Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Lenny Rachitsky
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Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career Podcast

Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover concrete, actionable, and tactical advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product. www.lennysnewsletter.com

  1. The original growth hacker reveals his secrets | Sean Ellis (author of “Hacking Growth”)

    2 DAYS AGO

    The original growth hacker reveals his secrets | Sean Ellis (author of “Hacking Growth”)

    Sean Ellis is one of the earliest and most influential thinkers and operators in growth. He coined the term “growth hacking,” invented the ICE prioritization framework, was one of the earliest people to use freemium as a growth lever, and, most famously, developed the Sean Ellis Test for product-market fit (which a large percentage of founders use today to track if they’ve found PMF). Over the course of his career, Sean was head of growth at Dropbox and Eventbrite; helped companies like Microsoft and Nubank refine their growth strategy; was on the founding team of LogMeIn, which sold for over $4 billion; and is the author of one of the most popular growth books of all time, Hacking Growth, which has sold over 750,000 copies. In our conversation, he shares: • The proper use of the Sean Ellis Test for measuring product-market fit • How to increase your activation and retention rates • How to select the right North Star metric for your business • Case studies from his work growing Dropbox and other products • How growth strategy has changed over the past decade • How AI is impacting growth efforts • Much more — Brought to you by: • Gamma—A new way to present, powered by AI • CommandBar—AI-powered user assistance for modern products and impatient users • Merge—A single API to add hundreds of integrations into your app — Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-original-growth-hacker-sean-ellis — Where to find Sean Ellis: • X: https://x.com/seanellis • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanellis/ • Website: https://www.seanellis.me/ • Substack: https://substack.com/@seanellis — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Sean’s background (02:18) The Sean Ellis test explained (06:28) The 40% rule (08:06) Case study: improving product-market fit (12:34) Understanding and leveraging customer feedback (16:50) Challenges and nuances of product-market fit (22:22) When to use the Sean Ellis Test (23:46) When not to use the Sean Ellis Test and other caveats (27:13) Defining your own threshold and how the Sean Ellis Test came about (36:13) Tools for implementing the survey  (37:30) Transitioning from surveys to retention cohorts (39:13) Nubank’s approach (40:18) Case study: Superhuman’s strategy for increasing product-market fit (45:18) Coining the term “growth hacking” (48:24) How to approach growth (57:25) Improving activation and onboarding (01:05:17) Identifying effective growth channels (01:10:28) The power of customer conversations (01:12:43) Developing the Dropbox referral program (01:14:47) The importance of word of mouth (01:15:23) Freemium models and engagement (01:19:21) Picking a North Star metric (01:24:30) The evolution of growth strategies (01:27:12) The ICE and RICE frameworks (01:30:11) AI’s role in growth and experimentation (01:32:52) Final thoughts and lightning round — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 44m
  2. Airbnb’s Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Partner at Index Ventures, Airbnb GM/VP Product)

    6 DAYS AGO

    Airbnb’s Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Partner at Index Ventures, Airbnb GM/VP Product)

    Vlad Loktev spent 10 years at Airbnb, where he started as an IC PM and quickly advanced to lead the core Airbnb marketplace business and then GM the entire homes business, managing over 1,000 people and reporting directly to CEO Brian Chesky. He recently left Airbnb and joined Index Ventures as their newest partner. Vlad was my manager at Airbnb for many years, and is the person I credit most for teaching me how to be a great product manager. Prior to Airbnb, Vlad spent a year at Zynga, where he helped grow Words with Friends to over 14 million daily active users. In our conversation, Vlad shares: • Insight into Brian Chesky’s leadership style • Why success as a PM is all about impact, impact, impact • Why chaos can be good • Why as a leader it’s OK to let some fires burn • Why you should learn to “poke the bear” • Balancing product release speed with quality • Lessons on prioritization, decision-making, and organizational design • Advice for founders on building company culture • Much more — Brought to you by: • Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application • Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security • Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments — Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/impact-impact-impact-vlad-loktev — Where to find Vlad Loktev: • X: https://x.com/vladimirloktev • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirloktev/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Vlad’s background (02:54) Reflecting on transformative years at Airbnb (04:28) Skills and mindsets for success (11:03) Impact-driven mindset (13:16) Saying no and inquiry before advocacy  (17:54) “Poking the bear” (22:46) Psychological tools for leadership (30:08) Building and scaling teams (36:12) Letting fires burn (47:34) Embracing chaos (54:40) The unsell email strategy (01:02:01) Finding your place in an organization (01:05:38) The importance of company culture (01:13:16) Airbnb’s unique approach to product management (01:26:41) Failure corner (01:31:32) Lightning round and final thoughts — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 37m
  3. How to consistently go viral: Nikita Bier’s playbook for winning at consumer apps (co-founder of TBH, Gas, advisor, investor)

