1min snip

How to be more innovative | Sam Schillace (Microsoft deputy CTO, creator of Google Docs)

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

notes

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Understanding the Real Value and User Proposition of Products

The key lesson is to truly understand if the value of a product is real, rather than just sounding cool. It's important for products to articulate a clear user value, such as solving end user problems and providing convenience. Despite criticisms, Elon Musk's products like Tesla at least articulated real user value by addressing problems, offering real range, solving charging issues, and making the operation cheaper. The key realization is that people are lazy, and the focus should be on how much easier a new tool or tech makes someone's life, as convenience always wins.

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Transcript

Episode notes

Sam Schillace is deputy CTO and corporate vice president at Microsoft. Prior to working at Microsoft, Sam started a company called Writely, which was acquired by Google and became the foundation of what today is Google Docs. While at Google, Sam helped lead many of Google’s consumer products, including Gmail, Blogger, PageCreator, Picasa, Reader, Groups, and more recently Maps and Google Automotive Services. Sam was also a principal investor at Google Ventures, has founded six startups, and was the SVP of engineering at Box through their IPO. In this episode, we discuss:

• The journey of building Google Docs

• The importance of taking risks, embracing failure, and finding joy in your work

• The importance of asking “what if” questions vs. “why not”

• Why convenience always wins

• How, and why, Sam stays optimistic

• Inside Microsoft’s culture

• Why you should solve problems without asking for permission

• Early-career advice

• Why “pixels are free” and “bots are docs”

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-be-more-innovative-sam-schillace

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Where to find Sam Schillace:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schillace/

• Newsletter: https://sundaylettersfromsam.substack.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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