In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Ashok Bania, Senior Vice President of Product at SoundCloud.

SoundCloud is the original open platform that disrupted the music industry alongside Spotify, providing massive distribution to millions of artists, including superstars like Billie Eilish and Post Malone. It's a free music app available on web and mobile that connects DJs and singers with over 150 million fans worldwide. After a period of strategic shifts, SoundCloud became profitable for the first time in 16 years.

Ashok oversees product strategy, growth, and monetization at SoundCloud. He has a proven track record of building successful consumer subscription products and marketplaces at companies like Spotify, Lyft, Tumblr, and Headspace.

In this episode, we'll explore SoundCloud's turnaround from near collapse to profitability, specific AI use cases that enhance music discovery and community engagement, and Ashok's unique approach to product development and growth strategies.

What you'll learn:
- Ashok's journey to becoming SVP of Product at SoundCloud and his insights on the platform's transformation.
- The challenges and strategies involved in revitalizing a global, open music platform.
- How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, creator-centric environment.
- The future of music technology, including AI-powered remixes and personalized discovery.

Key Takeaways👇:
- Creator-First Approach: Ashok emphasizes the importance of catering to both established and emerging artists through innovative tools and distribution methods.
- AI-Driven Music Experiences: SoundCloud is leveraging AI to enhance music discovery and enable community-driven remixes, generating over 1,400 submissions in recent contests.
- Mission-Based Team Structure: Ashok highlights the shift towards organizing teams around specific missions rather than traditional product divisions to solve core user needs.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Ashok Bania

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In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Chiara McPhee, Chief Product Officer at Postscript, a leader in SMS marketing for e-commerce. Postscript is revolutionizing how e-commerce brands engage with customers. With over $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and more than 20,000 Shopify merchants using their platform, Postscript has become a powerhouse in conversational commerce. Their SMS marketing tools have helped generate over $2 billion in e-commerce revenue for their customers annually, with open rates exceeding 90%, far outpacing traditional email marketing.

In this episode, Chiara shares her insights on:

• Leveraging generative AI to create personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue.
• How AI agents are outperforming human customer support in certain areas.
• Key revenue leading indicators in SMS marketing and setting up effective attribution models.
• Overcoming challenges in scaling infrastructure to achieve $100M in Annual Recurring Revenue.
• The benefits of focusing exclusively on Shopify.
• The "Horizon Strategy" approach to building teams tailored for Horizon 1 (cash cow), Horizon 2 (growth), and Horizon 3 (moonshots), balancing short-term wins with long-term ambitious goals in product development.

In this episode, we'll explore how Postscript is leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver personalized customer experiences, driving revenue and redefining e-commerce marketing. We'll discuss leveraging generative AI to create personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue, how AI agents are outperforming human customer support in certain areas, overcoming challenges in scaling infrastructure to achieve $100M in Annual Recurring Revenue, and the benefits of focusing exclusively on Shopify.

 What you'll learn:

• Chiara's journey to becoming CPO at Postscript and her insights on the power of SMS marketing.
• How generative AI enables personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue.
• Key strategies for SMS marketing, including compliance, personalization, and integration with other channels.
• How to structure product teams using the "Horizon Strategy" to balance short-term wins with long-term innovation.
   

Key Takeaways:

• Personalized Conversations: Chiara emphasizes the importance of leveraging generative AI to create personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue.
• Focus on Shopify: Chiara highlights the company's strategic decision to focus exclusively on Shopify, and the impact it had on business outcomes.
• Horizon Strategy: Chiara shares the benefits of the "Horizon Strategy" approach to building product teams tailored for different stages of growth and innovation.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Chiara McPhee

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
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In this episode, Carlos González interviews Tanya Cordrey, Chief Product Officer at Motorway, the UK's fastest-growing used car marketplace.

Motorway is revolutionizing the used car industry in the UK, with a gross market value of $2.5 billion per year and over half a million people selling their cars through their network. Founded recently, Motorway has quickly become a digital powerhouse, offering both sellers and dealers innovative ways to engage in the used car market.

Tanya leads product experience and strategy for Motorway's digital portfolio, including their marketplace platform that connects individual car sellers with professional car dealers. Prior to Motorway, Tanya held leadership positions at Instagram, eBay, and The Guardian, bringing a wealth of experience in scaling digital products and marketplaces.

