The Product Podcast

Chris Geoghegan, VP of Product at Zapier and the company’s first product manager, on scaling automation and running 800+ internal AI agents. He discusses agentic versus deterministic workflows. He explains orchestration, onboarding agents like employees, and Model Context Protocols. He also covers Zapier’s integrations-driven moat and how AI shifts product and enterprise priorities.

Tim Simmons, Chief Product Officer at Walmart International, leads global platforms and AI-driven localization across multiple countries and brands. He discusses turning organizational complexity into AI strength. He explores orchestrators and agentic AI for automating product workflows. He explains the Walmart Translation Platform that slashed costs and sped up translations while enabling local customization.

Aparna Sinha, SVP of Product at Vercel and former Google Kubernetes leader, talks about building AI-native developer platforms. She describes Vercel’s AI cloud primitives, the Team of One philosophy, and why shipping imperfect products early matters. She also covers dogfooding, hybrid pricing for AI value, and organizing tiny autonomous teams to iterate quickly.

Anique Drumright, an accomplished product leader at Rippling, previously shaped teams at Uber, TripActions, and Loom. She dives into how Rippling operates like a compound startup, balancing agility with growth. Anique discusses the evolution of product leaders into general managers, emphasizing the importance of maintaining focus and ownership while delegating. She shares insights on driving ROI through automation and the significance of a hands-on approach to understanding customer needs, ensuring alignment across teams for optimal performance.

Andrey Khusid, Co-founder and CEO of Miro, a leading visual collaboration platform with over 100 million users, discusses the evolution of his company from a browser whiteboard to a robust innovation hub. He shares insights on navigating market shifts, the importance of AI in supporting collaborative workflows, and the critical need for product reinvention. Andrey emphasizes that speed of learning is a competitive advantage in the AI era and explores how acquisitions help scale Miro's capabilities and maintain a strong brand amidst rapid commoditization.

Rachel Wolan, Chief Product Officer at Webflow, discusses the company's transformation into an AI-native platform. She introduces the ICCPO framework and the importance of leaders using their own tools. The conversation delves into building AI-native products and the strategic shift from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). Rachel also highlights innovative products like AppGen that enhance enterprise application generation, and her insights on leveraging AI for productivity make this discussion a goldmine for aspiring product managers.

Zeb Hermann, General Manager of v0 at Vercel, leads an AI-powered prototyping tool that transforms natural language prompts into production-ready designs. He discusses the shift from an approvals-based culture to a veto-based one, fostering faster decision-making among developers. Zeb emphasizes empowering full-stack designers and PMs to directly contribute code, reducing handoffs and coordination costs. He also highlights how utilizing prototypes can accelerate team alignment and the importance of measurable impact over hours worked.

Elena Verna, Head of Growth at Lovable and former leader at Miro and Dropbox, dives into the rapid growth strategies behind her AI-native startup that skyrocketed to $100M ARR in just eight months. She discusses the concept of 'vibe coding,' redefines product-market fit in an evolving landscape, and emphasizes that growth teams must now oversee brand experiences. Elena also highlights extreme shipping velocity, the responsibility for product-led activation, and how word-of-mouth has taken precedence over traditional marketing in the age of AI.

Dheerja Kaur, Chief Product Officer at Hims & Hers, shares her journey in building impactful products within the health tech landscape. She discusses the challenges of innovating in regulated markets and how to balance user experience with compliance. Dheerja explains the strategic decision to maintain two brands, enhancing personalization for diverse users, and highlights how AI is transforming patient care. She emphasizes the importance of combining clinical expertise with product management to deliver delightful, effective health solutions.

In this engaging discussion, Jeetu Patel, President and Chief Product Officer at Cisco, explores how AI is reshaping cybersecurity and enterprise software. He details Cisco’s approach to building security-by-design within AI frameworks, emphasizing the importance of trust and privacy. Jeetu discusses the challenges of balancing speed with safety in product innovation and the critical need for responsible AI practices. He also shares insights on integrating acquisitions and the necessity of partnerships in developing scalable, secure solutions.