Strong teams and transformed product practices drive growth. In order to drive outcomes using software and build great product teams, you need to drive speed to value and adapt quickly. The problem is, technology teams and business teams are often disjointed and lack clarity around each other’s “why.”

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

In this first part of a continuing series on the Convergence podcast, Ashok Sivanand and Bailey O'Shea, Head of Product at Integral, explore 9 conversations essential for the success of product teams that are too often forgotten. These conversations are cultivated from the years of experience Ashok and the team at Integral have consulting with some of the best product makers in the world.

This discussion is vital for product managers and team leaders, offering an in-depth look at the nuanced dialogues that shape a product's journey from ideation to market execution. Learn about the often-overlooked discussions that can significantly enhance agility, speed up market delivery, and maintain team alignment as your operations scale.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Access Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Inside the episode...

• Understanding Communication Impact: Ashok and Bailey discuss how insufficient communication can severely affect team dynamics, decelerate processes, and impede agility.
• Critical Conversations for Product Teams: They highlight the crucial but frequently missed discussions necessary within product teams to prevent bottlenecks and foster a culture of transparency.
• Methods for Effective Dialogue: They share detailed strategies on facilitating these conversations to ensure comprehensive alignment across roles from engineers to product managers.
• Practical and Theoretical Insights: The episode offers practical examples and theoretical insights to help listeners understand the application of these conversations in real teams, along with the foundational theories behind their significance.

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

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In this episode, Ashok sits down with Josh Seiden, author and product management expert, to explore key insights from Josh's latest book, "Who Does What by How Much." The conversation centers around using OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to align teams and improve organizational outcomes. They examine the challenges many teams face when implementing frameworks like OKRs or Agile and emphasize the importance of understanding the "why" behind these systems. Josh also reflects on his early work, such as developing the Kensington Turbo Mouse and collaborating with Alan Cooper, widely known as the "Father of Visual Basic."

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Get key strategies for fostering a customer-centric culture, building effective product teams, and aligning leadership with team goals. Whether you’re new to OKRs or looking to refine your process, this episode provides actionable advice for team leaders, product managers, and executives alike.

Inside the Episode...

• The role of OKRs in driving business alignment and outcomes
• The importance of clarifying the "why" behind processes like OKRs or Agile
• Josh Seiden’s background and his early design work with the Kensington Turbo Mouse
• Strategies for using frameworks to empower teams and avoid over-focusing on the process
• How to implement OKRs successfully and avoid common pitfalls
• The evolution of design thinking in product development
• Understanding the customer’s role at every level of an organization
• Key lessons from "Who Does What by How Much" and Josh's other books

Mentioned in this Episode:

• "Who Does What by How Much" by Josh Seiden and Jeff Gothelf
• "Lean UX" by Josh Seiden and Jeff Gothelf
• "Sense and Respond" by Josh Seiden and Jeff Gothelf
• The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
• "Outcomes Over Outputs"
• The Kensington Turbo Mouse
• Alan Cooper - The father of visual basic, author of About Face
• Book that every software designer should now - About Face by Alan Cooper
• Vitsoe Shelving

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts, including video episodes on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast.

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Derek Ferguson from The Fitch Group returns to share how his team of 600+ developers leverages generative AI tools like Amazon’s CodeWhisperer and implements DORA metrics to boost productivity and team health. In this second part of the conversation, he delves into the transformative impact of these tools and the innovative strategies driving adoption and success at scale.

Listen to Derek’s experiences in introducing cutting-edge tools to a large organization, his lessons in fostering experimentation, and the surprising parallels between today’s AI adoption and the internet boom. From the role of community practices versus centers of excellence to pragmatic advice on technology adoption, this episode is packed with actionable insights for leaders and developers alike. Stick around for Derek’s perspective on the evolving role of technologists in an AI-driven world and how music creation intersects with his tech expertise.

Inside the episode…

• Exploring generative AI for software development and its transformative potential.

• Implementing DORA metrics to boost productivity and enhance team alignment.

• Lessons learned from scaling technology practices across large organizations.

• The balance between prescriptive guidance and fostering creativity in teams.

• Insights into creating impactful developer communities of practice.

Mentioned in this episode

• Generative AI tools (e.g., Amazon’s CodeWhisperer)

• DORA metrics (DevOps Research and Assessment)

• Tools for music and tech crossover (e.g., RipX, Replicate)

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.  

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Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.  

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Great developer experience isn’t just about clean docs or helpful error messages—it’s about intentionally delighting your user at every step. In this episode of Convergence.fm, host Ashok Sivanand is joined by Kenneth Auchenberg—former product leader at Microsoft and Stripe—for a masterclass on what it really takes to design and scale developer-centric platforms.

The Convergence.fm podcast team is taking a break in the month of August, but we’ll be back with new episodes in the fall. Until then, Ashok wants to share one of his favorite episodes. We’ll be back in September with a new set of episodes on fostering engaged teams who ship delightful products. Thanks for watching and listening. 

