Products That Count Podcast

Some products consumers will use every day of their lives. Meanwhile, there are products that a person may only need once or twice in their lives. How do you approach building that type of a product when it’s related to something as important as purchasing a home? As part of our Building Products that Span the Digital and Physical Worlds series, Product Talk host and product exec, Samantha Scott, interviews Orchard Head of Consumer Product, Rahil Esmail, and discusses building real estate products.

Many great product leaders will talk about the importance of listening to customers. It’s also essential to know how you should go about doing it. Is there a right and wrong way? As part of our series in partnership with the Product Collective, Product Talk host and Product Exec, Nikki Ahmadi sat down with Oji Udezue, fmr VP of Product at Calendly to discuss customer discovery. They also share some important insight on what it means to be a BIPOC in product.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) continue to be a more prominent part of the products we build. Trust and privacy remain a concern, but users continue to give more and more information. How does AI and ML improve the customer experience? As part of our Real Life Use Cases for AI series, Product Talk host and Product Exec, Nikki Ahmadi, interviews Ravi Mehta, fmr Tinder CPO, on personalization in product with AI.

Many product managers come to the role with an engineering background. It can be helpful in knowing how the sausage is made, so to speak. But what happens when an engineer moves into marketing, or as this guest called it “moving to the Dark Side?” As part of our series in partnership with the Growth Marketing Conference, Product Talk host and product executive, Thomas Daly, sat down with Martin Gontovnikas, SVP of Marketing & Growth at Auth0 to discuss all things product marketing.

Product-focused start-ups face plenty of challenges as they begin to grow. How to go about fundraising, how to get customer feedback and when to have a dedicated product team among them. So, how can they figure it all out? Product Talk host Adam O’Donnell, interviews Skylar Founder & CEO, Cat Chen, and discusses scaling a product-focused startup and the three factors of a great product.

There has been a huge push towards personalization in recent years. The idea is that customers want an experience that is uniquely for them. But is that what they actually want? As part of our Adaptive Product Management series, Product Talk host and product exec, Christina Lucey, interviews The Nudge CEO, John Peterson, and discusses building a product for personalization and realizing that wasn’t necessarily what customers wanted

Product leaders who’ve grown with a successful startup and venture capitalists both have interesting perspectives on product organizations. Wouldn’t it be nice if one person could offer both? As part of our How to Fund Your Venture series, Product Talk host and product exec, Samantha Scott, interviews x, Melody Koh, and discusses scaling a product organization, which she’s seen as the first PM at Blue Apron and now as a venture capital partner.

There is a lot that determines whether or not a product will be successful. It’s up to the product team to determine the KPIs and define what is a win. What does a win look like? As part of our The Feature is Now the Operating System series, Product Talk host and product exec, Christina Lucey, interviews SoFi VP of Products & Data, Amir Hermelin, and discusses his own experience building winning products and whether the best product always wins.

In the face of a global pandemic, businesses big and small had to adapt to a new normal. Many, while lucky enough to still have their jobs, had to adjust to remote work. What have we learned? As part of our series on The Role of Product in a Pandemic, Product Talk host and product exec, Thomas Daly, interviews Samsung NEXT Head of Product Enablement, Danny Carvajal, and discusses the lessons learned from working in a distributed team in a global pandemic and how it might affect how we work together moving forward.

The advancement of artificial intelligence still faces many challenges. There is a factor of cost, integrity, and function. But what if we looked at AI differently? As part of our Real Life Use Cases for AI series, Product Talk host and Product Exec, Nikki Ahmadi, interviews Afshin Doust, Advanced Intelligent Systems CEO, on viewing the AI products we build as a service.

When it comes to healthcare products, oftentimes you’re competing with the archaic healthcare industry itself, rather than another company. Many simply accept the status quo. But how can you drive change? As part of our Innovation in Healthcare series, Product Talk host and product exec, Samantha Scott, interviews Cedar Co-Founder, Arel Lidow, and discusses what goes into building an industry disrupting healthcare product.

AI, in its current state, is all about how much time it can save you and improve your work or your home life. As we continue to bring more AI products into our homes, there are some concerns that can arise. Are companies taking this responsibility seriously? As part of our Real Life Use Cases for AI series, Product Talk host and Product Exec, Nikki Ahmadi, interviews Arsham Hatambeiki, UEI SVP Product & Technology, on building AI products for the home.

Yelp is a mass market product that is used by millions of people the world over. But what goes into the various individual features that helps deliver on Yelp’s mission to connect consumers with local businesses? As part of our Building for Hospitality series, Product Talk host and product exec, Thomas Daly, interviews Yelp Director of Product Management - Restaurants Marketplace, Guang Yang, and discusses building a hospitality product that serves both businesses and consumers.

There are uncertain times for all of us. As we adjust to the new normal, many are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, whether they’ve been laid off or are trying to work from home while also assisting in kids’ educations or coping with isolation. As part of our series on The Role of Product in a Pandemic, Product Talk host and product exec, Christina Lucey, interviews Psychotherapist Toni Brooks and discusses the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on product managers and everyone else.

A passion for product and the desire to make the world a better place are  especially helpful when they’re channeled into something like the healthcare industry. How does that come into play during a pandemic? As part of our series on The Role of Product in a Pandemic, Product Talk host and product exec, Samantha Scott, interviews Butterfly Network VP of Product, Matthew de Jonge, and discusses the democratization of healthcare products and how they’re making a difference in the face of a pandemic.

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, individuals the world over have stepped up and made a difference big and small. Many product leaders have adapted their offerings to adjust to our new normal. How can the product community be of service? As part of our series on The Role of Product in a Pandemic, Product Talk host and Product Exec, Nikki Ahmadi, interviews Chris Higgins, Co-Founder of Give Oxygen, and discusses innovating products for a pandemic.

The healthcare system hasn’t changed much in the U.S. It’s a fairly antiquated industry. Costs are on the rise and it can feel inaccessible for many. How can we change that?  As part of our Innovation in Healthcare series, Product Talk host and product exec, Samantha Scott, interviews Oscar Health CPO, Sara Wajnberg, and discusses what goes into building healthcare products.

Many of us built with LEGO as children. However, some turn that love of building into a career. How does that translate to building hardware products? As part of our High Velocity R&D series, Product Talk host and product exec, Anthony Atlas, interviews Awair Product Head, Dean Young, and discusses the challenges that come with building hardware products.

The role of a product manager isn’t the same today as it was as recently as 10 years ago. Similarly, the role of a PM is different as a company grows. How does the role of a PM change? As part of our The Feature is Now the Operating System series, Product Talk host and product exec, Christina Lucey, interviews fmr Credit Karma VP of Product Management and current GP at a16z, Anish Acharya on how product management has evolved over time and within companies.

Almost every Product Manager has a different story about how they found their way into the role. All talk about the well rounded backgrounds or curiosities that led them to the career. But how does someone wind up a PM that started as a lecturer in mathematics at Stanford University? In this episode of Product Talk, Thomas Daly sat down with Karl Rumelhart, CPO & EVP of Engineering at Gainsight to discuss how we paved his way into a career in product management and how the role is handled at Gainsight.