Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career - podcast cover

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Lenny Rachitskywww.lennysnewsletter.com
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.

Episodes

Growth tactics from OpenAI and Stripe’s first marketer | Krithika Shankarraman

Krithika Shankarraman was the first marketing hire at OpenAI and Stripe and led marketing at Retool. At OpenAI, she established marketing foundations for ChatGPT for consumers and enterprises, as well as their developer API platform. While at Stripe, she spent over eight years building and scaling their marketing function from scratch. An engineer turned marketer, Krithika brings a uniquely analytical approach to marketing. She currently serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at Thrive Capital, whe...

May 25, 20251 hr 14 min

Unconventional product lessons from Binance, N26, Google, more | Mayur Kamat (CPO at N26, ex-Binance Head of Product)

Mayur Kamat is the chief product officer at N26—a $9 billion neobank serving over 7 million customers in 25 countries—where he leads product, design, data, and research. Prior to N26, Mayur was Head of Product at Binance, growing the crypto exchange to a peak $400 billion valuation. Earlier in his career, he built and scaled products at Google (Gmail Mobile, Hangouts), Microsoft, and travel unicorn Agoda. Learn: 1. How to find and focus on the highest-leverage problems 2. Why you shouldn’t optim...

May 22, 20251 hr 38 min

Microsoft CPO: If you aren’t prototyping with AI you’re doing it wrong | Aparna Chennapragada

Aparna Chennapragada, CPO at Microsoft, discusses the transformative impact of AI on product development and the workplace. She defines AI agents, explains why Natural Language Experience (NLX) is the new UX, and shares insights on prototyping with AI and the evolving role of product managers. Aparna also reflects on her career, compares the leadership styles of Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, and looks ahead to the future of human-agent collaboration.

May 18, 20251 hr 1 min

How Revolut trains world-class product managers: The “local CEO” model, raw intellect over experience, and a cultural obsession with building wow products | Dmitry Zlokazov (Head of Product)

Revolut's Head of Product, Dmitry Zlokazov, shares insights into developing top-tier product managers within the fast-growing fintech company. He explains their "local CEO" model, where Product Owners have end-to-end ownership over cross-functional teams. Key factors include cultivating deep problem-solving skills, an intense focus on building delightful "wow" products, and prioritizing raw intellect and hunger over extensive prior experience when hiring. Dmitry also touches upon the importance of direct customer connection, founder involvement in product details, and the challenges of scaling rapidly across numerous jurisdictions.

May 15, 20251 hr 10 min

How Palantir built the ultimate founder factory | Nabeel S. Qureshi (founder, writer, ex-Palantir)

Nabeel Qureshi discusses Palantir's unique culture, hiring practices, and the forward-deployed engineer model. He explores how Palantir evolved into a successful data/software platform and shares insights on building products, managing data, and starting companies, including the importance of mission alignment and contrarian thinking. The episode also delves into the moral considerations of working at Palantir and offers AI tool recommendations.

May 11, 20251 hr 37 min

How have I been complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want? | Jerry Colonna (CEO of Reboot, executive coach, former VC)

Jerry Colonna is a world-renowned executive coach, a former venture capitalist, and the co-founder and CEO of Reboot, an executive coaching firm that combines practical leadership development with deeper self-inquiry. With over 27 years of coaching experience, he has guided countless leaders through the challenges of scaling companies, building teams, and navigating the emotional complexities of leadership. Known for his radical-self-inquiry approach, Jerry helps leaders uncover the unconscious ...

May 08, 20251 hr 23 min

Inside Devin: The world’s first autonomous AI engineer that's set to write 50% of its company’s code by end of year | Scott Wu (CEO and co-founder of Cognition)

Scott Wu is the co-founder and CEO of Cognition, the company behind Devin—the world’s first autonomous AI software engineer. Unlike other AI coding tools, Devin works like an autonomous engineer that you can interact with through Slack, Linear, and GitHub, just like with a remote engineer. With Scott’s background in competitive programming and a previous AI-powered startup, Lunchclub, teaching AI to code has become his ultimate passion.What you’ll learn: 1. How a team of “Devins” are already pro...

