Show Notes:

In the latest episode of the Way of Product Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Brian Donohue, Vice President of Product at Intercom. Brian has been a critical player at Intercom for over 11 years, where he has navigated the company’s growth and transformation, especially in the ever-evolving world of AI integration.

Brian shared his insights and experiences in transforming product development at Intercom, focusing on building a Fin AI agent that’s set to redefine customer support.

With over two years dedicated solely to AI, Brian discussed the company’s journey from its early machine learning beginnings to embracing large language models.

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

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Actionable Takeaways✅ Embrace the uncertainty and potential of AI-driven product innovation.

✅ Aligning incentives through outcome-based pricing instead of traditional SaaS models.

✅ Balancing traditional product management structures with innovative AI development approaches.

Time Stamps

04:15 AI Integration in Product Development07:40 Architectural and Product Thinking in AI11:05 Challenges and Innovations in AI Implementation18:00 Continuous Improvement and Reassessment24:50 Inherited Product Design Flaws31:35 Technical Rigor and Product Validation37:10 Evolving Product Management Practices42:15 The Role of AI in Modern Product Development49:20 Outcome-Based Pricing Explained55:00 AI Transformation and R&D Services59:30 Adapting Product Development to Customer Needs66:45 Final Thoughts and Future Outlook70:20 Connecting with Brian Donahue

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