Tired of interview podcasts? Us too. That's why we created Unsolicited Feedback - the podcast that should have come out 5 years ago, but we're making it anyway. In this podcast, Brian Balfour (Reforge, HubSpot), Fareed Mosavat (Reforge, Slack) and friends provide unfiltered feedback on the products they actually use, along with key product lessons.
Essentially, we're taking the conversations that happen between experts at invite-only happy-hours and delivering them to the podcast platform of your choice.
Although no one asked for their opinions, they're sharing them. It's like eating Goodles when you want Kraft Mac n Cheese, or Olipop when you want Pepsi - it feels wrong, yet so right.
Each week, they analyze recent announcements, features, and releases across product and growth. The hosts make predictions about where Threads and Twitter will be in a year, and analyze unparalleled growth loops at LinkedIn. They give respect where it's due, but also deliver tear-downs when the writing’s on the wall. Sorry, not sorry!
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
In the span of two weeks, OpenAI launched an app platform with 800 million users, released Agent Kit with visual workflows and custom widgets, and dropped Sora—a social video app that instantly became the #1 and #2 app in the App Store. If you've been following our predictions about the next great distribution shift, this is the moment we've been waiting for. The "open" phase has officially begun. In this episode, Brian Balfour (Founder and CEO of Reforge) is joined by Ravi Mehta (former CPO at ...
What happens when the entire software industry gets repriced on the cost basis of AI? When AI procurement agents are pitting your product against five competitors in real-time speed trials? And when every project management tool builds the exact same agent platform? Welcome to Unsolicited Feedback, where we dig into the messy realities of building in the age of AI. Brian Balfour (Founder and CEO of Reforge) and Aaron White (Founder of Appy.ai , Former CTO at Vendr) are in the thick of building A...
It’s been weeks since GPT-5 launched—which is basically a decade in AI time. The hype fog has finally lifted, and that’s the perfect moment to ask: what really changed, what actually matters, what were the actual product strategy decision? In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat dig into why OpenAI went all-in on a “one model to rule them all” consumer strategy, the quiet product moves aimed at the next billion users, and the weird tension between how they marketed GPT-5 and what the p...
AI’s crown jewels, you data, is under siege. Lawsuits, API throttles, and Cloudflare’s “default-off” move have publishers slamming the gate while AI titans keep battering it down. Brian Balfour (Reforge) and Fareed Mosavat break down who’s suing whom, why API chokeholds matter, and how these defense moves could hand even more power to the Googles and OpenAIs of the world. We then tackle Anthropic’s latest launch: Claude “artifacts.” These bite-sized AI mini-apps piggyback on the user’s own API q...
Get ready for a crash course for you in the next great distribution shift. In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat pull back the curtain on why AI’s real battleground isn’t the tech itself—it’s the fight to be the next distribution platform . Fareed and Brian dissect the playbooks and cycles that crowned Facebook, Google, Apple and LinkedIn as the winners of their categories and turned them from open platforms into toll booths. The key part is who is going to be next, and what you need...
The AI Wild West just got wilder — and we’re riding straight into the melee. In this episode, Brian Balfour , Fareed Mosavat , and special guest Aaron White crack open the three questions every builder is secretly sweating right now: Can you actually differentiate when every launch feels like a land-grab? Is “move fast” still an edge — or just table-stakes? What happens when OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic hoover up all the context you thought was your moat? Expect hot takes on speed-as-a-moat, wh...
Last week we talked about Everyone-versus-Everyone. That hasn’t stopped. Before we could edit and publish the last episode, Google unleashed a “do-everything” AI bundle. Last week we talked about when everyone ships everything at once, how do you find the whitespace? This week we continue to discuss two more tectonic shifts: 1. The Great SEO Trade-Off ➜ The AI Answer Engine - Google’s new AI-mode could nuke the blue-link economy that’s powered the internet for 20+ years. If LLMs hoard the traffi...