May 04, 20251 hr 33 min

The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can’t stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO)

Michael Truell discusses Cursor's journey to becoming a $300M ARR AI code editor, driven by the vision of "what comes after code." He shares insights on building custom AI models, the increasing importance of "taste" in software development, and the future of engineering roles. The conversation covers market dynamics, defensibility in AI, and advice for those preparing for the AI-driven future.

May 01, 20251 hr 11 min

Inside monday.com’s transformation: radical transparency, impact over output, and their path to $1B ARR | Daniel Lereya (Chief Product and Technology Officer)

Daniel Lereya shares monday.com's journey to $1B ARR, focusing on a transformation spurred by competitors shipping faster. He discusses setting ambitious goals, prioritizing impact over output, and radical transparency, revealing how these strategies redefined monday.com's market position and culture. Lereya also touches on personal leadership challenges and the role of AI, providing insights for recognizing and driving change within growing companies.

Apr 27, 20251 hr 32 min

Announcing a brand-new podcast: “How I AI” with Claire Vo 🔥

Lenny Rachitsky introduces the How I AI podcast with Claire Vo, focusing on practical AI use cases. Sahil Lavingia of Gumroad demonstrates how he uses AI tools like V0 and Devon to rapidly prototype and implement features, transforming engineering workflows. The discussion covers AI's impact on design, marketing, and customer support, emphasizing the importance of adapting organizational culture to leverage AI effectively. Sahil shares strategies for motivating teams to embrace AI and offers insights into the future of AI-driven productivity.

Apr 22, 202548 min

Building a magical AI code editor used by over 1 million developers in four months: The untold story of Windsurf | Varun Mohan (co-founder & CEO)

Varun Mohan, CEO of Windsurf, shares the journey of building an AI code editor used by over 1 million developers in just four months. He discusses pivoting from GPU infrastructure, UI discoveries that tripled adoption, and investing early in a large sales team. Varun also covers how Windsurf empowers non-technical staff, the future of AI in coding, and the importance of continuous innovation.

Apr 20, 20251 hr 14 min

Everyone’s an engineer now: Inside v0’s mission to create a hundred million builders | Guillermo Rauch (founder & CEO of Vercel, creators of v0 and Next.js)

Guillermo Rauch discusses V0, Vercel's AI website building tool, and its mission to empower a hundred million builders. He covers the impact of AI on product development, essential skills for the future, and strategies for improving product design and quality. The episode also explores Vercel's AI-driven development processes and Guillermo's vision for a future where everyone can build and ship their ideas.

Apr 13, 20251 hr 28 min

OpenAI’s CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more | Kevin Weil (CPO at OpenAI, ex-Instagram, Twitter)

In this episode, Kevin Weil, CPO at OpenAI, discusses the rapid advancements in AI, emphasizing the importance of product teams adapting to continuous model improvements. He covers topics like AI model evaluation, the enduring role of chat interfaces, and the future of AI-assisted creativity, while also reflecting on his experience with the Libra project at Facebook. Weil shares insights into OpenAI's product development, hiring strategies, and the potential for AI in education, advocating for an optimistic yet realistic approach to AI's transformative impact on society and the workforce.

Apr 10, 20251 hr 32 min

A better way to plan, build, and ship products | Ryan Singer (creator of “Shape Up,” early employee at 37signals)

Ryan Singer, creator of Shape Up, discusses a better way to plan, build, and ship products. He dives into the appetite-driven approach to product development, the process for running effective “shaping” sessions, and practical techniques for bridging the engineering-design divide. The episode provides insights for implementing Shape Up methods in both startups and enterprise environments, and adapting principles to fit a company’s unique context.

