Unsolicited Feedback Brian Balfour & Fareed Mosavat

Microsoft’s Game-Changing Releases: Is Windows Poised to Dominate the AI Era? w/ Kurt Schrader
In this episode of 'Unsolicited Feedback,' host Fareed Mosavat and guest Kurt Schrader, CEO and founder of Shortcut, dive into Microsoft's latest AI announcements, including the Copilot+ PC initiative and Windows Recall. We explore the potential impact of these innovations on the consumer market and reflect on how Apple should respond at the upcoming WWDC. We also debate the strategic strengths and weaknesses of both tech giants in the evolving AI landscape. 
Before we dive in, Fareed mentioned in the podcast that Reforge has just launched a brand new AI product, the Reforge Extension, now in public beta. Ever wish you could get expert feedback from leaders like Fareed, Brian Balfour, Andrew Chen, and Elena Verna while working on your documents? Now you can!
Install it for free today and elevate your work with Reforge experts by your side.
Join us for refAI, a full-day virtual conference delving into all things AI, featuring a special episode of Unsolicited Feedback with the legendary Andrew Chen. Secure your spot now as spaces are limited. Register here today.
Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons from this episode at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/
00:00 Introduction
01:11 Microsoft's Big AI Announcements
04:46 Microsoft's AI-Powered Future
07:00 Copilot Plus PCs: A Full Stack Experience
17:59 Windows Recall: A Game Changer?
21:06 The Future of AI and Privacy
25:41 Speculations on Apple's Upcoming Surprises
27:34 Microsoft's Strategic Moves and Apple's Response
29:41 Apple's Potential AI and Voice Integration
31:30 The Developer Ecosystem: Microsoft vs. Apple
35:45 Hopes and Predictions for WWDC 

Sonos' Redesign Debacle: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Product Upgrades w/ Kurt Schrader
Join host Fareed Mosavat on 'Unsolicited Feedback' as he delves into the latest Sonos app controversy with guest Kurt Schrader, CEO and founder of Shortcut, a platform that helps product and engineering teams unify to build collaboratively. This episode covers the major issues faced by Sonos power users, strategies for effective feature deprecation, the risks of big product redesigns, and how to manage user feedback and trust. Additionally, the episode touches on strategic pre-mortems, real-world scenarios from Slack and Shortcut, and insights into balancing innovation with user experience.
Before we dive in, Fareed mentioned in the podcast that Reforge has just launched a brand new AI product, the Reforge Extension, now in public beta. Ever wish you could get expert feedback from leaders like Fareed, Brian Balfour, Andrew Chen, and Elena Verna while working on your documents? Now you can!
Install it for free today and elevate your work with Reforge experts by your side.
Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons from this episode at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/
00:00 Introduction
01:44 Diving Into the Sonos App Update Controversy
05:16 The Challenges of Redesigning with Power Users in Mind
15:49 Learning from Slack's IRC Gateway Deprecation
18:26 Strategies for Managing Feature Deprecation and User Transition
24:31 Navigating the Challenges of Product Redesigns
26:18 Evaluating Redesign Feedback: Timing and Approach
28:50 The Pre-Mortem Strategy: Anticipating User Feedback
34:00 The Lock-In Factor: Navigating Customer Loyalty and Alternatives
37:33 Innovating in a Market Dominated by Incumbents

Evaluating AI Models, Unlocking Unstructured Data, and Achieving Reliability w/ Ben Kus
Today on "Unsolicited Feedback," Fareed Mosavat dives deep into the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence with tech expert and Box CTO, Ben Kus. As AI continues to reshape industries, understanding its core mechanisms and potential applications has never been more critical. Ben sheds light on how AI can enhance productivity and decision-making within organizations while also sharing technical strategies he’s implemented to ensure reliability for Box’s enterprise customers.

Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/

00:00 Introduction
02:19 Rapid Fire Advice for AI Product and Technology Teams
05:25 Understanding and Navigating the World of AI Models
08:21 The Challenges of AI Change Management and Model Selection
14:29 Evaluating AI Quality and Performance in the Enterprise
25:23 Unstructured Data: The Next Frontier for AI
29:15 The Future of AI in Structuring Unstructured Data
43:55 Exploring the Potential of AI Agents and User Experience

Thank you for listening to Unsolicited Feedback!

Don’t forget to hit subscribe on the podcast network of your choice:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsolicited-feedback/id1706701340
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FzVEIBamWnExyJpJ2LCwF

And sign up for our mailing list at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/

If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and tell a friend about the podcast!

Box CTO's Approach to Enterprise AI Tools & Insights from Google and OpenAI's Latest Releases w/ Ben Kus
In the latest episode of "Unsolicited Feedback," Fareed Mosavat chats with Ben Kus, CTO of Box, to delve into the dynamic world of AI advancements and their implications for technology companies and users alike. This episode offers rich insights into how multimodal AI is transforming the tech landscape, driven by recent announcements from OpenAI and Google.

Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/

00:00 Introduction
02:07 Ben Kus: From Technologist to CTO of Box
04:08 AI Week Highlights: OpenAI and Google's Diverse Approaches
06:21 The Real-Time Magic of AI Demonstrations
11:43 OpenAI's Strategy: A Broad Yet Focused Approach
16:30 Google's AI Integration Strategy
19:49 Exploring the Potential of AI in Everyday Tools
23:39 The Enterprise Side of AI: Tailoring Technology for Business
32:39 Navigating Enterprise Needs and AI Innovation: A Case Study with Box 

MVPs are Officially Dead: Here's How to Launch and Find Market Fit in 2024 w/ Sachin Rekhi

Welcome back to "Unsolicited Feedback," where Product-Market Fit (PMF) expert, Sachin Rekhi joins Fareed Mosavat to discuss the evolving thinking on Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and their impact on achieving PMF in competitive markets. We discuss Linear, Dropbox, and Airbnb, and reflect on this post by Linear co-founder, Tuomas Artman.

Check out a full summary of the takeaways and lessons at ➡️ https://www.unsolicitedfeedback.co/

00:00 From MVP to Magical: Rethinking Product Launch Strategy
06:46 Narrowing the Market: A Key to Success
07:34 The Dropbox Story: A Lesson in Product Polish and Narrow Focus
14:00 The Importance of Craft, Taste, and Target Audience in Product Development
18:25 Linear's Approach: Strong Convictions and Narrow Focus
24:01 The Power of Closed Betas and Waitlists
27:48 Case Study: LinkedIn Sales Navigator's Journey from Zero to One
31:20 Validating Product Market Fit Before Building
36:06 Narrowing the Target Audience for Precise Market Fit
39:04 Key Takeaways on Product Development and Market Fit

This week on "Unsolicited Feedback," Fareed Mosavat welcomed Sachin Rekhi to explore the shifting landscape of media, focusing on the evolution from traditional, slower media forms to what's increasingly being termed "dopamine culture." We analyze how this change is not only profoundly affecting how we consume content but also how we should build and launch products.
Sachin has created multiple Reforge courses, is the founder & CEO of NoteJoy, and the creator of LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a now $1B ARR business. And, he has a new video-native podcast you can watch on YouTube!
Check out a full summary at UnsolicitedFeedback.co!
We're back Thursday to discuss finding Product-Market Fit without MVPs!