My guest today is Ebi Atawodi.Ebi is the Director of Product for YouTube Studio, the home for 65M creators (including me). Ebi gave me an inside look at crafting Studio’s vision and how to define yourself beyond your job title. Ebi’s super inspiring, and you'll love our chat.This episode is brought to you by Vanta — Join over 9,000 global companies like Atlassian, Quora, and Factory who use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time. Get $1000 off at vanta.com/peterTimestamps:(00:00) If I took away your job title, who are you?(03:44) Defining the vision for YouTube Studio(07:30) Tell me what's painful, not what you shipped(11:18) Transforming a vision into strategic themes(21:24) What most people don't realize about platform PMs(28:59) Balancing the needs of big and small creators(33:23) Why the little moments really matter for creators(38:01) Why Ebi took time off to make a short film(43:50) I'm a storyteller, and nobody can take that awayGet the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/this-vision-playbook-will-change-youtube-productWhere to find Ebi Atawodi:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebiatawodi/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6vQTfTejyY📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Amjad Mosad, CEO and founder of Replit.Amjad is the CEO of Replit, an AI coding platform with 34M users that’s making it possible for anyone to build an app in 60 seconds from their phone. In our chat, Amjad shared how you can learn to code with AI and gave me a live demo of Replit’s AI agent. We also discussed the skills that will still matter in AI. This episode is brought to you by Vanta — Join over 9,000 global companies like Atlassian, Quora, and Factory who use Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real-time. Get $1000 off at vanta.com/peter. Timestamps:(00:00) Two paths to tech job security in the AI era(06:36) The best way to learn to code with AI(07:41) Building a nutrition tracking app with Replit(14:07) How to avoid getting stuck on bugs with AI(18:30) 5 tips to get the most out of AI coding agents(22:10) Why everyone should build personal software(24:00) What makes Replit's AI approach different(27:41) Why traditional roadmaps are dead(30:40) How Replit uses AI internally to build faster(34:00) Build an app in 60 seconds from your phone(36:14) Career advice for tech folks to become AI nativeGet the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/this-ai-tool-lets-you-build-apps-faster-than-googlingWhere to find Amjad:X: https://x.com/amasadWebsite: https://replit.com/📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Colin Matthews. Colin is a rockstar instructor who teaches a popular AI Prototyping for PMs course on building AI apps without coding skills. In our interview, Colin shared how to pick the right AI prototyping tool, what you should do before asking AI to code, and how to build a habit-tracking app step by step in just 20 minutes. Brought to you by: Vanta— Automate compliance and scale your security program. Get $1,000 off. Timestamps: (00:00) Do this before asking AI to code (01:13) How to pick the right AI prototyping tool (05:50) Choosing AI tools for client, server, and database (10:49) Building a habit-tracking app step by step(14:02) Always start with the data model (22:08) Top mistakes to avoid with AI prototyping (27:14) Should you still learn to be technical with AI? (32:13) Avoiding the 70% problem and getting stuck on bugs (33:59) How to learn to code through AI prototyping Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/the-number-one-hack-to-build-with-ai-without-getting-stuck Where to find Colin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinmatthews-pm/ Get $100 off Colin's prototyping course: https://maven.com/tech-for-product/ai-prototyping-for-product-managers?promoCode=peter100 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Mikey Shulman. Mikey is the CEO and co-founder of Suno, the best AI music app available. I’ve had so much fun using it to make songs with my kids. In our chat, Mikey shares how music LLMs work, how Suno builds AI products, and the good and bad futures of music with AI. Timestamps: (00:00) The good and bad futures of AI in music (03:41) How Suno's music AI actually works (07:31) Building for personalization without losing humanity (10:34) Turning text into actual songs (14:06) Product iteration in uncharted territory (20:37) Core principles for building AI products (25:06) How streaming changed everything (31:35) What's next for AI music in 2025 (32:51) Navigating