SochCast by Product Soch Abdul Ghaffar

Get ready for an insightful conversation in this week's episode of SochCast as we sit down with Aakash Gupta, CoFounder at Product Growth, to delve into the world of product management and its evolution over the years.Aakash discusses the changes and advancements in Product Management, the skills required, and ways to achieve clarity of thought. They also cover sharing knowledge, virality and network effects. Aakash advises on balancing product strategy and management responsibilities, essential traits for Product Leaders, and characteristics of high-performing teams.Whether you are a seasoned Product Manager or just starting out in the Product Management field, this episode offers valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed.
About the Speaker
Aakash Gupta is a renowned Product Leader having worked with giants like Google, Epic Games, and Affirm. He's also one of the leading content creators on Product Leadership and Product Strategy, helping shape the next generation of product managers.
Chapters
0:00 Aakash’s Introduction
1:37 Aakash’s journey into Product Management
3:20 How has Product Management evolved over the last decade?
6:15 What factors drive popularity of Product Management as a profession?
7:23 How to be a clear thinker as a Product Manager
11:48 Should PMs start publishing content with thin domain expertise?
14:27 What role do virality and network effects play in driving a company's success
17:22 Principles of Product-Led Growth
20:20 How can PMs avoid a delivery-focused mindset?
24:12 How doe s the PM role evolve as they ascend the career ladder?
27:20 How to focus on product strategy vs management responsibilities
30:26 Traits of effective Product Leaders
33:15 What do top product teams at tech giants have in common?
35:46 Impact of AI on Product Management Role
40:02 Evolution of Product Management Role with AI
41:43 Recommended Readings
Recommendations from the episode
Kite Runner by Khaled Hussaini
https://www.amazon.com/Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini-author/dp/1526604736
Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654
Give and Take by Adam Grant
https://www.amazon.com/Give-Take-Helping-Others-Success/dp/0143124986I
nspired by Marty Cagan
https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507

In this week’s episode of SochCast, Abdul Ghaffar sits down with Zaki Shaheen, Engineer at Tome - to unpack the great insights on building AI products and its impact on our future.
Throughout the episode, Zaki shares his insights and expertise on how to create AI products, how openAI fundamental models can be modified, and how jobs will evolve around AI.
Whether you are a seasoned Product Manager or just starting out in the AI field, this episode offers valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed. Tune in to hear Zaki in a thoughtful and engaging conversation about all things building AI Products.
About the Speaker
Zaki Shaheen is a seasoned software engineer working at a Silicon Valley startup called Tome - an AI tool that transforms documents into presentations. After graduating from FAST in 2008, Zaki worked for a few years in Pakistan’s software services ecosystem before getting the nod from Yelp in San Francisco to work on their iOS app. Soon after that, Zaki was hired by Meta (then Facebook) at Menlo Park where he worked on products like Facebook Avatars and Whatsapp.
Chapters
0:00 Zaki’s Introduction
2:41 Idea Behind Tome
4:34 What it means to build an AI Product?
9:19 How to modify openAI Fundamental models?
12:34 How do social biases works in AI?
17:10 How do you go about building AI Products?
25:17 What are some of your favourite AI Products?
26:38 Upcoming AI Products?
29:42 AI Role in AR/VR
31:31 AI's future: what does it hold?
41:27 In the age of AI, how can one future-proof themselves?

In this week’s episode of SochCast, Abdul Ghaffar sits down with the one and only - Moe Ali, the CEO and Founder of Product Faculty - to unpack product strategy and the potential of AI in product management.
Throughout the episode, Moe shares his insights and expertise on how to create a sound product strategy, how to pivot effectively, and what traits great Product Managers possess.
Whether you are a seasoned Product Manager or just starting out in the field, this episode offers valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed. Tune in to hear Moe Ali in a thoughtful and engaging conversation about all things product strategy.
About the Speaker
Moe Ali is a prominent figure in the world of Product Management, with extensive experience in leading product positions at renowned companies like Loblaw Digital, Bell, Invista, and Apple. In 2016, he founded Product Faculty, a leading training institution that provides Product Management training to Product Managers, coaching them to become their best. As the CEO and Founder of Product Faculty, Moe Ali has dedicated himself to advancing the field of Product Management and helping others succeed.
Moe Ali's expertise and insights are sought after by companies around the world, including IBM, McKinsey, and Pearson Education, for whom he serves as a product advisor. He is recognized for his thought-provoking and insightful posts on LinkedIn, where he has amassed a following of nearly 50,000 followers.
Chapters
0:00 Moe’s Introduction
1:30 What is product strategy?
5:06 Product strategy for true innovations
9:45 How does one understand the problem space?
14:24 How do you strategize for companies in different stages?
17:09 How do you know if you're a 0-1 or 1-N PM?
19:08 Examples of products with great strategy
26:26 Do larger companies let smaller ones innovate only to acquire them?
30:16 How do successful PMs utilize data?
35:12 How will AI impact product management?
37:49 How can PMs future proof themselves?
40:10 Traits of great Product Managers
45:39 Recommended Readings

Recommended Readings
Shreyas Doshi Twitter: https://twitter.com/shreyas
Shreyas Doshi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreyasdoshi

In this episode of Sochcast, Abdul sits down with Yasser Bashir, the CEO of Arbisoft, one of the largest software development companies based in Pakistan with a thriving product arm. The discussion centers around tech entrepreneurship in Pakistan, the startup funding situation in the country, and the role that Arbisoft is playing in supporting entrepreneurship.
Yasser Bashir shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Abdul and Yasser also unpack the exciting potential of AI and its potential impact on the tech industry at large.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of tech and entrepreneurship in Pakistan.
About the Speaker
Yasser Bashir is the co-founder and CEO of Arbisoft, a software development company based in Pakistan that employes over 800 employees. Along with software development services, Arbisoft also boast a strong product culture with products like edX, Sentimeter, Fatafat and more. They have been able to materialize strong exits for a number of their product lines.
Yasser is a Stanford and LUMS graduate. After starting his career in software engineering and a stint at Orthoclear, Yasser started Arbisoft. Under Yasser’s leadership, Arbisoft has led the development of 3D/CADD systems, enterprise software including ERPs and CRMs, web, cloud, and mobile applications. Moreover, Yasser is committed to promoting tech entrepreneurship in Pakistan and supporting the growth of the tech industry in the country.
Chapters
0:00 Yasser’s Introduction
1:46 How & Why Yasser started Arbisoft
3:26 Why Yasser chose to start a software dev company
6:55 How has the entrepreneurial landscape evolved in Pakistan?
9:55 Will private equity interest return to Pakistan with the same momentum?
18:30 Role of governance in Pakistan’s tech sector
23:58 Role of Pakistani entrepreneurs to lift the tech sector
25:06 What should Pakistani tech entrepreneurs aim to do?
31:42 Dilemma around brain drain
35:02 Arbisoft's role in the future Pakistani entrepreneurship
39:51 Potential of AI in context of Pakistan
49:39 Is Artifical General Intelligence coming?
58:25 How might AI be exploited?
1:02:39 Advice to Pakistani entrepreneurs
1:06:23 Will doors to funding re-open for Pakistan with the same vigor soon?
Recommended Reading
ChatGPT is a lossy compression of the internet
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web

In this episode, Abdul sits with Ali Rehan - Director of Engineering at Motive - to dive into the fascinating world of Product Management in AI, exploring how AI PMs differ from regular PMs, the impact of AI on our future, the importance of AI ethics and much more.
This is a a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of AI, technology, human impact and business.
About the Speaker
Ali Rehan is a seasoned Product & Engineering Manager with a proven track record of building successful products, especially in the AI domain. Ali started out as a Product Manager at Motive where he managed their Dashcam products and now currently leads the core AI/Vision team.
Before joining Motive, Ali co-founded Groopic, an app that revolutionized group photography with its innovative technology. Under his leadership, the app achieved over 1 million downloads and was recognized by major media outlets such as CNN, TechCrunch, and Gizmodo. With a background in computer vision research and a passion for UI/UX design, Ali's expertise has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Best Startup + Media & Ent Tech Award at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards from 2013 to 2015.
With a Bachelor's and Master's from LUMS, Ali is now bringing his wealth of experience to his role as Director of Engineering at Motive.
Recommended Resources
Harvard Innovation Labs
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_WkN0wg49-eG4SymAQ_4g
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248/ref=sr_1_1
Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss
https://www.amazon.com/Tribe-Mentors-Short-Advice-World/dp/B082VM5VZN/ref=sr_1_1

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:50 Ali’s academic & professional journey
6:17 Journey after Groopic (product)
8:20 Journey into KeepTruckin’
9:36 The drive behind Ali’s early work
13:30 Products Ali worked on during undergrad
15:18 Reflecting on the Groopic app
22:53 Potential to productize Groopic for other businesses
26:47 What is Artificial Intelligence?
33:26 How has Motive productized AI?
39:45 Role of AI in self-driving cars
46:51 How can we better prepare for the ethical challenges of AI?
53:51 What is AI Product Management?
58:58 What AI PMs need to be wary about
1:06:00 Does an AI PM need to be technical?
1:08:46 Will AI lose impact over time?
1:15:39 Recommended Readings

Join Abdul Ghaffar on SochCast as he sits down with Shazil Pervez, a Group Product Manager at Scotiabank, to discuss the world of Fintech. Explore the differences between Product Management in Canada vs Pakistan, why Pakistan hasn't yet achieved its Fintech potential, and insights into driving product innovation and pricing in the industry. Tune in to hear about the future of FinTech in Pakistan and the metrics that inform strategy. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the FinTech industry.
About the speaker
Shazil Pervez is a seasoned product management professional with extensive experience in the fintech industry. He currently leads the product team at Scotiabank as a Group Product Manager, responsible for all domestic and cross-border money movement initiatives. Shazil has a rich history of success in product management, having served as Senior PM at Loblaw Digital and ApplyBoard, as well as Head of Fintech (APAC) at DeliveryHero. He has also spent 7 years at Jazz, where he led a team of 10 and contributed to the growth of their e-wallet customer base to over 12 million users. Shazil holds a BBA and MBA from NUST in Pakistan and has a passion for fintech product management.
Shazil's Recommended Readings
Inspired by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507/ref=sr_1_1
Empowered by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.ca/EMPOWERED-Ordinary-People-Extraordinary-Products/dp/111969129X/ref=sr_1_1
Continuous Discovery Habits: https://www.amazon.ca/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309/ref=sr_1_1
Teresa Torres Product Talk Blog: https://www.producttalk.org/blog/
Lenny’s Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/
The Lean Startup: https://www.amazon.ca/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=asc_df_0307887898/
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:29 Shazil’s Product Journey
6:35 Product Management in Canada vs Pakistan
12:45 Defining Fintech
14:19 Why did Pakistan not achieve it’s Fintech potential?
20:49 Will Pakistan FinTech pick up in the near future?
23:55 Why did Pak telecos move into Fintech?
27:10 How can FinTech players ease the loan process?
32:17 What metrics do you measure & how do they inform strategy?
36:01 How do you drive product innovation in Fintech?
40:45 How do you price Fintech products?
44:25 Difference between Fintech and non-fintech products
47:35 Recommended Readings