In this episode, we'll explore the challenges of building a C2B marketplace, how Tanya and her team are leveraging technology to deliver excellent experiences for both sellers and dealers, and the future of automotive technology. We'll discuss features such as AI-assisted photo uploads, weather-based reminders, and end-to-end solutions for dealers, all designed to streamline the car selling and buying process.

What you'll learn:

• Tanya's journey to becoming CPO at Motorway and her insights on building global product teams.
• The challenges and strategies involved in creating a C2B marketplace in the used car industry.
• How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, two-sided marketplace environment.
• The future of automotive technology, including AI-assisted processes and marketplace efficiencies.
  
  

Key Takeaways:

• Marketplace Efficiency: Tanya emphasizes the importance of understanding and optimizing both sides of the marketplace to create value for sellers and dealers.
• Innovative User Experiences: Motorway is pushing boundaries with features like AI Image Assist and weather-based reminders to reduce friction in the car-selling process.
• Data-Driven Product Development: Tanya highlights the use of specific KPIs and user behavior analysis to guide product decisions and improvements, focusing on key moments in the user journey.
  
  

Credits:

Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Tanya Cordrey

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
• Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
• Follow Product School on LinkedIn here

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Karen Ng, Senior Vice President of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot.

HubSpot is a leading software platform empowering over 184,000 businesses across 120 countries to manage their sales, marketing, and customer support teams. In 2024, HubSpot generated over $2.5 billion in revenue, driven by significant investments in Artificial Intelligence.

Karen oversees critical products like Smart CRM, Operations Hub, and Ecosystem, while driving strategic partnerships and business development. Her technical expertise is notable, with three patents. She has also published research in stress detection, interactive health assessments, and robotic expressivity when she worked as a Machine Learning Researcher at MIT.

In this episode, we'll explore Karen's approach to deploying AI Agents across HubSpot's product portfolio, her decision-making process for when to Build, Buy, or Partner, and her innovative approach to product org design. We'll discuss how product teams can leverage AI Agents to augment their impact and automate workflows, and how product leaders can elevate their roles as key drivers of revenue.

What you'll learn:

• Karen's journey to becoming SVP of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot and her insights on the company's AI transformation.
• The challenges and strategies involved in creating a global, multi-product platform for businesses.
• How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, customer-centric environment.
• The future of business technology, including AI-powered tools and self-service products.

Key Takeaways👇:

• AI-Driven Product Development: Karen emphasizes the importance of integrating AI across HubSpot's product suite to enhance customer value and streamline operations.
• Innovative Organizational Structure: HubSpot is pushing boundaries with a hybrid approach to product teams, combining functional structures and pod-based teams for agility and ownership.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Karen highlights the use of OGPs (Objectives, Goals, and Plays) and customer feedback to guide product decisions and improvements.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Karen Ng

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
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In this episode, we host Cem Kansu, Vice President of Product at Duolingo, the world’s leading language-learning platform.
Duolingo has experienced tremendous growth, transforming from a free translation app in 2011 to a public company valued at over $15 billion, with annual revenues exceeding $700 million. The platform now offers courses in 43 languages, boasts over 113 million monthly active users, and has expanded into math and music education.

Cem has been instrumental to Duolingo's success over the past nine years, leading all core product, growth, and monetization efforts.

In this episode, we'll explore Duolingo’s product and market expansion strategy, how the company introduces gamification to drive engagement, and the key leading indicators used to increase monetization while staying true to its mission of free education. We'll also delve into how Duolingo runs concurrent experiments at scale and the role of voice AI in personalizing the learning experience, including innovative features like the "Video Call with Lily."

What you'll learn:
- Cem's journey in leading product at Duolingo and his insights on balancing growth with educational accessibility.
- Strategies for building a successful freemium model in the education technology space.
- How Duolingo leverages A/B testing and data-driven decision-making.
- The role of AI and gamification in creating engaging learning experiences.

Key Takeaways 👇:
- Freemium Monetization: Duolingo has found a successful balance between offering free education and generating revenue through premium features.
- Data-Driven Innovation: The company's commitment to A/B testing and analytics informs its product roadmap and ensures continuous improvement.
- Engaging User Experience: Duolingo leverages gamification and AI to make learning fun and effective, competing for user attention in a crowded digital landscape.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Cem Kansu

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
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In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Ilan Frank, Chief Product Officer at Checkr, the leading background check company serving over 100,000 customers.