product management in AI Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/inside-suno-the-ai-music-app-you-wont-stop-listening-to-product Where to find Mikey: X: https://x.com/MikeyShulmanWebsite: https://suno.ai/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Chris Pettigrew. Chris is the co-founder and CEO of Granola, an AI meeting notes app that has become indispensable to me. Granola has 70%+ weekly user retention, almost unheard of for consumer AI. In our interview, Chris shared five hard-won rules for building AI products that users love and explained why AI will fix meetings. Timestamps: (00:00) The #1 mistake you can make when building AI products (01:35) The difference between big tech PM and startup founder (06:22) Why Chris decided to use AI to solve meetings (09:26) Don't solve problems that won't be problems soon (12:44) How can you predict what LLMs can do in the future (19:09) Why context is king for great AI products (23:56) How to give your AI product a soul (28:43) When to listen to user feedback and when to trust your gut(31:39) Closing advice for people who want to build AI apps Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/the-hidden-rules-behind-successful-ai-products-chris-pedregal Where to find Chris: Website: https://www.granola.ai/ X: https://x.com/cjpedregal 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Aman Khan. Aman is the Director of Product at Arize AI. Last year, we both heard the Chief Product Officers of OpenAI and Anthropic share that AI evaluations will be the most important skill for PMs in 2025. Aman gave me a crash course on how to build this critical skill in our interview. Timestamps: (00:00) Evals force you to get into your user's shoes (03:42) 5 skills to build right now to become a great AI PM (07:43) How curiosity leads to better AI products (10:20) You can build AI without the job title (17:00) A deep dive into why AI evals are so important (24:53) Example of running evals for an AI customer support agent (31:32) When humans need to be in the loop for evals (35:46) How to get better at writing evals right now (39:39) My personal prompt and eval for transcripts (44:23) Catching the AI wave is alot like surfing Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/the-ai-skill-that-will-define-your-pm-career-aman-khan Where to find Aman: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanberkeley/ Arize: https://arize.com/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Amit Fulay. Amit is a product VP at Microsoft who previously spent 15 years building products like News Feed (Meta) and Google Meet (Google). In our interview, he reveals the three types of product leaders, how to build trust at each career stage, and what AI means for PMs. He also teaches a popular on leveling up from PM to influential product leader (get $100 off with this link). Timestamps: (00:00) The secret to building trust (01:43) 3 distinct types of product leaders (03:29) How to influence each type of leader (09:29) Will AI kill traditional product management? (16:02) How to build trust in each stage of your career (20:16) Sunsetting your own without losing trust (25:31) Speaking the truth to your management chain (28:55) Inside how Satya Nadella fixed Microsoft (32:41) What Amit wished he knew when he started as a PM Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/top-1-percent-product-leaders-do-this-amit-fulay Where to find Amit: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afulay/ Course: https://maven.com/amitfulay/toppmleader 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Katia Verresen. Katia is one of Silicon Valley's most sought-after leadership coaches. Her clients include Fidji Simo (CEO of Instacart), Kate Rouch (CMO of OpenAI), Deb Liu (CEO of Ancestry), who all rave about how she transformed their careers. In our chat, Katia shared her proven techniques to help you achieve your goals in the new year. Timestamps: (00:00) How to stop doubting yourself (01:54) The year-in-review ritual top CEOs swear by (06:11) I thought I had a horrible year until I realized this (10:13) Why it's so important to celebrate your wins(15:40) Coaching clients from managers to CEOs (17:57) The power of unlocking your "kind observer" (21:35) How to use emotions to shape your reality (30:18) Imagination is a superpower most leaders don't use (41:18) 3 daily practices to unlock abundant energy Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/make-2025-your-best-year-yet-katia-verresen Where to find Katia: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katia-verresen/ Website: https://www.kvaleadership.com/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Sachin Rekhi. Sachin scaled LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator to $200M ARR and 500 employees. He then left it all behind to start Notejoy; a team notes app. I had a great chat with him about finding market fit for your product and career in 2025 and how to design work to suit your life, not vice versa. Timestamps: (00:00) I got my dream PM job then realized I didn’t want it (02:19) The MVP is dead (08:02) Execution is NOT the only thing that matters (09:40) A proven loop to achieve product-market fit (14:18) Better ways to validate your product than MVPs (20:01) How to even measure product-market fit (26:03) Why Sachin opted out of the path to VP (29:16) Aligning your career with your zone of genius (36:18) I saw the small team trend coming (40:38) Use explore-exploit to find your dream career (44:01) Closing tips to design your life with purpose Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/rethink-your-pm-career-in-2025-sachin-rekhi Where to find Sachin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinrekhi/ Website: https://www.sachinrekhi.com/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Deb Liu. Deb is the CEO of Ancestry, former VP at Meta, and writer of Perspectives. But for our interview, I wanted to talk to Deb about a more personal topic: How to survive and thrive as a busy working parent with your spouse, aging parents, and kids. In our interview, Deb shared her best advice on building a 60-60 relationship with your spouse, raising resilient kids, caring for aging parents, and dealing with grief. Timestamps: (00:00) How to stop parenting through guilt (01:19) Building a 60-60 relationship with your spouse (03:05) Choosing your marriage swim lanes (05:41) A simple ritual for authentic family conversations (09:51) Why the world isn't set up for two working parents (12:24) How to solve stressful mornings (17:29) The sandwich generation and dealing with grief (21:38) How to build your modern village (27:49) Raising resilient kids as a busy parent (35:19) Closing words of advice for balancing career and family Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/how-to-survive-and-thrive-as-a-busy-working-parent Where to find Deb: Newsletter: https://debliu.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahliu/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier. Mike co-founded Zapier and started the ARC Prize to accelerate progress towards open AGI. We had a great chat about how Zapier works, how PMs and marketers can use AI to automate even more work, and why LLMs won’t reach AGI by themselves. Timestamps: (00:00) There are two types of AI automation (01:57) How Zapier automation works (05:14) I quit being Zapier's CPO to do AI research (07:54) I gave employees a week off to just use AI(11:57) How PMs can use AI agents to save time (14:03) We saved $100K by using AI agents in marketing (21:28) Robotic process automation might be better than APIs (26:30) Most definitions of AGI are wrong (30:45) Why LLMs won't get us to AGI and what might work instead Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/zapier-co-founder-ai-agents-10x-productivity-mike-knoop Where to find Mike:X: https://x.com/mikeknoopWebsite: https://mikeknoop.com/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Jiaona Zhang, CPO of Linktree. JZ is the Chief Product Officer of Linktree and a guest lecturer at Stanford. We had a great chat about AI’s impact on PM managers and super ICs, the shift towards PM specialists, and whether becoming a creator can help advance your PM career. (00:00) Find what makes you happy in your PM career (01:44) AI's impact on PM managers and super ICs (04:03) How to balance strategy and execution (08:24) Streamlining PM tasks with AI (13:28) Creating strategy docs and PRDs that work (16:50) Your career is your most important product (22:55) The shift from PM generalists to specialists (23:58) Exploring JZ's Career Odyssey framework (25:49) Why you shouldn't just optimize for comp and title (31:12) Does the creator economy actually work? (44:19) Can being a creator help advance your product career? Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/how-the-product-manager-role-is-changing-jiaona-zhang Where to find Jiaona: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiaona/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Niels Hoven, founder and CEO of Mentava. Niels founded Mentava, an education startup teaching 2-year-olds to read at the 2nd-grade level. We had a great chat about why K-12 education is broken for high-achieving kids, whether AI will unlock personalized learning, and how his software teaches 2-year-olds to read. Timestamps: (00:00) Our schools don't work for high-achieving kids (01:26) The problem with K-12 education in the US (03:08) Why California banned 8th grade algebra (10:11) Never be ashamed of advocating for your kids (14:21) How Niels homeschooled 3 kids during COVID (19:25) Teaching 2-year-olds to read like 2nd graders (25:24) Rethinking how we teach kids math (28:44) Will AI replace teachers? (30:34) Will elite college credentials still matter? (35:29) Tips for parents to raise high-achieving kids Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/why-education-is-broken-for-high-achieving-kids-niels-hoven Where to find Niels: X: https://x.com/NielsHoven Website: https://www.mentava.com/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Aravind Srinivas, CEO and co-founder of Perplexity. Aravind is the CEO of Perplexity, the AI answer engine disrupting online search. Aravind gave me an inside look at how Perplexity builds products, how it scaled to 100M queries a week, and how it’ll deliver better ads than Google’s ten blue links. Timestamps: (00:00) We don't do product reviews (01:22) The secret to Perplexity's incredible shipping velocity (05:16) Giving feedback as a user instead of as the CEO (07:01) How Perplexity decides what to build next (10:56) Perplexity's "7 friends in 10 days" metric (14:02) How Perplexity uses AI to build Perplexity (17:30) How to get a great job without traditional credentials (21:50) Key drivers behind Perplexity's growth to 100M queries (27:50) The future of search ads and why 10 blue links are dead (35:56) Closing advice to get what you want out of life Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/inside-how-perplexity-is-disrupting-search-aravind-srinivas Where to find Aravind: X: https://x.com/AravSrinivas Website: https://www.perplexity.ai/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Cem Kansu. Cem is the Head of Product at Duolingo. Over 8 years, he helped Duolingo grow to 100M+ monthly active users and $500M+ in annual revenue. I had a super fun chat with Cem about Duolingo's unhinged product culture, the top drivers of Duolingo's user and revenue growth, and whether AI will democratize education. Timestamps: (00:00) We love being unhinged with our owl (01:26) Duolingo is a game and this is our core loop (03:46) The top 3 drivers of Duolingo's growth to 100M users (05:55) Passive-aggressive push notifications work! (08:12) How Duolingo onboards new users to maximize retention (13:11) Our winding path to $500M+ in revenue (17:25) We've figured out how international expansion works (21:13) Will AI kill Duolingo? (26:20) We made Lily an AI emo teenager on purpose (32:41) How to A/B test without sacrificing quality (37:09) What the best PMs at Duolingo have in common Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/inside-duolingo-unhinged-growth-to-500m-cem-kansu Where to find Cem: X: https://x.com/cemkansu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cemkansu/ 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Satish Mummareddy, ex-product leader at Meta. During his 6 years at Meta as an IC7 product leader, Satish interviewed 200+ PM candidates and mentored 100+ PMs. We had a great chat about how to crack the PM interview, choose the right job offer, and find strong mentors. Timestamps: (00:00) How not to let rejection get you down (01:53) Hot takes after interviewing 200+ PMs at Meta (05:14) Why experienced PMs often struggle in interviews (09:13) 3-month plan to crush interviews at top tech companies (15:05) How to uplevel your product thinking skills (20:10) Why interview frameworks aren't enough (27:31) How to avoid getting down-leveled (30:01) Choosing the right company to join (36:24) 3 steps to find great mentors and sponsors (40:25) Deliberate practice, career arcs, and mental fitness Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/meta-product-leader-cracking-the-pm-interview-satish Where to find Satish: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satishmummareddy/ Course: https://maven.com/crossing-career-chasms/product-thinking :pushpin: Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Tomer Cohen, Chief Product Officer at LinkedIn. Tomer gave me an inside look at LinkedIn’s growth from 100M to 1B+ users by transforming its feed. He also shared his best advice on growing AI products and advancing your PM career. Finally, I had to ask him about r/LinkedinLunatics. 