This episode originally aired June 24th, 2024

Kenneth helped shape Visual Studio Code and later played a key role in defining Stripe’s gold-standard API experience. In this conversation, he breaks down the building blocks of DevEx success—from friction logging and human-centered design to measuring satisfaction and optimizing for the long tail of developers.

They explore the differences between platform and infrastructure businesses, explain why most companies aren’t ready to be platforms, and walk through frameworks for product metrics that matter. Whether you’re designing your first SDK or scaling a full-fledged platform, you’ll leave with actionable insights for making developers love your product.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral’s player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Inside the episode…

• What Stripe got right about developer experience

• The difference between DevRel and DevEx

• How to test and measure developer delight

• When to evolve from infrastructure to platform

• Why great DevEx starts with product-market fit

Mentioned in this episode…

• Stripe

• Microsoft / VS Code

• GitHub

• AWS Marketplace

• Shopify

• Superbase

• Recent.dev

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It’s how we grow.

As former Chief Product Officer at Whoop, Ben Foster had a front-row seat to one of the boldest product decisions in wearables: selling hardware as a subscription. In this encore episode, Ashok and Ben explore what it takes to align hardware, firmware, and software teams to create a seamless membership experience—and how that strategy set the stage for Whoop’s continued success, including the recent release of the Whoop 5.

The Convergence.fm podcast team is taking a break in the month of August, but we’ll be back with new episodes in the fall. Until then, Ashok wants to share one of his favorite episodes, starring Ben Foster of Prodigy, who opens up about building hardware-enabled subscription products and crossing the product-market chasm. We’ll be back in September with a new set of episodes on fostering engaged teams who ship delightful products. Thanks for watching and listening. 

This Episode originally aired May 21st, 2024

You’ll hear how Whoop adapted to serve both elite athletes and everyday health-minded users, how Ben’s frameworks helped prioritize roadmaps under pressure, and how the team leveraged personas and retention metrics to shape the product strategy. If you’re navigating the shift from services to scalable product thinking—or just love geeking out on wearable tech—this one’s for you.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral’s player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Inside the episode…

• Why Whoop bet on a subscription-only hardware model—and how it paid off

• Navigating product strategy across hardware, firmware, and software

• What it really means to build for product-market fit

• A breakdown of Whoop’s layered user personas

• How to cross the chasm without losing your early adopters

• The importance of clarity, vision, and playing offense as a product team

• Lessons on persona development and roadmap prioritization

• What product leaders get wrong about saying “no”

• Behind the book: Build What Matters and the frameworks inside

Mentioned in this episode

• Whoop

• Prodigy Group

• Build What Matters (book)

• Integral Product Success Lab

• Microsoft Spot

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It’s how we grow.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make test-driven development more than a coding technique, this episode is for you. Ashok Sivanand and producer Doug Branson answer listener and Reddit-sourced questions about building better product teams—covering everything from mindset shifts to hard truths about performance reviews and strategic alignment.

Ashok connects TDD to the principles of Essentialism by Greg McKeown, revealing how teams can define success before they begin and cut through the noise of Slack and OKRs. Hear practical advice for first-time founders struggling to articulate value without a 20-minute demo, plus techniques to scale beyond early adopter customers using real-world interviews and Jobs to Be Done.

Later, they explore how to recover from a tough performance review, especially in remote roles, and why communication—not effort—is often the missing ingredient. The episode wraps with a conversation about the dangers of leadership ambiguity when a company isn’t sure whether it’s selling a service or a product.

ASK YOUR QUESTION: convergence.fm/contact

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Episodes referenced in this episode...

From Code to Culture: How Shopify Thrives Under Farhan Thawar’s Thought Leadership - https://youtu.be/tKEKfjACv3k

The POWER of Small Data With High Signal - A Jobs To Be Done masterclass with Andrew Glaser - https://youtu.be/0X1RKZWJgOU

Building Customer-Centric Teams: Josh Seiden on OKRs and Agile - https://youtu.be/0dPoDNCQmyc

Best of 2024 - Derisking and Evolving on your OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Implementation - https://youtu.be/6HcRd6qUq1A

Inside the episode...

• TDD as a mindset beyond code, inspired by Essentialism

• How to recover from a tough performance review in a remote org

• Tips for first-time founders explaining product value without demos

• Jobs to Be Done and using customer language in sales

• Diagnosing product vs service strategy confusion in your org

Mentioned in this episode...

• Essentialism by Greg McKeown

• The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick

• Jobs to Be Done framework

• Calendly

• Integral

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.  

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What happens when your lead engineer leaves and takes the product knowledge with them? In this episode, Ashok Sivanand tackles some of the most pressing product and engineering questions straight from the community—including how to prevent panic-inducing knowledge loss, when founders should or shouldn’t vibe code, and how to choose between building full-service or self-serve platforms.

