In this episode of How Many CTOs Does It Take?, hosts Brad Hefta-Gaub and Scott Porad sit down with Marcelo Calbucci, a seasoned CTO, startup founder, and author of The PRFAQ Framework: Adapting Amazon's Innovation Process to Work for You.

Marcello shares insights on the PR FAQ framework—an innovation decision-making tool used extensively at Amazon—and its applicability to startups, product managers, and even internal projects within larger organizations. The conversation covers the steps to creating a PR FAQ, common pitfalls, and tips on how to integrate this framework into established corporate cultures.

Marcello also discusses his transition from startups to Amazon, the importance of internal alignment, and the value of answering tough, strategic questions early in the project lifecycle.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:58 Marcello's Background and New Book 02:08 Experience at Amazon 03:46 Understanding PR FAQ 05:25 Importance of Customer Value 07:07 Team Alignment and Decision Making 08:54 PR FAQ in Practice 15:14 Using PR FAQ for Internal Projects 19:18 Adopting PR FAQ in Established Organizations 20:56 Overcoming OKR Failures 21:45 Implementing PR FAQ Format 22:55 Common Pitfalls of PR FAQ 26:03 Confidentiality and Sharing PR FAQ 28:53 Using PR FAQ for Personal and Team Clarity 31:21 Controversial Aspects of PR FAQ 34:45 Adopting PR FAQ in Startups 37:42 Writing a PR FAQ Book 39:33 Conclusion and Where to Find the Book