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
Jul 19, 2024 • 33min
EP 430 - Spotify Senior Product Lead on Mastering Remote Communication and Team Collaboration
How can product leaders master remote communication and team collaboration? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Workleap Director of Product Barbara Bermes, Spotify Senior Product Lead Srividhya Chandrasekaran shares valuable strategies for effective remote communication and team collaboration. She discusses Spotify's innovative approach to asynchronous work, including the use of Slack, team manuals, and collaborative tools. Srividhya offers practical tips for managing communication overload, fostering team cohesion, and maintaining productivity in a distributed work environment. She also explores the future of remote work and shares her favorite resources for continued learning in product management.
Jul 17, 2024 • 47min
EP 429 - U.S. Hunger CEO on Innovative Models for Food Security and Health Equity
How can healthcare leaders make a difference with innovative models for food security and health equity? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Cognizant Product Director Chenny Solaiyappan, U.S. Hunger President & CEO Rick Whitted shares his journey from corporate banking to healthcare leadership. He discusses U.S. Hunger's innovative approaches to addressing food insecurity and social determinants of health, including their community activation events and full cart program. Rick emphasizes the importance of understanding lived experiences, leveraging technology and data, and creating connected ecosystems in healthcare. He offers valuable perspectives on the future of healthcare, the role of community-based organizations, and advice for aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs.
Jul 15, 2024 • 35min
EP 428 - CPO Rising Series: CONA Services CPO on Leveraging AI and Customer Centricity in Product Development
How is AI reshaping product management for one of the most iconic brands in the world? Join us for the latest episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, where CONA Services CPO Petra Romano shares her experiences leading product development for Coca-Cola bottlers. She discusses the evolution of the CPO role, emphasizing the importance of innovation, AI integration, and customer-centricity. Petra highlights her team's approach to prioritization, stakeholder management, and delivering impactful products. She also offers valuable insights on time management, learning from challenges, and the future of AI in product management.
Jul 12, 2024 • 46min
EP 427 - Launchpad Recruiting Labs Founder on Strategic Hiring in a Changing Tech Landscape
What do product leaders need to consider when hiring in a changing tech landscape? In this episode hosted by Nacho Andrade, Launchpad Recruiting Labs Founder John LaMarche shares his expertise on building high-impact product teams in today's evolving tech industry. He discusses current hiring trends, the impact of AI on product roles, and strategies for job seekers to stand out in a competitive market. John offers valuable insights on networking, personal branding, and the shift towards fractional work, providing actionable advice for both recruiters and job candidates in the product management field.
Jul 10, 2024 • 39min
EP 426 - PEAK6 Head of AI on Leveraging AI to Scale Product Businesses
How can product leaders leverage AI to scale product businesses? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Sid Shaik, PEAK6 Head of AI Yuying Chen-Wynn speaks on her experience scaling product businesses globally and leveraging AI. Yuying shares lessons from building products internationally at Microsoft, in China, and for the education sector. She emphasizes the importance of timing when bringing products to market and adapting quickly when market conditions change. Yuying also discusses how she used AI to rapidly automate content creation and scale an education business in China. Tune in for insights on international product development, leadership mindsets, and Yuying's vision for how generative AI will transform business models.
Jul 8, 2024 • 37min
EP 425 - Varo Bank CPO on Building Trust with Customers through Data-Driven Innovation
How can data be used to build trust with customers? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Varo Bank CPO Wook Chung discusses how the company is using data and behavioral insights to build trust with customers and provide innovative lending solutions. As a digital-first bank aiming to serve the underbanked, Varo is developing new ways to underwrite customers based on their behaviors and transactions over time. Chung shares how they are visualizing the trust relationship and using data to offer near-instant access to credit when customers need it. This interview explores Varo's mission to create a financial operating system that combines traditional banking services in a seamless digital experience, while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Jul 5, 2024 • 56min
EP 424 - Twitch VP of Product on Leveraging AI and Machine Learning to Empower Creators
How can product professionals leverage AI and machine learning to empower creators? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Jonathan Ozeran, Twitch VP of Product Jeremy Forrester discusses how the company is leveraging AI and machine learning technologies to empower creators on the platform. He shares Twitch's focus on being creator-first and how they are exploring ways AI can help streamline content creation workflows and management. Jeremy also talks about how the streaming community is already innovating with AI, such as virtual avatars and AI-generated voices. He believes AI will open up more opportunities for diverse, passion-driven games by reducing barriers to entry. This discussion provides valuable insights for product managers on experimenting with emerging technologies and unleashing creativity.
Jul 3, 2024 • 34min
EP 423 - GreenSwapp Founder on Optimizing Product-Level Data to Facilitate Carbon Emission Reductions
How can product leaders begin optimizing product-level data to facilitate carbon emission reductions? 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, Silicon Valley Bank (a Division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech SVP Maggie Wong will be interviewing GreenSwapp Founder and CEO Ajay Varadharajan to discuss leveraging machine learning to aggregate, analyze and present emission data in a consistent format, building a data infrastructure API tool to scale product-level carbon accounting, as well as the importance of understanding target customers and anticipating their future needs to enable product development that serve diverse use cases.
Jul 1, 2024 • 35min
EP 422 - CPO Rising Series: Pinterest CPO on Building Inclusive Products and Empowering the Next Generation of Users
How can product leaders build inclusive products and empower the next generation of users? In this episode of the CPO Rising series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Pinterest CPO Sabrina Ellis discusses her philosophy around building inclusive products that empower all users. She shares how Pinterest is using technology like computer vision to showcase more diverse representations of hair, skin tones, and body types. Sabrina also talks about engaging Gen Z users on the platform and understanding their needs and motivations. The discussion provides insights for product leaders on their social responsibility to consider inclusivity, as well as tips on prioritizing projects and balancing short and long-term goals.
Jun 28, 2024 • 47min
EP 421 - TIM Fmr Engineering Lead on the Importance of Communication Skills for Remote Teams
What is the importance of communication skills for remote teams? In this episode of Product Talk hosted by Workleap Director of Product Barbara Bermes, TIM Fmr Engineering Lead Andrew Parker speaks on the importance of strong communication skills for remote teams. Drawing on his experience managing remote teams across multiple locations, he emphasizes that while technical skills are important, the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively across disciplines is what truly defines a high performer working remotely. He highlights best practices for asynchronous communication and provides insights into how output can be measured in remote environments through a focus on outcomes rather than activities. Andrew also shares his perspective on the future of remote work and the incremental changes we may see in how virtual teams communicate and collaborate over the next five years.
