Insights
Notes on building products and product teams
Short, practical notes from 22+ years of building products and product teams.
Free products fail because nobody values what they don't pay for
When growth stalls on a free product, look at the incentive structure before the feature roadmap. At J.P. Morgan, introducing pricing changed client conversations from "can you add this feature?" to "here is our use case and the return we need." Pricing also forced us to say what the value was and to measure it.
Monetisation · Pricing · Product strategy
Read on LinkedInAlignment is a subscription, not a one-time purchase
Stakeholders who agreed at launch forget why when revenue dips. When Sales blamed a new disclosure for falling performance, the data said otherwise, but defending it would not have worked. Agree first, validate the concern, then rebuild the conversation on facts. Repeat the success criteria in every update.
Stakeholders · Communication · Leadership
Read on LinkedInBuild the pipes, not just the tap
On WhatsApp, seven teams were collecting signals in silos while Legal and Privacy blocked most attempts. A principles-first governance framework with self-serve documentation and review made every team faster and kept privacy intact. Design systems that let teams move without you.
Governance · Product operations · 0→1
Read on LinkedInProduct craft is a capability, not a talent
When features ship but don't land, the fix is the system, not the people. Define what great looks like with the team, add light forcing functions (pre-mortems, one-page briefs, peer reviews), and coach in the moment. Craft protects speed.
Product teams · Hiring · OKRs
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