Products That Count
Produced by Products That Count, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps everyone build great products, this podcast is an award-winning show by and for product minds, with millions of downloads and a 5-star rating on most major platforms. Each of the 300+ episodes features a product leader interviewing another product leader and exploring what it takes to build great products. Recent ones feature the Chief Product Officers of Brex, Glassdoor, Experian and more.
About Us: Products that Count is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps everyone build great products. It celebrates product excellence through coveted Awards that inspire 500,000+ product managers and honor great products and the professionals responsible for their success. It accelerates the career and rise to the C-suite of 30% of all Product Managers globally by providing exceptional programming – including award-winning podcasts and popular newsletters – for free. It acts as a trusted advisor to all CPOs at Fortune 1000, and publishes key insights from innovative companies, like Capgemini, SoFi, and Amplitude, that turn product success into business success. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com.
About Us: Products that Count is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps everyone build great products. It celebrates product excellence through coveted Awards that inspire 500,000+ product managers and honor great products and the professionals responsible for their success. It accelerates the career and rise to the C-suite of 30% of all Product Managers globally by providing exceptional programming – including award-winning podcasts and popular newsletters – for free. It acts as a trusted advisor to all CPOs at Fortune 1000, and publishes key insights from innovative companies, like Capgemini, SoFi, and Amplitude, that turn product success into business success. Learn more at ProductsThatCount.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 18, 2024 • 47min
EP 456 - Microsoft Fmr Product Director and Chisel Founder on Empowering Product Managers With AI
How can AI empower product managers? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Jonathan Ozeran, Microsoft Fmr Product Director and Chisel Founder Praful Chavda shares insights on the intersection of AI and product management, discussing how AI can automate repetitive tasks and free up product managers to focus on strategic, customer-centric work. He delves into the principles of good product management, the differences between working at large companies and startups, and the evolution of his startup, Chisel, and their roadmap to empowering product managers with AI. Listeners will gain valuable perspectives on leveraging technology to enhance the product management discipline and build products that truly resonate with customers.
Sep 16, 2024 • 36min
EP 455 - Uniphore CPO on Leveraging Generative AI to Transform Product Management
How can generative AI be used to transform product management? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Uniphore CPO Tushar Shah shares insights on how Uniphore is leveraging generative AI to transform product management and enable enterprises to harness the technology across various business functions. Tushar discusses Uniphore's evolution from a SaaS company to a platform provider, allowing customers to deploy large and small language models tailored to their specific industry and use cases. He highlights the importance of understanding customer journeys and using AI to identify opportunities for improving self-service experiences and reducing customer service costs.
Sep 13, 2024 • 43min
EP 454 - Qventus Product Director on Practical Product Management in Startups
What is practical product management in startups? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by VNS Health Product Director Mark Bailes, Qventus Product Director Katie Saindon shares insights on practical product management in the startup world. She discusses the key differences between product management in large corporations and fast-paced startups, emphasizing the need for speed, adaptability, and wearing multiple hats. Katie delves into the frameworks she uses to guide decision-making, balancing data-driven insights with intuition honed through deep user understanding. She also explores the role of the product leader as a "player-coach," staying hands-on while coaching a cross-functional team.
Sep 11, 2024 • 42min
EP 453 - Amazon Fmr. Head of Product on Building Successful AI-Powered Products
What do product leaders need to consider to build successful AI-powered products? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Kaboo Founder Neha Shah, Amazon Fmr. Head of Product Sheetal Rajpal shares insights on building successful AI-powered products. Sheetal discusses the importance of treating AI as a "garden" that requires human oversight, the challenges of balancing speed and thoughtfulness in AI development, and best practices for making critical model choices. She also provides examples of how she leveraged AI for personalization, content moderation, and recommendations in Amazon's Kids Plus subscription product. Sheetal's advice for aspiring product managers emphasizes honing product intuition, understanding AI's unique capabilities, and thinking critically about user journeys and success metrics when incorporating AI into products.
