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THE GUEST

Rebeca Assunção is a senior product leader driving innovation at the intersection of AI, mobility, and no-code tools. With over a decade of experience across e-commerce, transit tech, and smart cities, she currently leads the digital product team at NEOM, shaping a seamless AI-powered system for one of the world’s most ambitious urban development projects—an entirely new, future-forward e-city in Saudi Arabia. Known for her hands-on leadership style, Rebeca builds rapid local prototypes to accelerate validation and guides teams through complex, enterprise-scale launches. Outside of her professional work, she is an active investor championing tech-for-good ventures in fintech, sustainability, and health.

THE SUMMARY

AI is a multiplier, not a magic wand: Rebeca uses AI to extend her tiny team’s reach—writing specs, validating vendors, and building working prototypes solo. It’s not just about innovation; it’s survival when you’re understaffed and under pressure to deliver fast.

The “average” product manager is done: AI will automate the middle. Rebeca argues PMs need to pick a lane: either go deep into growth or become technically fluent. The days of generalists writing Jira tickets are over.

Don’t build unless you must: Her rule is simple—only build in-house if the product is unique, high-impact, and the team has the skills. Otherwise, buy or license. Time, expertise, and complexity should dictate, not ego.

NEOM’s ambition? Kill the UX entirely: The vision is frictionless transport. If a bus is cancelled, the system quietly rebooks you. No alerts, no stress. But this requires deep hardware integration, not just clever software.

Internal tools matter too: She built a roadmap assistant that lets teams chat with strategy docs and get feature suggestions. Not just a cool demo—it’s a real step toward aligning product culture in a non-product-native org.

THE SHOW

Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.

THE LINKS

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Rebeca Assunção

LinkedIn: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/rebecaoramassuncao

My links

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠ 

AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/⁠