Behind the Craft Peter Yang

My guest today is Yuhki Yamashita, Chief Product Officer of Figma.

Yuhki and I talked about how Figma:

- Created a culture where employees love their craft

- Builds AI products to solve real user problems

- Plans to make design accessible to everyone

Yuhki is a great storyteller and shares an inside look at how Figma’s amazing product culture works. If you enjoy our conversation, please like and subscribe to support the podcast.

Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/yuhki-inside-how-figma-built-figjam-ai



Timestamps :

(00:00) How PMs should collaborate with designers

(04:00) How to hire people who care about craft

(05:20) Balancing craft with moving metrics and optics

(07:43) Tips to get better at storytelling

(10:52) How Figjam evolved from Figma

(12:45) Why fun is a pillar for Figma products

(16:59) Evaluating AI use cases for Figjam

(19:01) Quality is everything with AI products

(24:31) How to balance power user and new user needs

(29:24) Best way for PMs to learn design

(31:45) Embracing AI in work and creativity



Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/



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My guest today is Dan Siroker, CEO of Limitless.



In just 24 hours after launch, Dan and team sold over 10,000 AI pendants to help people augment their memory with what they’ve seen, said, and heard - making Limitless arguably the fastest growing AI wearable in the market.



In this short interview, Dan and I talked about:

- His journey to create the world’s most wearable AI

- How the team ships fast without compromising quality

- How he manages his time with 3 kids



Dan also co-founded Optimizely and is one of my favorite entrepreneurs to follow. If you enjoy our conversation, please like and subscribe to support the podcast.



Timestamps:


(00:00) Why Dan started Limitless(02:19) Dan’s experience of losing his hearing(03:12) Exploring the idea maze of personal AI(04:55) Why the team decided to build an AI wearable(06:40) How someone’s life could change with Limitless(11:10) How to ship fast but still keep a high quality bar(13:34) How to decide what scope to focus on(15:45) How to attract and hire great talent(17:47) Why you should hire slow(19:12) Dan’s thoughts on product management(20:55) Balancing entrepreneurship and family





Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/



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My guest today is Wes Kao, co-founder of Maven, a very popular online course platform.

Wes and I talked about how to create, market, and teach an online course and make $20,000 or more per cohort. I especially love Wes’ frameworks about how to:

Build a spiky point of view to stand out with real examples

And use the state change method to keep people interested



Timestamps:

00:00 Spiky point of view

01:11 Introducing Wes Cao and the Power of Online Courses

01:42 Wes Cao's Journey: From Marketing to Maven Co-Founder

04:00 The Rise of Cohort-Based Learning with Maven

06:16 Empowering Operators to Share Their Expertise

10:03 Creating Your Course: Market Demand Meets Passion

13:51 The Essence of a Spiky Point of View

18:51 Leveraging Spiky Points of View for Course Creation

21:31 Unlocking Creative Writing: Beyond Traditional Controls

22:00 The Power of Risk in Sharing Bold Ideas

22:07 Content Creation: The Unpredictable Success of Authenticity

22:20 Decoding the Secret Formula of Viral Content

22:26 A Decade of Blogging: The Evolution of a Writer

22:50 Marketing First, Building Later: A New Approach

23:03 Case Study: Shivani Berry's Path to Course Success

24:24 Expanding Reach: Leveraging Other Audiences

27:39 Selling While Teaching: The Subtle Art

29:38 Engaging Cohort Courses: The State Change Method

32:18 Simplifying the Creator's Journey: Focus and Strategy

38:33 Closing Advice and Resources for Aspiring Creators





Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/



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My guest today is Brian Balfour, CEO of Reforge. Brian and I did a deep dive into how 4 of the best AI products grew so fast.



We spoke about:



Why ChatGPT is investing in custom GPTs

How Midjourney grew to $200M ARR despite an interface that relies on Discord

How Perplexity is competing with Google Search

How LinkedIn collaborative articles combine AI and user growth loops



Brian is one of the best growth leaders out there so I hope you enjoy our conversation. Consider subscribing for more great interviews every week.



Timestamps:


[00:00] The decline of Google Search
[02:13] Why no one should try to copy ChatGPT's growth
[04:33] Many AI products struggle with retention
[07:39] Why OpenAI is investing in custom GPTs
[13:56] How Midjourney grew to $200M ARR off Discord
[21:22] Hardcore AI users vs. casual AI users
[21:49] Perplexity's challenge to Google Search
[25:12] The SEO industry is a mess
[29:22] Growth loops fueling LinkedIn's collaborative articles
[35:08] How AI will impact the growth profession



Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/



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My guest today is Jackie Bavaro, author of Cracking the PM Career and Cracking the PM Interview, two of the most popular books on product management out there. Jackie was also head of PM at Asana.



I spoke to Jackie about:



1. How to be more strategic

2. How to define a great vision and strategy for your team

3. How to communicate your strategy to the rest of the company



There are so many misconceptions about strategy, but Jackie makes everything crystal clear. Consider subscribing for more great interviews every week.



Chapter timestamps:

[00:00] Three parts of a great product strategy

[02:56] A personal story on why strategy matters

[07:05] Vision, strategic framework, and roadmap

[10:29] When to start thinking about strategy

[13:35] How to bring your vision to life

[16:47] Breaking down the strategic framework

[17:13] Master the framework for market domination

[22:04] Think of a roadmap like a charcuterie board

[25:09] A checklist is not a strategy

[29:11] How to get exec buy-in for your strategy

[31:54] Communicate principles to guide decisions



Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/



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My guests today are Sanchan (ex-general manager at Airbnb), Nickey (Product Director at Duolingo) and John (Senior Director at Toast).



We talked about:

1. How the PM role is changing

2. Our favorite PM use cases for AI

3. How to avoid PM title envy to pick your own path



Over 200 people tuned into this conversation live so I think you’ll love it too.



Chapter Timestamps


[00:00] Less internal shenanigans, more customer focus


[03:30] Why companies are tired of product managers


[07:44] Thoughts on Airbnb merging products with marketing


[10:25] How Airbnb builds products using narratives


[13:09] Designing the right incentives for PMs


[17:03] How Duolingo incentivizes PMs to focus on customer obsession


[18:34] Why more PMs should pursue building vs. manager


[22:01] How the PM and design relationship is evolving


[26:08] Getting hired in today's tough tech jobs market


[29:41] How to ramp up on AI and get your hands dirty


[32:55] Favorite AI use cases for PM


[36:25] How to think about what you want in the PM career ladder


[41:15] How to talk to users to get useful feedback


[42:25] How to be a great product leader in post-ZIRP era


[45:27] Your number one career skill is how to smell out orgs





Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/



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