In the last 30 days, Notion fired off three products, Figma morphed into a mini-Adobe, OpenAI gobbled Windsurf, and Loom, Atlassian, Anthropic, Cursor, and Granola pointed their AI cannons straight at one another. Welcome to ludicrous speed —a market where every launch feels like a direct hit on your roadmap and “competitive landscape” now means everyone vs. everyone . In this episode Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat are joined by Ravi Mehta to talk about The Great Bundle Brawl, Granola's Escape...
The “AI memo” craze is officially here—and it’s more than executive theater. In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat break down how leading CEOs (Shopify, Duolingo, Box, Meta) are using public AI manifestos to jolt their companies into a faster, smarter future—and what product leaders must do next to turn those words into shipping velocity. What we cover: - The 5-Layer AI Memo Framework —ownership, expectations, directives, accountability, constraints—so your decree actually drives beh...
In this episode, Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat dive into the widening gulf between companies embracing AI and those drowning in corporate red tape. While some organizations are rewriting job descriptions and preparing to ax 40-50% of employees who can't adapt, others are taking MONTHS just to process a basic AI tool agreement. Plus: Glean's existential threat as OpenAI and Anthropic invade the enterprise space, why speed trumps perfection in AI coding tools, and OpenAI's curious social media ...
Brian Balfour, Fareed Mosavat, and Shaun Clowes explore the evolving role of product management in the age of AI. They discuss the fears and opportunities arising from AI-driven automation, emphasizing the enduring importance of strategic vision, judgment, and leadership. The conversation covers adapting to the changing landscape, exploring new skills, and focusing on high-impact activities like exploration and innovation, rather than rote processes.
The Unsolicited Feedback podcast is back for a season 3. We kicked off episode 1 with Casey Winters going deeper on Product Market Fit Collapse. In this episode we discuss: Unlike previous tech shifts (mobile, internet), AI is causing exponential rather than linear increases in customer expectations The speed of both capability advancement and consumer adoption is unprecedented Competition is coming from all directions simultaneously. Incumbents are heavily invested and moving quickly. New start...
AI Innovations & Growth Strategies with Andrew Chen | Unsolicited Feedback Live This is a special live episode of Unsolicited Feedback, as part of Reforge's ref:AI conference. Join Fareed Mosavat as he welcomes Andrew Chen from Andreessen Horowitz for an engaging discussion on AI's impact on product growth and innovation. This episode covers the significance of the S curve in technology adoption, the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid AI advancements, and what it means for start...
Real-Time Feedback: Apple's WWDC 2024 w/ Aaron White & Fareed Mosavat In this Real-Time Feedback Episode , Fareed Mosavat and AI thought-leader Aaron White unpack Apple's strategic moves announced during WWDC, focusing on their approach to AI, their hardware ecosystem, and their long-term vision. We analyze Apple's iterative process, their integration of machine learning and AI, the implications of Apple intelligence, and the unmet potential of the Apple Vision Pro. We also revisited how App...
The Future of AI in Marketing, Growth & Content: Season 2 Finale (Part 2) w/ Brian Balfour, Ravi Mehta, Joff Redfern, and Fareed Mosavat In part two of the Unsolicited Feedback Season 2 Finale , Brian Balfour, Joff Redfern, Ravi Mehta, and Fareed Mosavat return to discuss the challenges associated with marketing in the face of declining search trends. They also explore the growing significance of content licensing deals and contemplate the future as AI models become commoditized and our inte...
Key Takeaways from H1 2024: Reflecting on Hardware, Unstructured Data, and the Future of Product Management In the season 2 finale of 'Unsolicited Feedback,' co-hosts Brian Balfour, Ravi Mehta, and Joff Redfern join Fareed Mosavat to reflect on the most compelling topics of the season. They start with discussions on how trends diverge between hardware and software markets, and the distinctions between luxury and premium products. The episode takes a deep dive into AI's role in revolutionizing un...