    AUG 25

    How to consistently go viral: Nikita Bier’s playbook for winning at consumer apps (co-founder of TBH, Gas, advisor, investor)

    Nikita Bier is one of the most in-demand consumer, social, and growth experts in the world. He’s the co-founder of TBH (sold to Meta for more than $30 million) and Gas (sold to Discord for millions more) and has helped more consumer apps that have hit #1 in the app stores than any other person I’ve come across. He currently spends his time advising founders on growth, product, and design and is an investor and advisor to some of the best consumer tech companies, including Flo, Locket, Eight Sleep, Citizen, BeReal, Captions, and more. In our conversation, we discuss: • The inside story of how TBH and Gas achieved explosive growth • Strategies for building viral consumer apps • Why teens are such a great audience • Fighting the human trafficking hoax at Gas • The challenge of creating durable social products • His experience working as a PM at Facebook • Advice for founders on building consumer apps • Much more — Brought to you by: • Webflow—The web experience platform • Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security • Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product — Book Nikita for 1:1 consultation/mentoring: https://intro.co/NikitaBier — Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-consistently-go-viral-nikita-bier — Where to find Nikita Bier: • X: https://x.com/nikitabier  • Threads: https://www.threads.net/@nikitabier • Website: https://intro.co/NikitaBier — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Nikita’s background  (06:08) Nikita’s early ventures: Politify and Outline (08:42) Transition to consumer apps (13:45) The birth of TBH (16:43) Building for teens vs. adults (20:00) TBH’s viral success (32:18) Leveraging live chat (34:08) Lasting lessons from TBH (37:00) Selling TBH to Facebook (42:19) Big-tech product management (48:46) Nikita on why “product management is not real” (51:49) The Tim Cook painting story (53:53) Leaving Facebook and starting a new venture (58:02) Rebuilding TBH and overcoming challenges (59:46) Addressing criticism (01:04:24) The human trafficking hoax (01:09:51) Selling to Discord and lessons learned (01:11:36) Lasting lessons from Gas (01:13:14) Building durable consumer apps (01:22:35) The VC route (01:23:27) Contact permissions in iOS 18 (01:26:53) The success of Dupe (01:31:53) Advice for startup founders (01:34:14) Work with Nikita — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 38m
  4. Succeeding as an introvert, building zero-to-one, and why you should PM your career like you PM your product | Deb Liu (CEO of Ancestry, ex-Facebook, PayPal, eBay)

    AUG 22

    Succeeding as an introvert, building zero-to-one, and why you should PM your career like you PM your product | Deb Liu (CEO of Ancestry, ex-Facebook, PayPal, eBay)

    Deb Liu is the CEO of Ancestry and former longtime VP of Product at Facebook. At Facebook, Deb led the creation of Facebook Marketplace, developed the first mobile ad product for apps, built the company’s games business, and launched Facebook Pay. She’s also held leadership roles at PayPal and eBay, serves on the board of Intuit, and is the author of Take Back Your Power. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why you should PM your career like you PM your product • Strategies for incubating new products within large companies • Creating a successful 30-60-90-day plan when starting a new job • The pitfalls of perfectionism • The challenges introverts face in the workplace and how to overcome them • The value of resilience and turning failures into stepping stones • How to leverage coaching in your career development — Brought to you by: • Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application • WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs • Webflow—The web experience platform — Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/succeeding-as-an-introvert-deb-liu — Where to find Deb Liu: • Threads: https://www.threads.net/@debliu • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahliu • Substack: https://debliu.substack.com/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Deb Liu (02:18) Deb’s career journey and key advice (09:45) Navigating new roles and challenges (11:27) Overcoming adversity and failure (15:07) Building billion-dollar businesses at Facebook (19:33) Strategies for zero-to-one innovation (23:40) PM your career like a product (33:53) Challenges and strategies for introverts in business (39:19) Reframing self-promotion (42:25) The power of accountability (46:15) Growth: a game of inches (50:52) The 30-60-90-day plan (56:52) Contrarian corner: career and marriage (58:57) Final nuggets of wisdom (01:03:09) How to find a coach (01:04:47) Lightning round — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 11m
  5. Unorthodox PM wisdom: Automating user insights, unselling job candidates, logging every decision, more | Kevin Yien (Stripe, Square, Mutiny)

