startup
#66 - Becoming The Best Product Manager You Can Be, with the CEO of Product School, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
December 19, 2023
Carlos and I dive deep into the product management field, discussing the differences between PM categories, what it means to become the best PM one can be, and what the outlook is for the next five years for those that want to break into the field.
#41 - Why Big Tech Is Not For Me, with Chloe Shih
October 22, 2021
Despite what your LinkedIn feed might tell you, a career in FAANG is not the only way to grow in tech. Or even get started in tech, for that matter. There are many variables in play that can help you determine what career track to pursue, but none more important than the answer to your own "Why?" That's why today I am talking to Chloe Shih, a product manager and content creator, about her journey to a product manager role, struggles along the way, and the realization that work in Big Tech might not be all that interesting or impactful.
#29 - Building Things You Love, with Ben Sandofsky, Head of Development for Halide
April 11, 2021
From Pascal, to writing image processing code, if there is one word you absolutely can’t use to describe Ben Sandofsky’s career, it would be “uneventful.” He was one of the first mobile engineers at Twitter, had a stint helping build Periscope, and ultimately ventured into unexplored territory to finish a photo app he always wanted, that later became Halide. In this episode, I sit down with Ben to get a better understanding of the decisions he made in his career, and what were the critical turning points that made him start his own studio - Lux.
#27 - How to Build a Career in Human Resources, with David Daniels
March 20, 2021
There is a certain air of mystery around careers in Human Resources (HR), and David Daniels, who is a veteran HR leader in tech, is here to bring some clarity about the work. David has extensive experience being in HR at Microsoft, Pinterest, and now - Snapchat. He shares his insights about going from education to leadership in some of the most prominent tech companies, fighting against the fixed mindset, and uncommon recommendations for folks wanting to get started with their careers.
#25 - How to Build a Career in Design and Pitch Gary Vee, with Jack Zerby
March 7, 2021
Jack Zerby is not your typical designer. His experience producing music, working at Pentagram and Frog, building startups, pitching to Gary Vee, and now - building tools for creators at Gumroad, puts him square in the middle of a very uncommon career path. In this episode, I chat with Jack to learn more about what motivated him to grow his career, how to break into design, how to make the transition from a big company to a startup, and what does it mean to build compelling narratives in deck form.
#24 - Building Communities with Jess Lee
February 28, 2021
Jess Lee is the co-founder of dev.to - a developer community that emphasizes the importance of a friendly approach to guiding folks through the tumultuous waters of software development. In this episode, we chat about Jess’ career, the journey to founding Forem - the open-source platform powering large communities, and her experience building successful distributed teams.
#16 - Bill Kenney on Building Brands That Last
November 8, 2020
This weekend we go outdoors with Bill Kenney, co-founder of Focus Lab, a branding agency that is entirely remote. We talk to Bill about the importance of a good brand and what distinguishes professionals from amateurs in the field.
#15 - Tarun Gangwani on Innovation, Navigating Product Decisions, and Building Growth Engines
November 1, 2020
We sit down to chat with Tarun Gangwani, Senior Product Manager at Sanity.io. Tarun is a seasoned PM with tons of expertise to share about the product management domain.
#9 - Interview with Philipp Cannons
July 20, 2020
In this episode of The Work Item, we interview Philipp Cannons, CEO and founder of PMFIT.AI - a startup that aims to accelerate product success. Philipp talks about his experience starting a business from scratch and building a deep understanding of large organizations.