🙂 Timestamps: (00:00) 3 must-have principles for building AI products (02:55) Revamping the LinkedIn feed for knowledge-sharing (06:15) Why it's so hard to be a feed PM and how Tomer overcame doubts (11:09) r/LinkedInLunatics and the role of humor on LinkedIn (13:18) How newsletters and videos can succeed on LinkedIn (18:24) "Thinking fast and slow" as an AI PM (22:22) How to deal with AI's non-deterministic nature (24:49) "Founder mode" and traits that the best PMs have (27:52) How to design an org to reward impact more than optics (31:29) The best way to land your dream job isn't to apply to everything Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/linkedins-cpo-on-growing-to-1b-with-ai-tomer-cohen Where to find Tomer: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomercohen/ - Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/34ScXLvdmBeZ2Yza7ZWtLi 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Sanchan Saxena, SVP at Atlassian. Sanchan worked directly with 4 of the best founders out there — Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger (Instagram), Brian Armstrong (Coinbase), and Brian Chesky (Airbnb). In our chat, he shares what we can learn from each founder’s superpowers and the 4 traits he always looks for when hiring exceptional PMs. (00:00) The secret product approach that sets Airbnb and Apple apart (01:21) Inside Instagram's early days at 100 employees (03:07) Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger's superpowers (04:54) How "do the simple thing first" led to Instagram Stories' success (07:15) The single common trait shared by the greatest founders (08:50) Brian Armstrong's golden rule, "No decision by committee" (13:36) "Unconstrained thinking" with Brian Chesky at Airbnb (18:21) What Brian Chesky learned from Disney movies and storytelling (23:29) Why obsessing over metrics kills product quality (27:43) Shifting focus to prioritize customers and craft in your company (30:55) Climbing the ladder From PM to product director and VP (33:38) Mastering the yin and yang of product management (42:02) How to set yourself up to get lucky in your career Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/sanchan-instagram-airbnb-coinbase Where to find Sanchan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanchans/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@therealsanchan 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Ben Tossell, founder of Ben's Bites. Ben built a 7-figure business that has taught 10,000+ people how to use AI to save time and automate work. In less than a year, this business has already made more than his last exit (selling no-code platform MakerPad to Zapier). Timestamps: (00:00) AI is your co-pilot, it's not the end to end solution yet (00:56) I scaled to $1M+ by avoiding things I hate doing (03:11) Key drivers of growing to 7-figures in 9 months (10:44) What to automate with AI vs. delegate to teammates (15:30) How to find and hire help online (17:22) Has the community been critical to the business? (22:09) The art of writing great AI prompts (25:42) Ben's bear take on Perplexity (29:36) My defense of Perplexity (33:18) Why all of us are winners from the AI race (36:17) Underrated AI tools for illustrations, videos, and more (40:02) How to build a business to suit your life, not vice versa Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/how-i-built-a-7-figure-business-with-ai-ben-tossell Where to find Ben: Website: https://bensbites.com/ X: https://x.com/bentossell 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!
My guest today is Marily Nika, AI Product Lead at Google. Marily built AI products at Meta and Google for 12+ years after getting a PhD in machine learning. She's also a top AI instructor who has given talks at TED, Harvard, and through her top-rated AI course and newsletter. Timestamps: (00:00) Anyone can be an AI PM (01:22) A crash course on core AI concepts (01:51) AI algorithms and applications map (06:38) Traits that the best AI PMs have in common (09:53) How to get leadership buy-in for AI products (11:37) A day in the life as an AI PM (14:51) How to break into AI product management (20:25) How to avoid the retention problem for AI products (23:08) A live demo of ChatGPT Voice (33:39) How Marily uses AI in her personal life Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/how-to-break-into-ai-product-management Where to find Marily: Newsletter: https://marily.substack.com/ Course: https://maven.com/marily-nika/ai-pm-bootcamp 📌 Subscribe to this channel – more interviews coming soon!