In Depth

How Figma taps into taste, simplicity, and storytelling | Yuhki Yamashita (CPO at Figma, ex-Uber, Google, Microsoft)


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Yuhki Yamashita is the Chief Product Officer at Figma, leading the product and design teams. Previously, he was a product and design leader at Uber, where he orchestrated the redesign of the rider and driver apps. Yuhki was also a product manager at Google (YouTube iOS app) and Microsoft (Hotmail). Additionally, he has taught introductory computer science at Harvard University.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • How Figma approaches new products, prioritization, and storytelling
  • Product culture at Uber, Microsoft, Google
  • The difference between “good” and “extraordinary” PMs
  • Tactical advice for storytelling
  • The “un-learning” required in new jobs and industries
  • Referenced:

    • Figjam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
    • Figma: https://www.figma.com/
    • Figma Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
    • Figma Slides: https://www.figma.com/slides/
    • Where to find Yuhki:

      • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/
      • Twitter/X: https://x.com/yuhkiyam
      • Where to find Brett:

        • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/
        • Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson
        • Where to find First Round Capital:

          • Website: https://firstround.com/
          • First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/
          • Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround
          • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital
          • This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast
          • (00:00) Introduction

            (02:50) Figma's early days

            (09:11) Product culture across companies

            (13:42) Knowing when to change things

            (17:40) How business goals impact product expansion

            (21:00) Advice for going multi-product

            (24:30) The skills of a “0 to 1” PM

            (27:36) Identifying entrepreneurial talent

            (29:06) Why aren't there more designer founders?

            (35:22) How Figma launches new products

            (41:19) “0 to 1” versus “1 to 10” talent

            (46:01) The role of storytelling at Figma

            (49:22) How Figma prioritizes product

            (55:11) Advice for product storytelling

            (59:02) “Good” vs “extraordinary” product managers

            (61:21) Why product simplicity matters

            (63:52) The importance of taste in product and design

            (67:56) The biggest influence on Yuhki’s product thinking

            ...more
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