How to PM with AI at Early Stage Startups | Fractional CPO and CTO, Sergio Pereira
So far on the Product Growth Podcast, you’ve heard from founders, big tech PMs, and unicorn product minds on what it takes to build a great product.Today, we’re bringing you a fresh perspective — from an operator who’s deep in the trenches, building products for multiple companies and startups as a Fractional CTO.But that’s not all; he’s also a founder, offering us the unique opportunity to hear different perspectives from the same person.What makes this episode even more exciting? He’s been honing his craft for 15 years, working across industries, collaborating with diverse teams, and doing it all at the same time.We're covering:Preview – 00:00:00How Much Time Should a CTO Spend on Product? – 00:01:10Profile of a Good Early-Stage Startup PM – 00:03:08Compensation of an Early-Stage Startup PM – 00:10:00Best Way to Hire Early-Stage PMs – 00:15:30Challenges with the "Trial-Based Work" Approach – 00:18:38Stanford Study: "10% of Engineers Are Ghost Engineers" – 00:22:43Rule of Thumb Behind Product Hires – 00:25:07Who Should PMs Report to in Startups? – 00:28:55Mental Model for Scaling the Product Team – 00:34:44Mistakes Early-Stage PMs Make – 00:37:46Minimum Viable Process for Developing Features – 00:41:40Believing in a "Cutting Down Scope" Philosophy – 00:46:18Why You Should Launch Early – 00:49:24Honest Opinions on Scrum – 01:00:11Managing in a Global Workforce – 01:07:35Hidden Incentives for Big Companies – 01:15:32Aakash’s Experience Before and After COVID – 01:17:15Are AI Tools Worth the Hype? – 01:19:53How Should PMs Use AI Tools? – 01:26:31What’s Going on in Sergio’s Professional Life – 01:36:12How He Manages Time to Do It All – 01:42:01Brought to you by:Vanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustAttio: The next generation CRMWhere to find Sergio:LinkedInTwitterStartupNewsletterWebsiteEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from Pierre Herubel ( B2B Content Expert, 122K+ on LinkedIn), Mario Gabriele (Founder, The Generalist; Former VC), and Marily Nika (AI PM at Google, Former Meta).I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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2:08:54
From Laid Off to Most Followed PM: How Chloe Shih Grew to 750K+ on Insta, 300K+ on YT
She gets laid off from Discord, then goes viral & becoming the most followed PM across platforms.Not just that, she uses the moment to pivot her career, build a thriving personal brand, and winning big as a full-time content creator.Today, we’re diving deep into her journey of going viral, breaking into product management, experience as a PM at Meta, TikTok, Discord, content creation, and more.We're covering:Guest's Introduction – 00:00:01Filming the Layoff Video – 00:01:32Her Views on Mass Layoffs in 2023 – 00:07:45Inside Look at the Discord PM Team – 00:11:00Product Culture at Discord – 00:15:36The Approval Process at Discord – 00:19:54Explaining TikTok Culture – 00:22:23TikTok Algorithm – 00:29:48The Start of Her Content Creation Journey – 00:32:40How Big Social Companies Fueled Her Content Creation – 00:36:36Becoming the Most Followed PM – 00:41:45Her Role at Facebook – 00:44:51The Culture at Meta – 00:48:25What Makes a Good Product Culture? – 00:50:39Breaking Into the PM Industry Without a Title – 00:55:36How She Secured a Role at TikTok – 01:00:01Her Must-Read Book List – 01:07:53How She Landed a Role at Discord – 01:10:53Advice for Laid-Off PMs – 01:16:03Breaking the Internet with "30 by 30" – 01:17:28The Production Process Behind "30 by 30" – 01:20:50Pulling Off Big Brand Collaborations – 01:24:26Her Process for Managing Collaborations – 01:29:33How She Is Missing Out on More Potential and Money – 01:34:25What’s Next for Chloe – 01:41:38Brought to you by:Explo: Embed customer-facing analytics in your productAttio: The next generation CRMVanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustWhere to find Chloe:YoutubeInstagramTikTokThreadsLinkedInTwitterEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Adam Robinson (CEO @ Retention.com & RB2B), Sergio Pereira (Fractional CTO and CPO), and Pierre Herubel ( B2B Content Expert, 122K+ on LinkedIn). I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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1:46:47
He Was Promoted 3x in 5 Years at Google (Bilawal Sidhu)
