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 27, 2024 • 40min
EP 460 - Carbon Collective Investing President on Finding Product Market Fit With Customer Insights and Enhancing User Experience With Technology
Maggie Wong, SVP in Climate Tech & Sustainability at Silicon Valley Bank, chats with Carbon Collective Investing President Breene Murphy on driving innovation for climate solutions. They dive into finding product market fit by understanding customer insights and the importance of diverse teams in product development. Highlighting the need for financial literacy, they discuss sustainable investing trends and the evolving landscape of ESG. Their conversation emphasizes using technology for user-friendly experiences and fostering community engagement to enhance impact.
Sep 25, 2024 • 47min
EP 459 - Amazon Fmr. Product Manager on Scaling Enterprise Software with AI
How can AI be used when scaling enterprise software? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, Amazon Fmr. Product Manager Polly Allen speaks on how to scale enterprise software businesses using AI. Polly discusses the role of AI in both the pre-product market fit phase and post-product market fit phase, highlighting the importance of prototyping quickly and creating personalized content. She also addresses the challenges of revenue generation in AI-driven businesses and the need for companies to start with internal use cases to improve efficiencies. Polly provides examples of how AI can be integrated into regulated industries like Schneider Electric and the critical considerations around managing the blast radius of AI's unpredictable outputs.
Sep 23, 2024 • 34min
EP 458 - CPO Rising Series: NBCUniversal CPO on Delivering Exceptional Customer Experiences
How can product leaders deliver exceptional customer experiences? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, NBCUniversal CPO Jim Denney shares insights on driving innovation and delivering exceptional customer experiences, drawing from his experience leading products like Peacock, Fandango, and the Olympics streaming coverage. He discusses his career journey and defining product experiences at TiVo and NBCUniversal, the innovations in the Olympics streaming experience and the importance of user control, the balance of art and science in product management including the role of AI, best practices for building a high-performing product team and driving accountability, and the future of product management and why it won't be replaced by bots anytime soon.
Sep 20, 2024 • 53min
EP 457 - VNS Health SVP of Strategy and Innovation on Transitioning to an Executive Role
How can product leaders transition to an executive role? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by VNS Health Product Director Mark Bailes, VNS Health SVP of Strategy and Innovation David O'Malley discusses the key considerations and strategies for transitioning to an executive role. David shares his extensive experience moving from a product manager to a senior product leader, highlighting the evolving responsibilities, communication needs, and leadership skills required at each stage. He also speaks on the nuanced differences between coaching and management, the importance of building trust and demonstrating readiness, and the growing trend of Chief Product Officers reporting directly to the CEO.
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.
