
Unsolicited Feedback
Tired of interview podcasts? Us too. That's why we created Unsolicited Feedback - the podcast that should have come out 5 years ago, but we're making it anyway. In this podcast, Brian Balfour (Reforge, HubSpot), Fareed Mosavat (Reforge, Slack) and friends provide unfiltered feedback on the products they actually use, along with key product lessons.Essentially, we're taking the conversations that happen between experts at invite-only happy-hours and delivering them to the podcast platform of your choice.Although no one asked for their opinions, they're sharing them. It's like eating Goodles when you want Kraft Mac n Cheese, or Olipop when you want Pepsi - it feels wrong, yet so right.Each week, they analyze recent announcements, features, and releases across product and growth. The hosts make predictions about where Threads and Twitter will be in a year, and analyze unparalleled growth loops at LinkedIn. They give respect where it's due, but also deliver tear-downs when the writing’s on the wall. Sorry, not sorry!
Latest episodes

18 snips
Nov 21, 2023 • 1h 19min
Laura Schaffer (Amplitude) Dissects Cameo's Rise and Fall; Plus New Benchmarks for Companies in 2024
Laura Schaffer, VP of Growth at Amplitude, joins Brian Balfour and Casey Winters to discuss the rise and fall of Cameo. They analyze its violations of marketplace patterns, misattribution of growth, and challenges during the pandemic. They also explore the challenges of layering self-serve into sales-led, personalization in customer experiences, and convergence of public and private company metrics.

27 snips
Nov 14, 2023 • 1h 30min
Cem Kansu (Duolingo) Analyzes the Implications of OpenAI's DevDay and Airbnb's Release Strategy
Cem Kansu, VP of Product at Duolingo, analyzes OpenAI's DevDay and Airbnb's release strategy. They discuss Duolingo's expansion into math and music, the implications of OpenAI's GPT store, and the challenges of customization and monetization in the GPT ecosystem.

13 snips
Nov 9, 2023 • 1h 20min
Austin Hay (Ramp) Examines What's Next for HubSpot's Newest Acquisition, Clearbit; Plus a Defense of Freemium
Renowned marketing technology expert, Austin Hay, discusses HubSpot's acquisition of Clearbit. They delve into the consolidation trend in the industry, challenges of integration, and the potential areas of expansion for HubSpot. They also explore the struggles faced by Clearbit, challenges of data enrichment and AI applications in sales and marketing, the value of proprietary datasets, freemium pricing drawbacks, and considerations for offering a product for free.

49 snips
Nov 2, 2023 • 1h 23min
Darius Contractor (Otter.ai) Joins to Unpack Arc's Viral Loops and Show the Slack Redesign Haters They’re Wrong
Darius Contractor, Chief Growth Officer at Otter.ai, discusses Arc's viral loops and defends the Slack redesign. Arc focuses on virality, benefiting both sender and receiver. Arc's niche audience is the tech enthusiast. The podcast explores browser autocomplete and sharing loops, emphasizing the power of viral loops and user growth. The Slack redesign includes improved navigation and easier customization. Harnessing gravity is discussed for achieving goals.

87 snips
Oct 26, 2023 • 1h 17min
Crystal Widjaja (Gojek) Unlocks the Secrets of Unmeasurable Metrics and Extracts Lessons from Convoy's Downfall!
Crystal Widjaja, a data-driven product expert, discusses the challenges faced by data-driven product leaders and the lessons learned from Convoy's failure. They explore unmeasurable metrics, measuring the impact of features on revenue, and the importance of investing in customer vibes.

77 snips
Oct 19, 2023 • 1h 28min
Patrick Campbell (ProfitWell) Joins for a Growth Model Breakdown of Loom, Plus Patrick Campbell’s Pricing Corner
Patrick Campbell, Founder and CEO of ProfitWell, joins for a growth model breakdown of Loom's acquisition by Atlassian, discussing growth loops and environmental loops. Also, he shares insights on Unity's pricing change, AI's monetization challenges, and the impact of the macroeconomy on software companies.

43 snips
Oct 12, 2023 • 1h 26min
Claire Vo (Color) Tackles Monetization Strategy for AI Businesses and Protecting the Super ICs in Product
Claire Vo, CPO at Color and former CPO at Optimizely, discusses the challenges of monetizing AI products, including the costs associated with AI, value-based pricing, and the advantages of incumbents. The trio also dives into algorithmic challenges in healthcare and the importance of balancing headcount and software investment. They end by exploring the joy of building and celebrating products, and the unique challenges faced by product managers in terms of incentives.

18 snips
Oct 5, 2023 • 1h 37min
Joff Redfern (Menlo VC) Discusses AI's Onboarding Conundrum & Adobe's Web-First Photoshop
Former Chief Product Officer at Atlassian, Joff Redfern, discusses AI's onboarding conundrum and Adobe's web-first Photoshop. He highlights the importance of personalization and eliminating friction in AI applications. The release of Adobe's web-based Photoshop is also explored, including its design process and added features. Additionally, the podcast touches on rural internet connectivity, pursuing a life bucket list, and Joff's career switch to venture capitalism.

183 snips
Sep 28, 2023 • 1h 36min
Elena Verna (Dropbox) Analyzes Airtable's Shift to Enterprise and Slack's Product Roadmap
Elena Verna, former SVP growth at Survey Monkey, discusses Airtable's shift to enterprise and Slack's product roadmap. They debate the dangers of betting on a single growth loop, the importance of layering other growth loops, and the impact of PLG on enterprise wins. They also analyze the challenges of transitioning from simplicity to complexity, selling to different market segments, and scaling product-led growth businesses.

55 snips
Sep 21, 2023 • 1h 28min
Ravi Mehta (Outpace) Analyzes the Switching Costs from Jira to Linear, Plus Unity's Pricing Faux Pas
Ravi Mehta, previously the CPO at Tinder and product director at Facebook, discusses the migration from Jira to Linear, Airtable's move to target the up-market, and Unity's pricing change. They explore switching costs, the power user trap, and the challenges of model overhaul and pricing changes in enterprise software.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.