Mar 30, 20251 hr 45 min

How to win in the AI era: Ship a feature every week, embrace technical debt, ruthlessly cut scope, and create magic your competitors can't copy | Gaurav Misra (CEO and co-founder of Captions)

Gaurav Misra, CEO of Captions, discusses how to win in the AI era by shipping a feature every week, embracing technical debt, and creating magic your competitors can't copy. He shares insights from his time at Snap, including their unique product development approach with designers as PMs. The conversation also covers the future of AI-generated video and its impact on marketing.

Mar 27, 20251 hr 26 min

Superhuman's secret to success: Ignoring most customer feedback, manually onboarding every new user, obsessing over every detail, and positioning around a single attribute: speed | Rahul Vohra (CEO)

Rahul Vohra, CEO of Superhuman, discusses the company's unique strategies for success, including ignoring most customer feedback, manually onboarding users, and obsessing over details. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on a single key attribute—speed—and leveraging game design principles in B2B software. The conversation also covers Superhuman's approach to product-market fit, contrarian pricing strategies, and the integration of AI to enhance the email experience.

Mar 23, 20251 hr 25 min

The hidden power of introverts: How to thrive without changing who you are | Susan Cain (author of "Quiet")

Susan Cain, author of "Quiet," discusses how introverts can thrive in the workplace by embracing their true selves rather than trying to become extroverted, sharing practical tactics for success and strategies for handling challenging workplace scenarios. The conversation also covers creating supportive environments, raising introverted children, and the importance of understanding and leveraging introverted strengths for career advancement.

Mar 16, 20251 hr 18 min

Inside Bolt: From near-death to ~$40m ARR in 5 months—one of the fastest-growing products in history | Eric Simons (founder & CEO of StackBlitz)

Eric Simons is the founder and CEO of StackBlitz, the company behind Bolt—the #1 web-based AI coding agent and one of the fastest-growing products in history. After nearly shutting down, StackBlitz launched Bolt on Twitter and exploded from zero to $40 million ARR and 1 million monthly active users in about five months. What you’ll learn: 1. How Bolt reached nearly $40M ARR and 3 million registered users in just five months with a team of only 15 to 20 people 2. How Bolt leverages WebContainer t...

Mar 13, 20251 hr 29 min

Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder)

Anton Osika, CEO of Lovable, discusses building an AI-powered tool that turns descriptions into working products without code, achieving rapid growth to $10M ARR in just 60 days with a small team. The episode covers a live demo, team dynamics, hiring, future skills, and Lovable's vision to be the last piece of software ever needed. It also highlights the importance of product taste, dealing with AI 'unstucking,' and advice for new product teams.

Mar 09, 20251 hr 10 min

Notion’s lost years, its near collapse during Covid, staying small to move fast, the joy and suffering of building horizontal, more | Ivan Zhao (CEO and co-founder)

Ivan Zhao, CEO of Notion, shares the untold story of Notion's early struggles, including near collapse during Covid, and how they found product-market fit after years of resets. Zhao discusses the importance of staying lean, prioritizing systems, and building a product aligned with core values. He emphasizes craft, trade-offs, and the philosophy of tools in relation to human potential, providing valuable insights for founders and product builders.

Mar 06, 20251 hr 12 min

The creator of WordPress opens up about becoming an internet villain, why he’s taking a stand, and the future of open source | Matt Mullenweg (founder and CEO, Automattic)

Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of WordPress, the open source platform powering a staggering 43% of the internet. He also serves as CEO of Automattic—the parent company of brands like WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Tumblr—which is worth over $7 billion, with over 1,700 employees across 90 countries. In this episode, he discusses some of the most controversial topics surrounding WordPress, Automattic, and the broader open source community. — What you’ll learn: • Matt’s response to public critic...

Mar 02, 20251 hr 34 min

An inside look at X’s Community Notes | Keith Coleman (VP of Product) and Jay Baxter (ML Lead)

Keith Coleman (VP of product) and Jay Baxter (founding ML engineer), the minds behind Community Notes, reveal how a small, scrappy team inside Twitter/X built the most trusted crowdsourced information system on the internet—one that’s changing the way we understand truth online. What you’ll learn: 1. How Community Notes actually works —a deep dive into the groundbreaking algorithm that rewards “bridging agreement” instead of majority rule 2. The seemingly crazy yet brilliant way this idea surviv...

