Lenny’s Podcast26 min
Interview Q Compilation · Nov 29, 2023
Key learnings- Ask 'To what do you attribute your success?' and watch for self-awareness and curiosity rather than an answer like 'luck' (Eeke…
- Ask 'What's the hardest thing you've ever done?' to learn how a candidate defines difficulty, how they overcame it, and how much…
- Use the teleportation-device 'Eigenquestion' exercise: candidates may ask only two questions, then must plan, revealing how they…
Lenny’s Podcast118 min
Tom Verrilli · Aug 2, 2026
Key learnings- Don't hire a PM by default for every team; hire one only where there is a specific need, since engineers and designers can often…
- Product management is a trade built through repetition, so spreading PM reps to engineers and designers strengthens their…
- Map PMs to problems and six-month company priorities rather than fixed teams, so ownership follows the work and people build…
SVPG · Marty CaganJun 28, 2019
Jun 28, 2019 · 4 min
Marty Cagan argues that effective product managers need about four uninterrupted hours a day for product discovery: working out valuable, usable, feasible, and viable solutions to hard problems. He observes that many…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresOct 14, 2025
Oct 14, 2025
“Listen to this episode on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts In this episode of All Things Product, Petra Wille and Teresa Torres dive into a big end-of-year reflection question: What do you want to be known for in your work? They unpack the nuances of impact, craft, personal brand, and”
SVPG · Marty CaganOct 2, 2012
Oct 2, 2012
Marty Cagan describes "Product Manager Charm School," a foundational training program for new product managers covering communication skills and external interaction. Originating at HP and expanded at Netscape, it…
Lenny’s Podcast78 min
Jackie Bavaro · Jun 16, 2022
Key learnings- Ask your manager directly how to prepare for a future promotion, framing the goal in the future so the manager becomes an ally…
- Treat a strategy as three parts: a vision, a strategic framework with pillars and bets, and a backward-working roadmap used as a…
- A roadmap in strategy is a sanity check, not a commitment; if it can't reach the vision in time, that signals bigger bets or more…
Lenny’s Podcast68 min
Brandon Chu · Jun 27, 2022
Key learnings- Treat domain expertise as table stakes; to reach the highest levels, lean into founder skills like storytelling, motivating…
- Think of the PM role as helping teams ship the right thing at the right time in the right way, acting as a servant leader rather…
- Set annual directional plans but expect them to change; avoid sunk-cost fallacy and be willing to throw away work when the world…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 628
Jul 7, 2026 · 23 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny Rachitsky reports results from his second annual tech worker sentiment survey, finding the workforce splitting into those amplified by AI and those destabilized by it. Burnout has risen sharply, career optimism…
SVPG · Marty CaganOct 4, 2022
Oct 4, 2022 · 4 min
Marty Cagan argues that "product sense" is a misleading term because it suggests an innate gift, when in reality it is deep product knowledge built through sustained immersion in a specific product space. He describes…
SVPG · Marty CaganMar 31, 2018
Mar 31, 2018 · 5 min
Marty Cagan revisits his earlier skepticism of the 'CEO of the Product' metaphor and states a clearer position in favor of it, with caveats. He notes the concept's risk of making product managers act like bosses, but…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresMar 18, 2025
Mar 18, 2025
This podcast episode, hosted by Teresa Torres with guest Petra Wille, examines the difference between product training and product coaching and when each is the right tool. Training builds foundational knowledge and…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresNov 25, 2025
Nov 25, 2025
Teresa Torres and Petra Wille discuss how product people can deliberately build communities of practice to support long-term learning. Teresa describes an introvert-friendly approach centered on a personal learning…
SVPG · Marty CaganAug 17, 2021
Aug 17, 2021 · 3 min
Marty Cagan marks 40 years since starting his career in software engineering, reflecting on the long run of work he found rewarding and the lessons it taught him. He argues that learning and experience compound over…
Lenny’s Newsletter · Free post♥ 12
Feb 18, 2020 · 4 min
Lenny Rachitsky answers a reader who just sold their startup and is moving into a product manager role without formal PM training. Drawing on his own experience after Localmind was acquired by Airbnb, he admits he was a…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresAug 23, 2012
Aug 23, 2012 · 4 min
Torres argues that cold-applying for product roles rarely works, because large companies filter resumes by keyword and smaller ones have busy reviewers who skim them in seconds. Her remedy is an inside referral, ideally…
SVPG · Marty CaganDec 12, 2016
Dec 12, 2016
Marty Cagan revisits his earlier argument that the product manager should also be the product owner, admitting he made a strategic mistake by treating the two titles as synonyms. Many people who took short product owner…
SVPG · Marty CaganMar 27, 2005
Mar 27, 2005 · 4 min
Marty Cagan argues that deep experience in a specific product domain is usually less important for product managers than people assume. He recounts two cases where a strong PM was doubted for lacking domain experience…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 261
Aug 20, 2024 · 7 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny Rachitsky argues, in response to anxiety over AI replacing product managers, that PMs are the best-positioned tech role to thrive in an AI-driven world. He contends that AI excels at execution while PMs' soft…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresAug 14, 2012
Aug 14, 2012 · 3 min
Teresa Torres interviews Laura Klein, who moved from interaction design and user research into a product role at a small company. Laura argues the transition felt natural because good designers and researchers already…
Lenny’s Podcast92 min
Joe Hudson · Aug 8, 2024
Key learnings- Treat the critical inner voice as usually wrong and unhelpful; rather than trying to silence it, respond to it differently…
- Respond to a fearful inner critic with compassion, such as acknowledging it is scared and that you are there with it, instead of…
- Approach emotional change as experimentation and self-discovery, not self-improvement, since failed attempts at self-improvement…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 252
May 21, 2024 · 13 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny Rachitsky shares how he learned to say no to the constant flow of requests as a solopreneur, arguing that protecting focus on the few things that made you successful is essential. He offers a decision framework…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresNov 13, 2013
Nov 13, 2013 · 3 min
Teresa Torres argues that job seekers should research their target market and specific companies before applying, treating the search like product discovery. She suggests interviewing the target companies' customers…
SVPG · Marty CaganOct 15, 2019
Oct 15, 2019 · 3 min
Marty Cagan argues that Imposter Syndrome is real and healthy when understood correctly: it is a signal that you have not prepared enough. Rather than trying to push past the fear, he uses it as motivation to study…
Lenny’s Newsletter · Free post♥ 146
Apr 12, 2022 · 26 min
Andy Johns, a growth leader who stepped away from a presidency at Wealthfront after a heart scare, argues that high achievers need a deliberate way to recognize and respect their personal limits. He introduces a…