Ashok is joined by producer Doug Branson for a first-ever audience Q&A format that covers real problems from real teams. From unit test-driven documentation to AI-assisted code exploration, this episode gives both quick fixes and long-term strategies for building resilient teams. Plus, learn the Lexus vs Scion framework that product leaders are using to determine their go-to-market path when serving both advanced and beginner users.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Inside the episode...

• How to prevent engineering burnout and knowledge bottlenecks

• The pros and cons of vibe coding for technical founders

• Using AI tools like Copilot to debug and document

• Choosing between full-service vs self-serve platform tools

• Aligning product strategy with internal team maturity

Mentioned in this episode

• GitHub Copilot

• Cursor

• Reddit Product Management Community

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.  

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Dan Berger led Social Tables through a $100M exit and now he’s focused on something even harder to build: belonging. In this vulnerable conversation, he shares what most leaders miss about culture, how his board almost ousted him due to a toxic exec hire, and why belonging should be treated as a leadership choice — not an HR initiative. He also unpacks why rituals matter, why alcohol doesn’t belong in team settings, and what founders can learn from AA meetings about structure, vulnerability, and connection.

We also get into his latest venture, Assemble Hospitality Group, a new asset class of “micro resorts” designed for team offsites and retreats. Dan breaks down the mechanics of retreat design, conscious exclusivity, and how different team members — from introverts to eager belongers — need different paths to feel seen and connected. If your company is hybrid, remote, or just feeling disconnected, this episode offers sharp, practical insight to get back on track.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

• Why belonging is more strategic than DEI

• The definition of belonging (and why it’s a sense, not a feeling)

• Dan’s concept of “conscious exclusivity” and why it matters for leaders

• What to do when a board pushes exec hires that don’t fit your culture

• How to communicate emotion and intuition as a founder

• What Alcoholics Anonymous teaches us about structure and ritual

• How to design team retreats with different belonging personas in mind

• Why alcohol doesn’t belong in work events

• When to prioritize shared learning over shared office space

• belongingquest.com/quiz – Belonging Archetype Quiz

• Belonging Archetypes: Chimpanzees, Meerkats, Jaguars, Wolves

• The Quest by Dan Berger

• Assemble Hospitality Group

• danjberger.com

• Home Assistant

• Granola (screen recorder)

• Atio (CRM)

• Clay (prospecting tool)

• Obama’s “Team of Rivals” Cabinet

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.  

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AI can make therapy more accessible—but only if it's done right. In this episode, ex-Google and Amazon product leader Seth shares his journey from panic attacks to building Volo Health, an AI-powered tool for anxiety, depression, and addiction. He breaks down how most therapy tools get it wrong, what makes human-centered AI actually safe, and how product teams can reconnect with the humans they serve—even at scale. Seth opens up about leaving Silicon Valley, his personal journey with emotional healing, and the limits of traditional therapy. Along the way, we explore the ethics of AI in mental health, the value of 12-step recovery models, and the risks of over-validating users with AI. If you're a founder, product lead, or designer thinking about building in healthcare, mental wellness, or with generative AI—this conversation is a must.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

In this episode...

Why AI validation isn't always helpful—and can sometimes be harmful

How Volo Health uses opinionated AI, clinical oversight, and anonymized data to personalize support

The difference between optimizing for scale vs. building for emotional impact

What Seth learned from working at Amazon, Google, and in recovery circles

How founders can build teams and products that don’t lose sight of the human

Mentioned in this episode...

Volo Health LangChain / LangGraph

ChatGPT / GPT-based therapy models

988 Crisis Line

SVS Subwoofers (yes, really)

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

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Karthik Suresh has seen the software industry from all sides — high-frequency trading, Meta’s product teams, early-stage startup trenches, and now the frontier of AI agents. As co-founder of Double-O, he’s building a platform that helps non-technical teams automate complex business processes using AI agents described in plain English.

In this episode, Karthik shares hard-won lessons about what it really takes to make agentic workflows work in production — and why most companies are still getting it wrong. We talk about the structural failures hiding inside most AI proof-of-concepts, the overlooked importance of eval frameworks, and why enterprise leaders may be unintentionally blocking their own GenAI progress by clinging to control instead of creating trust.

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Inside the episode...

• Why most AI agent workflows break outside the demo environment

• How to architect agents like a real team, with roles and review loops

• What eval frameworks are and how they protect optionality

• Common failure patterns when swapping models or changing prompts

• How to tell when you’ve actually hit product-market fit

• Why pivot decisions are rarely data-first and often emotionally fraught

• How startups maintain speed by designing for change, not certainty

• What big companies get wrong about AI adoption and control

• Lessons from a $400M trading system failure Karthik lived through

• The future of agent-to-agent communication and orchestration protocols

Mentioned in this episode

• DoubleO.ai

• Craft.co

• Ignition

• Ocar.io

• Ragas eval framework

• CrewAI

• AutoGen

• LangGraph

• Granola (AI call recorder)

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts, including video episodes on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5-star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It’s how we grow.