Agentic AI Execution

Leena Agarwal

The podcast for TPMs, product managers, and builders shipping real AI systems. No hype, no frameworks — just honest conversations about what it actually takes to move from model to production. Topics include agentic AI, AI program execution, stakeholder alignment, technical roadmaps, and building trust in AI-driven orgs. Hosted by Leena Agarwal, 18-year TPM veteran from Amazon and Meta. New episodes every week. Built for tech leaders who ship.

  1. 6 h fa

    What actually separates teams that ship AI from teams that are just demoing it?

    With AI accelerating data flow, human alignment and judgment have become the ultimate bottlenecks in product development. If you are still relying on traditional, slow decision hierarchies, you are falling behind in the age of agentic intelligence.In this episode of *Agentic AI Execution*, Anjali—who leads AI programs on Google Maps and mentors over 100 startup founders—breaks down how to deliver AI products at a scale of billions. We explore why human-in-the-loop is still non-negotiable despite rising automation, how the Technical Program Manager (TPM) role is morphing into a multi-hyphenate AI builder, and the practical agentic workflows she uses every day to reclaim her time .*⏳ Timestamps:* *0:00* - Introduction: Leading AI at Google Maps and mentoring 100+ AI founders *0:27* - Product thinking for 1 user vs. 1 billion users *1:10* - How LLMs changed data analysis and product architecture *2:23* - Human alignment is the new bottleneck in tech *3:30* - The shift from 5 decisions a week to 20 decisions a day *3:37* - Why Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are taking over leadership decisions *4:00* - Automation vs. Human-in-the-Loop: An AI reporting case study *5:55* - Why AI is a database, not a thinker *6:23* - Will TPM, PM, and Engineering roles merge into one? *7:45* - How AI makes product leaders proactive instead of reactive *9:33* - How to stay relevant and "add value + 1" in an AI-driven market *11:00* - Transitioning careers: From Admin or UX Designer to PM using AI *12:00* - Anjali's AI stack: Gemini, NotebookLM, Claude, and Anti-Gravity *13:50* - Predictions: Agents will own everything on Google Maps in 2 years *15:00* - How Anjali uses daily AI agents to filter emails, pings, and tasks *16:23* - Final thoughts: "No one can take your job but you" *Anjali:* [  / anjalikakkadp  ](  / anjalikakkadp  )*Leena:* [  / leenaagarwal  ](  / leenaagarwal  )*🔗 Connections:*

  2. 7 lug

    60% of Web Traffic is AI: Why You Must Stop Building for Humans

    **The internet has fundamentally changed.** Over 60% of web traffic is now driven by AI agents, not humans. If you are still building landing pages and products exclusively for people, you are missing the biggest shift since the dot-com boom.In this episode of *Agentic AI Execution*, Mariane—Head of DevRel at You.com and founder of the Founders Bay community—breaks down why we are entering an AI renaissance rather than a bubble. We discuss why developers must evolve into "full-stack AI engineers" who manage 10-20 agents simultaneously to stay competitive. We also dive deep into the reality of building a massive community from scratch, the failure patterns of early-stage founders building in isolation, and the very real balancing act of scaling a career while managing mom guilt.**⏳ Timestamps:**0:00 - Over 60% of web traffic is now AI agents0:37 - Mariane's journey: Engineering leadership to You.com DevRel2:21 - The #1 reason AI founders fail: Building in isolation4:47 - Why you need to build websites for agents, not humans6:13 - AI Bubble vs. The AI Renaissance7:45 - Vibe Coding: Managing 10-20 agents at once9:11 - Handling bugs and CI/CD with AI-generated code11:21 - The rise of the Forward Deployed & Full Stack AI Engineer14:50 - Growing Founders Bay and building community from scratch18:30 - How to build an audience from zero today22:15 - The future of DevRel in an Agentic AI world23:30 - Managing burnout, parenting, and the reality of "mom guilt"26:06 - Closing thoughts: Keep building and showing up🔗 Connections:* Mariane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianebekker/ * Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/* Founders Bay Community: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundersbaynetwork

  3. 30 giu

    Why AI Agents Still Make Wrong Calls — Even With Perfect Memory | Adelina, Founder of Rory Plans

    What if the hardest problem in AI agents isn't memory — it's judgment?In this episode of Agentic AI Execution, I sit down with Adelina — former colleague at Cruise, later at Vercel, and now founder of Rory Plans, building AI agents for organizational decision-making.We get into why agents with perfect memory still make the wrong recommendation, why bad decisions compound faster than you'd think, and what she wishes she'd known before quitting her job to start her company.In this conversation:→ Why memory tells an agent what happened — but not what matters→ What Cruise taught her about decisions under uncertainty, and how it applies to AI agents today→ Why Rory Brain exists to capture judgment, not just information→ Running "Lunch and Hack" events and what builders are getting wrong with AI agent memory→ Why she believes organizational intelligence — not bigger models — will define the winners in AI→ Her advice to founders: spend 80% of your time with customers, 20% building🔗 Connections:* Adelina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adelinamartiniuc/* Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/* Rory Plans: https://roryplans.aiTimestamps:00:00 Intro00:26 Adelina's journey: Cruise → Vercel → founding Rory Plans02:30 Why judgment is harder than memory for AI agents05:00 What Cruise taught her about decisions at scale07:30 Building Rory Brain to capture organizational judgment10:30 Lunch and Hack: what builders get wrong about agent memory13:30 Why organizational intelligence will define AI's winners17:00 Advice for founders: customers over building20:05 Closing takeaways + where to find Adelina#AgenticAI , #AIAgents , #TPM , #AI

