Marty Cagan reviews Reed Hastings' book No Rules Rules and uses Netflix's mantra 'lead with context and not control' to argue for empowering product teams. He recounts Hastings' story of a manager making a seemingly bad…
“Listen to this episode on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts Is hiring broken—or just badly designed? In this episode of All Things Product, Petra Wille and Teresa Torres unpack what’s really going wrong in modern hiring processes. From AI-fueled application overload to endless interview loops and “casual” team lunches”
Marty Cagan writes a tribute to Mike Homer, a Silicon Valley pioneer and mentor who died of CJD, using his memorial service to reflect on what makes great product leaders. Cagan argues that the best leaders are deeply…
Julie Zhuo announces the launch of her book on management and offers predictions about how the manager role will change in the era of AI. The piece frames management as a path many product and design people will…
Lenny Rachitsky shares seven older essays he considers timeless and formative for product builders, including pieces on delegation, agency, taste, learning, product focus, market vs. team, and Elon Musk's approach. He…
Marty Cagan argues that most companies fail to get results from product teams not because teams lack discovery skills, but because they are not truly empowered. He contrasts teams that serve the business with strong…
This podcast episode, hosted by Teresa Torres with guest Petra Wille, argues that product leaders are stretched thin by shrinking headcount, AI disruption, and constant context switching, and that they tend to…
Marty Cagan argues that strong product organizations are built on teams of missionaries, people who are engaged, understand the business context, and empathize with customers, rather than mercenaries who simply execute…
Lenny Rachitsky argues that three core Buddhist teachings (dukkha, impermanence, and non-self) map well onto product management work. He explains that dissatisfaction is a built-in feature of human psychology, so PMs…
In this interview-based essay, Marty Cagan talks with serial entrepreneur Danny Shader about what makes a CEO effective at building products customers love. Shader argues that the CEO's personal attention to product…
Marty Cagan announces the pre-order launch of his new book EMPOWERED, co-written with Chris Jones, and explains how it complements INSPIRED. He argues that many companies can teach product teams strong practices but…
Hiten Shah recounts how his analytics startup KISSmetrics went from a near-breakthrough to a stalled company. After two failed products, the team did customer research and found a strong market, building features that…
Marty Cagan argues that most tech product companies struggle to find enough very strong product managers, and that strong product teams depend on them. He points to Google's Associate Product Manager program, which…
This tribute essay by Christian Idiodi remembers Jeremiah Ivan, a former VP of Engineering he worked alongside at Merrill and Snagajob, using anecdotes to show what makes an agent of change. Ivan's unconventional…
Teresa Torres and Petra Wille argue that individual contributors can build real leadership skills before receiving a title. They suggest first clarifying what leadership means in your own organization, since official…
Teresa Torres and Hope Gurion, both coaches, examine how resistance surfaces on pilot teams during a product operating model rollout, even among volunteers. They identify three common objections: "we don't have time,"…
Teresa Torres and Petra Wille argue that the best way to develop a team's skills is often a small, intentional learning group rather than either training everyone at once or leaving people to self-direct. They contrast…
Marty Cagan argues that the real alternative to dedicated Agile coaches is competent line management: engineering, product, and design managers coaching their people in hands-on skills. He contrasts a 'Team Red' that…
Marty Cagan argues that leadership and management are distinct, both essential competencies that many people wrongly conflate. He draws on an excerpt from Marty Abbott and Michael Fisher's The Art of Scalability to…