Episode description

In this episode of The Product Podcast, we chat with Tom Wang, Chief Product Officer at Turo, the world’s largest peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace.

Tom shares his journey of scaling Turo from a small team to a leading car-sharing platform that allows entrepreneurs to monetize their idle cars while providing customers with a unique and convenient rental experience. He opens up about his experience in building a high-quality marketplace, the evolution of Turo’s product team, and the importance of staying close to customers to drive innovation.

In this episode, Tom dives into how Turo uses AI to prototype customer-focused solutions, why creating a high-quality marketplace is crucial for long-term success, and the lessons he has learned from Turo's entrepreneurial hosts. He also touches on how Turo’s unique selection of vehicles creates emotional connections with customers and how staying customer-centric drives product development at every stage.

CONTENT
(00:00) 🚗 Turo’s Journey: Scaling a Peer-to-Peer Car-Sharing Marketplace
(01:52) 🚀 From RelayRides to Turo: The Evolution of the Product Team
(04:49) 🌟 The Importance of High-Quality Hosts in Marketplace Success
(07:41) 📈 Building a Data-Informed, Customer-Driven Culture
(13:22) 🛠️ Enhancing Host and Guest Experiences Through Product Innovations
(18:06) 💼 Positioning Turo in a Competitive Market
(23:56) 🤖 How Turo is Using AI to Solve Real Customer Problems
(32:07) 🚙 Looking to the Future: What’s Next for Turo

KEY TAKEAWAYS👇:
1. Customer-Centric Product Development: Tom emphasizes the power of listening to customer feedback—both hosts and guests—ensuring the product meets real-world needs while uncovering new opportunities for innovation.
2. Balancing Data and Insights: While Turo values data, Tom believes that customer interactions and real-world use cases are key to driving product development. It's about blending data with human insights.
3. Leveraging AI for Innovation: Turo uses AI prototypes to solve specific customer problems, ensuring technology aligns with practical, real-world use rather than creating novelty features without value.

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Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Tom Wang