    AUG 18

    Unorthodox PM wisdom: Automating user insights, unselling job candidates, logging every decision, more | Kevin Yien (Stripe, Square, Mutiny)

    Kevin Yien leads product for merchant experiences at Stripe. Before that, he meandered his way from being a technical designer to a product manager, built the restaurants business and ecosystem team at Square, and most recently was head of product and design at Mutiny. He also makes ice cream and teaches for fun. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why aspiring PMs should start in engineering, design, or sales • The importance of writing skills, and how to become a better writer • How to automate user research • Kevin’s “unsell email” technique for hiring • The value of keeping a decision log • Insights on AI and its impact on future generations • Lessons from failure — Brought to you by: • BuildBetter—AI for product teams • OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster • Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments — Find the transcript and show notes at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unorthodox-pm-wisdom-kevin-yien — Where to find Kevin Yien: • X: https://x.com/kevinyien • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinyien/ • Website: https://kevinyien.com/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Kevin’s background  (02:00) The story behind Kevin’s profile picture (08:41) The role of a product manager (10:48) Getting started in product management (12:47) The importance of writing skills (15:06) Becoming a better writer (19:10) The PM’s role with engineering and design (28:41) Drawing the perimeter for your team (31:37) Feedback tips (35:13) Decision logs and product sense (45:36) Unorthodox hiring strategies (47:01) The unsell email strategy (54:01) Automating user research (01:02:27) AI in everyday life (01:06:05) Lessons from failure (01:14:34) Lightning round — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 29m
  6. Improve strategy, influence, and decision-making by understanding your brain | Evan LaPointe (founder of CORE Sciences)

    AUG 11

    Improve strategy, influence, and decision-making by understanding your brain | Evan LaPointe (founder of CORE Sciences)

    Evan LaPointe is the founder of CORE Sciences, which teaches companies and individuals how our brains work and how that translates to improved collaboration, better products, faster decision-making, and more growth. Previously, Evan was the co-founder of Satellite, the fourth-largest analytics product on the internet today (it mostly runs behind the scenes, and pretty much everyone listening will have used it today without knowing it), which was acquired by Adobe, where he later ran product strategy, innovation, and long-range thinking for Adobe’s digital experiences business. In our conversation, we discuss: • The three different systems of the brain • How knowing this can help you become more influential • How understanding different brain states will help you increase productivity and creativity • How to improve your vision and strategy skills • How to design a work environment that fosters innovation • How to build better relationships at work • Much more — Use discount code “LENNY” for $5 off the CORE Sciences personality profile: https://www.core-sciences.com/new-core-identity — Brought to you by: • Webflow—The web experience platform • Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product • Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments — Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/understanding-your-brain-evan-lapointe — Where to find Evan LaPointe: • X: https://x.com/evanlapointe • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanlapointe/ • Website: https://www.core-sciences.com/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Evan’s background (02:37) Understanding the brain’s complex systems (07:17) The three core brain systems: safety, reward, and purpose (11:03) Applying brain science to team dynamics (14:27) The role of personality in team performance (17:27) Creating effective work environments (23:16) The science of meetings and decision-making (29:35) Enhancing strategy and vision (54:46) Understanding personality traits in strategy and vision (58:58) Tactical tips for increasing openness (01:05:46) Building influence and effective relationships (01:21:17) The importance of trust and appeal in relationships (01:36:47) Creating a positive organizational habitat (01:50:35) Enhancing focus and productivity (02:00:58) Practical tips for deep work and gamma time (02:07:11) Lightning round — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    2h 15m
  7. How embracing emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment)