Feb 27, 20251 hr 48 min

How to find work you love | Bob Moesta (Jobs-to-be-Done co-creator, author of "Job Moves”)

Bob Moesta , co-creator of the Jobs to Be Done framework, recently published a new book, Job Moves . Drawing from interviews with over 1,000 people about their career transitions, it offers a practical playbook for career development. In our conversation, we discuss: • The four different “quests” that drive career changes • Why job features (salary, title) matter less than experiences • How to identify what gives you energy vs. drains you • The power of taking a “jobcation” • A template for craf...

Feb 23, 20251 hr 25 min

A founder’s guide to crisis management | Uri Levine (Waze co-founder, serial entrepreneur)

Uri Levine is a co-founder of Waze (which was acquired by Google for $1.3 billion in 2013), along with nine other companies (including another company he sold for over $1 billion). He’s also been on 20 boards and has been an advisor to over 50 startups. He recently released a new chapter of his best-selling book Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution , which provides a guide to surviving crises at your company. In this episode, we cover: • The two types of startup crisis and how to hand...

Feb 16, 20251 hr 24 min

OpenAI researcher on why soft skills are the future of work | Karina Nguyen (Research at OpenAI, ex-Anthropic)

Karina Nguyen leads research at OpenAI, where she’s been pivotal in developing groundbreaking products like Canvas, Tasks, and the o1 language model. Before OpenAI, Karina was at Anthropic, where she led post-training and evaluation work for Claude 3 models, created a document upload feature with 100,000 context windows, and contributed to numerous other innovations. With experience as an engineer at the New York Times and as a designer at Dropbox and Square, Karina has a rare firsthand perspect...

Feb 09, 20251 hr 15 min

Tobi Lütke’s leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify)

Tobi Lütke is the founder and CEO of Shopify, a $130 billion business that powers over 10% of all U.S. e-commerce. Starting as a snowboard shop in 2004, Shopify has become the leading commerce platform by consistently approaching problems differently. Tobi remains deeply technical, frequently coding alongside his team, and is known for his unique approach to leadership, product development, and company building. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why complexity kills entrepreneurship • How to de...

Feb 02, 20251 hr 42 min

Linear’s secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product)

Nan Yu is the head of product at Linear, one of the most beloved and fastest-growing B2B SaaS products out there today, and the gold standard for high-performing tech teams. In our conversation, we discuss: • Why speed and quality aren’t actually at odds • Linear’s unique approach to product development • Nan’s systematic approach to creativity • Linear’s philosophy on deadlines • The “double triangle” framework for product management • Nan’s approach to landing his dream product roles • Much mo...

Jan 30, 20251 hr 21 min

An operator’s guide to product strategy | Chandra Janakiraman (CPO at VRChat, ex-Meta, Headspace, Zynga)

Chandra Janakiraman is the chief product officer, executive vice president, and a board member at VRChat. Previously, he was a product leader at Meta, where he led Facebook’s social experience interfaces and Reality Labs’ growth; served as CPO at Headspace, where he helped relaunch the platform, driving a 4x subscriber boost; and was a GM at Zynga, delivering massive hit games that reached hundreds of millions. In our conversation, Chandra shares: • His playbook for developing a product strategy...

Jan 26, 20251 hr 47 min

10 growth tactics that never work | Elena Verna (Amplitude, Miro, Dropbox, SurveyMonkey)

Elena Verna is one of Silicon Valley’s most sought-after growth advisors and operators. She previously led growth at companies like Amplitude, Miro, Dropbox, and SurveyMonkey and is currently doing full-time advising for high-growth tech companies. In our conversation, Elena and I discuss: • 10 growth tactics that never work • Her 3 favorite growth frameworks • How to increase your career optionality — Brought to you by: • Sinch —Build messaging, email, and calling into your product • Vanta —Aut...

Jan 19, 20251 hr 35 min
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