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 we...
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 use...
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 strateg...
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...
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://w...
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 n...
Revolutionizing Productivity: Feedback on Loom, Linear, and Even LaunchDarkly w/ Claire Vo In part two of our "Unsolicited Feedback," host Fareed Mosavat and our esteemed guest, Claire Vo (CPO at LaunchDarkly, Founder of ChatPRD), explore significant advancements in AI and collaboration tools, with a spotlight on Loom and Linear's latest innovations. The episode delves into how these tools are not only enhancing productivity but also potentially reshaping communication norms in professional envi...
Building ChatPRD and 🌶️ Takes on the Future of Product Management in the AI-Era w/ Claire Vo In this week’s episode of "Unsolicited Feedback," we're excited to welcome back Claire Vo, CPO of LaunchDarkly and the founder of ChatPRD. As a repeat guest, Claire delves into the intricacies of building her AI tool, ChatPRD, and shares her incisive perspectives on the evolving roles in product management as AI reshapes the industry in 2024 and beyond. Check out a full summary of her hot takes at Unsol...
Critiquing Disney's Strategic Moves & Bundling Choices; Navigating the Future of Streaming In this episode of 'Unsolicited Feedback,' host Fareed Mosavat and guest Mariah Muscato, a Director of Product at HubSpot, dive into a detailed discussion about Disney Plus, its bundle strategy, and the broader challenges facing streaming services. They explore Disney's transition from content creation to embracing technology, its battles with activist investors, and strategic decisions against the bac...
Tinder's New Safety Feature Delivers More Than Just Security to the Legendary Swiping App 🎉 In this episode of 'Unsolicited Feedback', host Fareed Mosavat and guest Mariah Moscato (Director of Product, HubSpot) discuss the intricacies of dating apps, with a focus on Tinder's new safety feature, 'Share My Date'. This feature allows users to share their location and date details for safety purposes. They explore how it not only enhances user safety but could open Tinder to new user groups and pot...
Feedback on Humane, Limitless, and AirChat: Positioning and Strategy Insights For Early Stage Companies In Part 2 of our conversation with Kieran Flanagan, CMO behind Zapier & HubSpot, we wanted to get back to our roots with some Unsolicited Feedback on the product launches of Humane AI, Limitless, and AirChat. Along the way, we uncovered a few key lessons for any early stage company navigating the complexities of market entry and product development. If you think we’re wrong about any of th...
The New AI Marketing Playbook Amid Google's Stumbles This week on Unsolicited Feedback, Brian Balfour & Fareed Mosavat welcomed Kieran Flanagan , and within 30 seconds of taping, Kieran dropped a 💣 on us! He’s leaving his role as CMO of Zapier and rejoining HubSpot to lead initiatives at the intersection of marketing and AI! Kieran is driven by the opportunity to define the future of marketing in an AI-driven world, and that naturally became our first topic. As Kieran prepares to dive back ...
Product Lessons from Netflix's "Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul" with Penelope Talbot-Kelly In a fascinating episode of our podcast, Penelope Talbot-Kelly & Fareed Mosavat dove deep into the Netflix documentary "Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul." The discussion revealed critical insights that resonate far beyond the e-cigarette industry, touching on fundamental issues relevant to all tech companies. But first, Fareed and Penelope discuss the broader tech landscape, discussing trends s...
Unpacking the Google-HubSpot Acquisition Rumors: Implications for the Future of CRM This week on "Unsolicited Feedback," host Fareed Mosavat welcomed Penelope Talbot-Kelly, GM of Platform & Services at DoorDash, and Austin Hays, a veteran in CRM and Martech, to discuss the buzzing rumors about Google potentially acquiring HubSpot. Austin previously joined us to chat about HubSpot’s acquisition of Clearbit. Well, he’s back to help us delve deeper into what this new merger could mean for the C...