Sep 9, 2024 • 41min
EP 452 - CPO Rising Series: Altria CPO on Driving Customer-Centric Transformations
How can product leaders drive customer-centric transformations? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Altria CPO Olivier Houpert speaks on his mission to transform the company and create a new product portfolio that goes beyond nicotine. Olivier shares his background, including his 30+ years at Procter & Gamble, and explains how he is leveraging Altria's core competencies to develop innovative solutions that "elevate the everyday" for consumers. He discusses the importance of a strong company purpose, the process of prioritizing new product ideas, and the role of experimentation and consumer research. Olivier also provides insights into his approach to personal growth and the team, as well as his perspective on the impact of AI and Gen AI on product development. This conversation offers a glimpse into the strategic leadership and consumer-centric mindset driving Altria's transformation.
Sep 6, 2024 • 56min
EP 451 - Settle Head of Product on Building a Comprehensive Operating System for Scaling Brands
Warren Brown, Head of Product at Settle, specializes in creating solutions for scaling brands. He discusses the intricacies of building a comprehensive operating system tailored for growing businesses. The conversation dives into four core complexities brands face: SKU, channel, vendor, and investor. Warren highlights the delicate balance between revenue growth and cost management, emphasizing deep customer understanding and empowered product teams. He also addresses the vital role of unified software in streamlining operations and optimizing inventory management.
Sep 4, 2024 • 40min
EP 450 - Ecosuite CEO on Enabling Electricity Grid Hardware Stability With Data Software
How can electricity grid hardware stability be enabled with data software? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. Building hardware and software products, acquiring the funding and creating a diverse community to enhance talent capacity and to drive innovation, is essential to tackling this global environmental crisis. In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Silicon Valley Bank (a division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech & Sustainability SVP Maggie Wong, Ecosuite CEO and Co-Founder Joel Santisteban discusses how building distributed energy data software stabilizes electricity grid hardware, embracing user persona diversity enables open infrastructure and maximizes product value, and looking into existing problems can lead to product innovation and new solutions to tackle climate change.
Sep 2, 2024 • 39min
EP 449 - CPO Rising Series: Workiva CPO on Leveraging Mentorship and Adaptability for Product Leadership Success
How can product leaders leverage mentorship and adaptability? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Workiva CPO Nitin Bhat shares insights on his career journey, the influential mentors who shaped his leadership style, and the importance of adaptability and a growth mindset in product management. He discusses his approach to hiring and developing product talent, as well as his perspectives on how AI will impact the future of the product management role.
Aug 30, 2024 • 38min
EP 448 - Floodgate Founder on Identifying and Capitalizing on Pivotal Inflection Points
What does it mean to identify and capitalize on pivotal inflection points? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Mighty Capital Managing Partner SC Moatti, Floodgate Founding Partner Michael Maples shares insights on building great products through radical innovation. Maples shares stories of successful investments in companies like Twitter and Twitch, highlighting the importance of identifying and capitalizing on pivotal "inflection points" that enable entrepreneurs to deliver pattern-breaking products. He discusses the key elements for breakthrough innovation - the founder's unique insight, the ability to harness emerging technologies, and the skill to start a movement around a radically different vision of the future. Maples also shares his perspectives on the artistry of entrepreneurship and how product leaders can cultivate a culture that empowers and supports visionary product thinkers.
Aug 28, 2024 • 34min
EP 447 - EY Ecosystem Leader on Driving Innovation at Large Organizations
What do product leaders need to consider when driving innovation at large organizations? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by EY Platform Operations Lead Justin Leibow, EY Ecosystem Leader Terry Luciani speaks on his extensive experience in fostering innovation, including the launch of EY's Growth Labs program and his previous work at MetLife. The discussion covers strategies for overcoming the challenges of driving innovation in established firms, such as securing leadership buy-in, empowering employees, and measuring success. Terry also discusses approaches to building a balanced portfolio of innovation bets, from near-term optimizations to long-term, transformative initiatives, as well as the importance of partnering with startups and external innovators to access unique capabilities while protecting an organization's core competencies. Finally, Terry provides valuable advice for product managers on being thoughtful, open-minded, and willing to take calculated risks in order to drive impactful innovation.
