On this episode of #WorkingInTech, we're talking to Walner Dort. Walner is a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft with a strong background in engineering, team leadership, and product operations. He leads work on Defender for APIs and DevOps Security as part of the Customer Engineering (CXE) team, focusing on customer adoption, product updates, and feedback-driven improvements.
Walner is skilled in product leadership, roadmapping, research, and cross-functional collaboration. Known for his analytical approach, he consistently delivers solutions that align with business goals.
Walner will share insights from his career, tips for thriving in product management, and advice for driving innovation and collaboration in tech.
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CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Breaking into Tech
6:00 - Networking at Events
9:46 - Working at Microsoft
11:38 - Product Engineering vs Product Management
18:15 - Getting into Cybersecurity
24:00 - How to Learn Cybersecurity
25:35 - API & DevOps
29:15 - Getting Better at Interviews
40:20 - Self-learning
47:05 - Finding Mentors
51:25 - Is Product Saturated?
53:35 - Details vs Big Picture
56:10 - Building a better Life with Tech
58:40 - Why Macro-thinking?
1:00:20 - Salary Progression
1:01:50 - Final Words