Checkr has revolutionized the background check industry, processing 85% of checks in 15 minutes or less, compared to the industry standard of 1 to 3 days. This remarkable efficiency is achieved through the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

With $679 million in funding and a $5 billion valuation, Checkr serves major companies like Uber, Warby Parker, and Instacart. Ilan is spearheading the core business while driving product expansion into larger enterprises and new markets.

In this episode, we'll explore Ilan's extensive experience in building SaaS products for large enterprises, including his work at successful companies like Slack, Airtable, and Grammarly. We'll discuss the challenges and strategies involved in transitioning from SMB to enterprise success.

What you'll learn:
- Ilan's journey to becoming CPO at Checkr and his insights on the background check industry's digital transformation.
- The challenges and strategies involved in creating enterprise-ready products and organizations.
- How to balance user delight with complex enterprise client needs.
- The future of background check technology, including AI-powered innovations and international expansion.

Key Takeaways:
- Enterprise Readiness: Ilan emphasizes the importance of both product and organizational readiness when transitioning to serve enterprise clients.
- Product Management Approach: Ilan shares his "Three Buckets" strategy for prioritizing features: metrics movers, customer asks, and delighters.
- Data-Driven Innovation: Ilan highlights the use of AI and machine learning to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, revolutionizing the background check industry.
- Enterprise Product Development: Ilan discusses the importance of understanding both the "chooser" and the "user" in enterprise software, and how to create value for both.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Ilan Frank

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
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In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Dave Bottoms, General Manager and Vice President of Product at Upwork.

Upwork is the world's largest global talent marketplace, connecting millions of businesses with independent professionals and agencies worldwide. With freelancers from all over the world, over 800,000 active clients, Upwork has become a cornerstone of the gig economy, valued at over $2 billion.

Dave leads product strategy and development for Upwork's marketplace, overseeing the implementation of AI technologies and balancing core business growth with emerging initiatives. His diverse background includes roles at tech giants like Meta, Dropbox, and Yahoo, where he led the homepage redesign project under Marissa Mayer's tenure.

In this episode, we'll explore Upwork's journey through the remote work revolution, the integration of AI in freelance marketplaces, and the future of work. We'll discuss how Upwork is leveraging technology to enhance both client and freelancer experiences, including the implementation of their AI agent "Uma" and innovative monetization strategies.

What you'll learn:
- Dave's transition from journalism to product leadership and his insights on Upwork's growth in the evolving landscape of remote work.
- The challenges and strategies involved in managing a two-sided marketplace at scale.
- How Upwork is using AI to improve matchmaking and productivity for both clients and freelancers.
- The potential future of work, including the rise of AI-assisted solopreneurs.

Key Takeaways👇
- Marketplace Dynamics: Dave emphasizes the importance of creating value for both freelancers and clients to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
- AI Integration: Upwork is leveraging AI to enhance user experiences, from improved matchmaking to productivity tools for freelancers.
- Innovation in Work Models: Dave shares his vision of a future where AI and freelance talent enable individuals to build significant businesses without traditional employment structures.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Dave Bottoms

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
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In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Christina Goldschmidt, VP of Product Design at Warner Music.

Warner Music is one of the world's leading music companies, serving artists and songwriters across various labels and publishing divisions. With a rich history in the music industry, Warner Music has evolved to embrace digital transformation, offering innovative ways for fans to engage with artists and music.

Christina leads the entire UX team at Warner Music, overseeing product designers, design systems specialists, visual designers, content designers, researchers, and design operations. Her team designs experiences connecting fans to artists, provides services to artists and songwriters, and creates internal tools that power various aspects of the music business, from distribution to sync licensing and royalties reporting.

In this episode, we'll explore Christina's unique approach to product design, how she and her team are leveraging unconventional practices to drive innovation, and the future of music technology. We'll discuss strategies for aligning design with business goals, structuring design teams for interconnected ecosystems, and balancing zero-to-one initiatives with product improvements.

What you'll learn:
- Christina's journey from front-end developer to VP of Product Design at Warner Music and her insights on the company's digital transformation.
- The challenges and strategies involved in creating user experiences for a global music company.
- How to prioritize design initiatives and innovations in a fast-paced, artist-centric environment.
- The future of music technology, including AI-powered tools and immersive fan experiences.