    AUG 8

    How embracing emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment)

    Joe Hudson is one of the most sought-after executive coaches in Silicon Valley. He is the founder of Art of Accomplishment, a transformational coaching program that has helped tens of thousands of people, including many tech executives and founders from companies like Apple, OpenAI, and Google. His unique method of transformation comes from over 25 years of exploring neurological, psychological, and spiritual traditions, tested against real-world challenges. In our conversation, Joe shares: • Why the critical voice in your head is always wrong, and how to change your relationship with that voice • Why authenticity trumps self-improvement • The importance of embracing all of your emotions • How to create more enjoyable and effective meetings • The power of gratitude in transforming your life • Practical experiments for personal growth • Much more — Apply for Joe’s Connection Course: Thousands of students have taken Joe’s most popular experience, the Connection Course. Unlike most online courses, there is no reading, lectures, or written homework. It is a three-week experiential deep dive where you will apply your learnings to real-life problems—how to make your team more productive, communicate more effectively, and resolve conflicts with ease. Apply here and use the code LENNY for $300 off your enrollment: view.life/lenny. — Brought to you by: • BuildBetter—AI for product teams • WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs • Coda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace — Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/embracing-your-emotions-joe-hudson — Where to find Joe Hudson: • X: https://x.com/FU_joehudson • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-hudson/ • Website: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/ • Podcast: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/podcast • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theartofaccomplishment — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Joe’s background (02:31) The critical voice in your head (06:39) Changing your relationship with the critical voice (13:19) Understanding and embracing emotions (19:52) The importance of emotional fluidity (24:40) Questioning assumptions and self-perception (30:25) The consequences of avoiding emotions (36:57) Experimenting with self-improvement (39:42) Understanding efficiency and enjoyment (43:17) The power of enjoyment in daily tasks (45:03) Innate enjoyment vs. learned enjoyment (46:31) Authenticity vs. self-improvement (50:01) Embracing emotional experiences (55:49) How understanding your emotions helps you make better decisions (01:02:53) Creating effective teams and meetings (01:10:40) Gratitude practice for personal growth (01:15:36) Conclusion and final thoughts — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 19m
  8. Lessons from scaling Uber and Opendoor | Brian Tolkin (Head of Product at Opendoor, ex-Uber)

    AUG 4

    Lessons from scaling Uber and Opendoor | Brian Tolkin (Head of Product at Opendoor, ex-Uber)

    Brian Tolkin is the Head of Product at Opendoor. Previously, he was one of the early employees at Uber, where he was instrumental in launching and growing UberPool, UberHop, and UberExpress and started one of the first product operations teams in tech. In our conversation, we dive into: • How to enable product and ops to work well together • How to run great product reviews • How to make good decisions with limited data • How he uses the jobs-to-be-done framework at Opendoor • How to stay calm under pressure as a leader • Wild stories from his time at Uber • Challenges faced at Opendoor during the pandemic • Much more — Brought to you by: • Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application • Explo—Embed customer-facing analytics in your product • Attio—The powerful, flexible CRM for fast-growing startups — Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/scaling-uber-and-opendoor-brian-tolkin — Where to find Brian Tolkin: • X: https://x.com/briantolkin • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briantolkin/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Brian’s background (02:14) Career beginnings at Uber (02:49) Transitioning from product operations to product management (06:47) Product and operations synergy (10:00) Surge pricing at Uber (12:18) Scaling challenges, and stories (15:47) Opendoor and Covid adaptations (25:38) Product reviews and Jobs to Be Done (40:30) The challenges of A/B testing (42:23) Increasing conviction in solutions (44:33) Leveraging intuition in product decisions (47:07) Partnering with Zillow (52:55) Staying calm under pressure (56:25) Finding the “kernel of truth” in product management (01:00:21) Failure corner: Early days of Uber Pool (01:06:11) Lightning round and final thoughts — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. — Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

    1h 15m
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Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover concrete, actionable, and tactical advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product. www.lennysnewsletter.com

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