1M+ TikTok Followers. Given a TED Talk. Thought leader in AR/VR and spatial computing.In today's episode, we've got Bilawal Sidhu who went from Deloitte consultant to Senior Google PM.Not just that, he managed to get 3 promotions in 5 years.Without any doubt, he has bunch of insights to share on transitioning into the PM industry, thriving as a PM in big tech, and shaping the future of innovation.That’s exactly what we’re covering today:Introduction to the Guest - 00:00:01Is Spatial Computing Just Hype? - 00:01:57How Generative AI is Helping AR/VR Progress - 00:04:22Why Vision Pro Was a Flop - 00:10:18Why Meta's Quest Outsold Vision Pro - 00:13:15Why He is Still Bullish on Google - 00:17:23How He Landed a Role at Google (After Transitioning from Deloitte) - 00:28:01Product Management Trends in 2008 - 00:36:19The Less Glamorous Side of Being a PM at Google - 00:39:00Working Experience in Google Cloud vs. Google Maps - 00:43:38Decision-Making Processes of Google Maps Teams - 00:51:44How He Got 3 Promotions in 5 Years - 00:59:26Two Lessons from the Promotion Story - 01:05:25Building an Innovation-Centric Mindset as a PM - 01:18:38AI Tools and Their Use Cases for PMs - 01:23:17Managing Time at Google - 01:28:02The Future of PM Roles - 01:35:23Step-by-Step Guide on Transfers and Transitions - 01:45:16Why He's Blown Away by Procedural 3D Modeling - 01:54:40What's Happening in the NERFs Space? - 02:01:01Leaving Google and Becoming a Creator - 02:07:41His Focus as a Content Creator - 02:18:30Income Streams Breakdown - 02:28:242024 Review: Creator Life vs. Google Year 5 - 02:31:54Brought to you by:Attio: The next generation CRMWorkOS: Your App, Enterprise ReadyVanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustWhere to find Bilawal:LinkedInTwitterWebsiteTED showNewsletterYouTubeEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Chloe Shih (Most Followed PM creator on Instagram + YouTube), Sergio Pereira (Fractional CTO and CPO), and Adam Robinson. (CEO @ Retention.com & RB2B).I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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2:33:31
How Swiggy Went From 30K to 1 Million Orders Per DAY With Fmr SVP of Product + Growth, Anuj Rathi
Swiggy started with just 30,000 daily orders.Today, it’s a household name handling millions orders per day.Moreover, it recently completed an IPO as well.So, how did it scale so fast in such a competitive market?In this episode, Anuj Rathi takes us behind the scenes to explore Swiggy’s journey.In today's episode, we cover:Exponential Growth Story of Swiggy – 00:03:42Product Features Driving Growth – 00:10:25Advice for PMs to Evolve in Their Role – 00:22:10Going Beyond Product – 00:25:25Development in Leadership Roles – 00:29:44Mastering Product Discovery and Execution – 00:32:53Tackling Challenges in PM Roles – 00:36:36Prioritization Framework in Action – 00:41:05Role of Collaboration – 00:48:46Balancing Internal and External Focus – 00:51:11Transitioning from PM to Leadership – 00:54:19Short Tenure in Executive Roles – 01:00:09AI for Product Managers and Leaders – 01:01:52The Future of Product Management Roles – 01:04:15Adopting a Cross-Functional Mindset – 01:07:52Job Search Strategies for Executive Roles – 01:13:14Inbound for Product Leaders – 01:18:47Brought to you by:Explo: Customer-Facing analytics in your productAttio: The next generation CRMVanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustWhere to find Anuj:LinkedInTwitterCompanyEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Bilawal Sidhu, Chloe Shih, and Sergio Pereira. I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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1:21:31
How Zoho Became a $6B Company Without Funding, former Growth PM Aishwarya Ashok
I have another in-person episode from my India tour! This is with prolific podcaster Aishwarya Ashok, who had me on her show about a year ago. In our chat from my awesome Airbnb in the heart of 100 ft road - the center of tech in India - we cover:Why Zoho Chooses to Stay Private - 00:02:17The Untold Origin Story of Zoho - 00:06:52How Zoho Carved Its Unique Market Position - 00:09:23The Secret Sauce Behind Zoho's Growth - 00:11:06Inside Zoho: Understanding Its Scale and Size - 00:15:29From Marketing to Management: The Transition Path - 00:18:39Why Showing Up Drives Career Success - 00:26:57Proven Strategies for Landing PM Interviews - 00:28:42Mastering Self-Reflection to Thrive as a PM - 00:32:14Leveraging No-Code Tools to Build Referral Systems - 00:35:02Picking the Right Starting Point with Popular Tools - 00:40:13Common Pitfalls in PM Interviews - 00:41:53The Art of Structuring Perfect PM Interview Answers - 00:46:18The AI Revolution: What It Means for the Future of Product Management - 00:48:59Brought to you by:Attio: The next generation CRMWorkOS: Your App, Enterprise ReadyExplo: Customer-Facing analytics in your productWhere to find Aishwariya:LinkedInWebsiteNewsletterEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Anuj Rathi, Bilawal Sidhu, and Chloe Shih. I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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