  4. 24 giu

    Why Your AI Agent is One API Key Away From a $20,000 Disaster 💸

    *Are you vibe coding your way into a massive cloud billing nightmare?*AI agents are already writing code, reviewing ads, and making autonomous decisions. But who is actually watching them? In this episode, Leena sits down with Lulu, a data infrastructure expert who has scaled systems at Capital One, Block, and Reddit.They break down the "real talk" of scaling AI safely, why AI-generated code is breaking in production, and how a single unmonitored API key can cause a $20,000 disaster in less than 48 hours. If you are building with LLMs, this breakdown of infrastructure, guardrails, and cost-optimization will save your budget and your production systems.👇 *SUBSCRIBE* for more deep dives into the reality of engineering the AI boom.⏱️ Timestamps & Highlights *00:38* — Lulu’s journey: Inside data teams at Capital One, Block, & Reddit.*01:10* — Why your data infrastructure won't work at AI scale.*02:30* — How Reddit automates 90% of ad reviews using Gen AI enrichment.*04:30* — The hidden cost trap: Snowflake & Databricks vs. LLM scaling.*06:20* — Why running massive frontier models in production will "burn your car".*07:05* — Stop using frontier models for simple tasks (The Small Model Strategy).*09:20* — Why Stanford & Berkeley benchmarks are lying to you about real enterprise costs.*11:15* — What is "Contract-First Development" and why does AI code break?*15:00* — Building "seatbelts" for AI: Secure Kubernetes pods and real-time execution auditing.*18:15* — Startups vs. Enterprises: Compliance, SOC2, and the future of agent security.*21:30* — The Nightmare Scenario: Leaking API keys to your local coding agent.*23:00* — Lightning Round: The one hot take on AI code that engineers HATE.🔗 🔗 Connections: Connect with Lulu:   / luluchengengineeratheart  Connect with Leena:   / leenaagarwal

  5. 16 giu

    Why AI Products Fail: Faster Execution Isn't Enough | Ex-Meta & Microsoft PM Revital

    Engineering velocity just skyrocketed. Code is being written, tested, and shipped 10x faster than ever before thanks to generative and agentic AI.And yet — product failure rates are rising.Why? Because speeding up execution doesn't automatically mean progress. The bottleneck was never engineering. It was always judgment.In this episode, host Leena sits down with Revital — executive coach, startup advisor, and former product leader at Meta and Microsoft. With a career spanning BCG management consulting, finance, and chief of staff roles, Revital brings a deeply strategic lens to the AI transition every PM is navigating right now.We get into why Andrew Ng says PM is the new bottleneck in tech, how leaders use data to hide from hard decisions, and why human judgment under uncertainty is the ultimate competitive moat in the age of AI agents.If you're a PM, TPM, or tech leader navigating layoffs, AI anxiety, and shrinking team ratios — this is your blueprint.🔗 Work with Revital: invergency.com⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Introduction: From BCG to Meta & Microsoft Product Leader01:25 – Navigating a Non-Linear Career (Letting Go of the Grand Plan)04:10 – What Shipping to Billions Teaches You About Psychological Safety07:35 – Safe Experimentation: B2B vs. B2C Startup Strategy11:05 – Is PM the New Bottleneck? The PM-to-Engineer Ratio Shift14:20 – Execution vs. Judgment: What AI Cannot Automate17:15 – The Decision Problem in Disguise (Are You Polishing Decks?)20:00 – The Human Edge: Why "The Glue" Matters More Than Ever22:50 – Imposter Syndrome, Perfectionism & Internal Narratives26:25 – Layoffs & AI Anxiety: The Truth About Losing Your Job to AI29:40 – Rebranding Networking: Connect Without Feeling Salesy31:10 – Rapid Fire: Self-Awareness & What a Great PM Looks Like in 5 Years 🔗 Connections:Connect with * Revital: https://www.linkedin.com/in/revitalpadovitz/* Connect with Leena : https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  6. 21 mag

    Your Time Is the New Currency | Energy, Innovation & Agentic AI

    Anya Eydman advises startups, utilities, and government agencies on deploying real innovation in energy and critical infrastructure — some of the most regulated environments in the world.She's a 2x founder who has built partnerships across 400+ organizations and generated $15M+ in strategic value.She knows exactly what it takes to move from idea to real-world deployment.In this episode we cover:→ Why the biggest barrier to your future isn't a skill gap — it's fear→ How agentic AI is breaking traditional workflows across every industry→ What regulated markets teach us about responsible AI deployment→ Why your time — not your degree or title — is now your most valuable currency→ Why AI has quietly made us all beginners again — whether we like it or notWhether you're a founder, operator, or curious professional —this one's for you. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⏱️ CHAPTERS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 00:00 – Introduction 00:20 – How Anya uses AI for lead generation and networking02:00 – Energy infrastructure and why innovation is invisible from the outside 03:30 – What regulated markets teach us about agentic AI deployment 05:30 – How Anya advises founders, utilities, and government stakeholders 08:30 – Governance, regulation, and the shrinking MVP timeline 11:00 – Bridging the gap between AI speed and human capacity 12:30 – Why AI makes us all beginners — and what to do about it 14:30 – Time as the new currency ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 CONNECT ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Anya Eydman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anyaeydman/ Leena Agarwal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ #AgenticAI #EnergyInnovation #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #StartupAdvisory #AIAdoption #CriticalInfrastructure #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #AIForBusiness

Descrizione

The podcast for TPMs, product managers, and builders shipping real AI systems. No hype, no frameworks — just honest conversations about what it actually takes to move from model to production. Topics include agentic AI, AI program execution, stakeholder alignment, technical roadmaps, and building trust in AI-driven orgs. Hosted by Leena Agarwal, 18-year TPM veteran from Amazon and Meta. New episodes every week. Built for tech leaders who ship.