Key Takeaways👇
- Design as a Revenue Driver: Christina emphasizes the importance of positioning design as a strategic asset that contributes to business growth.
- Unconventional Problem-Solving: Warner Music is pushing boundaries by incorporating mystical practices like tarot readings and shamanic journeying into their design thinking process.
- Data-Driven Design: Christina highlights the use of product discovery, UX research, and business metrics to guide design decisions and improvements

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
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In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Craig Saldanha, Chief Product Officer at Yelp, a leading local business review and discovery platform.
Founded in 2004, Yelp has become a go-to resource for consumers seeking authentic reviews and recommendations for local businesses. With over 300 million user reviews across 35 countries and 42 languages, Yelp has continuously evolved to meet changing consumer needs and technological advancements.

Craig joined Yelp almost three years ago, following a decade-long career at Amazon. As CPO, he leads Product Management and oversees the development of Yelp's consumer and business-facing products. His impressive background includes working on groundbreaking products at Amazon, such as Kindle and Prime Video.

We explore Yelp's transformation from a simple review platform to an AI-powered local business discovery tool, the evolution of AI in local search and customer reviews, and the challenges of integrating AI into an established platform.

What you'll learn:

• How Yelp is leveraging AI to enhance user experience and business connections
• The impact of AI on product development and organizational structure at Yelp
• Yelp's journey in developing AI-powered features like the Yelp Assistant and AI-generated video reviews
• Strategies for maintaining trust and authenticity in an AI-enhanced review ecosystem
• Challenges and opportunities in integrating AI into an established platform like Yelp
  
  

Key Takeaways:

• AI Integration: Craig discusses Yelp's innovative use of AI in features like the Yelp Assistant and AI-generated video reviews
• Organizational Structure: He explains how Yelp organizes its product teams around consumers and local businesses to drive value for both sides of the marketplace
• Trust and Authenticity: Craig emphasizes the importance of maintaining trust in reviews while leveraging AI to enhance the user experience
• Content Distribution: He introduces Yelp's strategy to distribute its valuable content through partnerships and APIs in the AI era
• Product Frameworks: Craig highlights the importance of robust decision-making frameworks and a culture of experimentation in product development

As a fun fact, Craig shares his experience using Yelp to plan his first date with his now-wife!

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Craig Saldanha

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
• Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
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In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Paul Adams, Chief Product Officer at Intercom, a leading customer communication platform that has experienced both remarkable success and near-catastrophe.

Founded in 2011, Intercom revolutionized customer service as a SaaS pioneer, reaching a peak valuation of $1.3 billion. However, by 2022, the company faced potential collapse as AI rapidly disrupted its core business. In a dramatic turnaround, Intercom's original founder returned as CEO, transforming the company into an AI-first powerhouse now serving over 50,000 paying customers globally.

Paul's 12-year tenure at Intercom has been pivotal in shaping the company's evolution. As CPO, he leads Product Management, Design, Data Science, and Research. His impressive background includes working on groundbreaking products at Google, such as YouTube and Gmail, during the iPhone's launch era.

In this episode, we explore Intercom's transformation from a simple customer support tool to an AI-powered communication platform, the evolution of AI in customer service, and the challenges of building AI-first products as a non-native AI company.

What you'll learn:
- How Intercom navigated the transition from a traditional SaaS model to an AI-first approach.
- The impact of AI on product development and organizational structure.
- Intercom's journey in developing AI-powered customer service agents.
- Strategies for implementing outcome-based pricing models in the AI era.
- Challenges and opportunities in building AI-first products for established companies.

Key Takeaways:
- AI Transformation: Paul discusses Intercom's bold move to allocate 70% of R&D to AI development.
- Organizational Restructuring: He explains how Intercom is reimagining traditional product roles to adapt to AI-driven development.
- Customer-Centric AI: Paul emphasizes the importance of building AI products in close partnership with customers.
- Pricing Innovation: He introduces Intercom's exploration of outcome-based pricing models aligned with customer success.
- Product Judgment: Paul argues for the increasing importance of product intuition and risk-taking in the AI era.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Paul Adams

Social Links:

• Find out more about Product School here
• Follow our Podcast on TikTok here
• Follow Product School on LinkedIn here