He Was Promoted 3x in 5 Years at Google (Bilawal Sidhu)
1M+ TikTok Followers. Given a TED Talk. Thought leader in AR/VR and spatial computing.In today's episode, we've got Bilawal Sidhu who went from Deloitte consultant to Senior Google PM.Not just that, he managed to get 3 promotions in 5 years.Without any doubt, he has bunch of insights to share on transitioning into the PM industry, thriving as a PM in big tech, and shaping the future of innovation.That’s exactly what we’re covering today:Introduction to the Guest - 00:00:01Is Spatial Computing Just Hype? - 00:01:57How Generative AI is Helping AR/VR Progress - 00:04:22Why Vision Pro Was a Flop - 00:10:18Why Meta's Quest Outsold Vision Pro - 00:13:15Why He is Still Bullish on Google - 00:17:23How He Landed a Role at Google (After Transitioning from Deloitte) - 00:28:01Product Management Trends in 2008 - 00:36:19The Less Glamorous Side of Being a PM at Google - 00:39:00Working Experience in Google Cloud vs. Google Maps - 00:43:38Decision-Making Processes of Google Maps Teams - 00:51:44How He Got 3 Promotions in 5 Years - 00:59:26Two Lessons from the Promotion Story - 01:05:25Building an Innovation-Centric Mindset as a PM - 01:18:38AI Tools and Their Use Cases for PMs - 01:23:17Managing Time at Google - 01:28:02The Future of PM Roles - 01:35:23Step-by-Step Guide on Transfers and Transitions - 01:45:16Why He's Blown Away by Procedural 3D Modeling - 01:54:40What's Happening in the NERFs Space? - 02:01:01Leaving Google and Becoming a Creator - 02:07:41His Focus as a Content Creator - 02:18:30Income Streams Breakdown - 02:28:242024 Review: Creator Life vs. Google Year 5 - 02:31:54Brought to you by:Attio: The next generation CRMWorkOS: Your App, Enterprise ReadyVanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustWhere to find Bilawal:LinkedInTwitterWebsiteTED showNewsletterYouTubeEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Chloe Shih (Most Followed PM creator on Instagram + YouTube), Sergio Pereira (Fractional CTO and CPO), and Adam Robinson. (CEO @ Retention.com & RB2B).I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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2:33:31
How Swiggy Went From 30K to 1 Million Orders Per DAY With Fmr SVP of Product + Growth, Anuj Rathi
Swiggy started with just 30,000 daily orders.Today, it’s a household name handling millions orders per day.Moreover, it recently completed an IPO as well.So, how did it scale so fast in such a competitive market?In this episode, Anuj Rathi takes us behind the scenes to explore Swiggy’s journey.In today's episode, we cover:Exponential Growth Story of Swiggy – 00:03:42Product Features Driving Growth – 00:10:25Advice for PMs to Evolve in Their Role – 00:22:10Going Beyond Product – 00:25:25Development in Leadership Roles – 00:29:44Mastering Product Discovery and Execution – 00:32:53Tackling Challenges in PM Roles – 00:36:36Prioritization Framework in Action – 00:41:05Role of Collaboration – 00:48:46Balancing Internal and External Focus – 00:51:11Transitioning from PM to Leadership – 00:54:19Short Tenure in Executive Roles – 01:00:09AI for Product Managers and Leaders – 01:01:52The Future of Product Management Roles – 01:04:15Adopting a Cross-Functional Mindset – 01:07:52Job Search Strategies for Executive Roles – 01:13:14Inbound for Product Leaders – 01:18:47Brought to you by:Explo: Customer-Facing analytics in your productAttio: The next generation CRMVanta: Automate compliance, manage risk, and prove trustWhere to find Anuj:LinkedInTwitterCompanyEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Bilawal Sidhu, Chloe Shih, and Sergio Pereira. I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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1:21:31
How Zoho Became a $6B Company Without Funding, former Growth PM Aishwarya Ashok
I have another in-person episode from my India tour! This is with prolific podcaster Aishwarya Ashok, who had me on her show about a year ago. In our chat from my awesome Airbnb in the heart of 100 ft road - the center of tech in India - we cover:Why Zoho Chooses to Stay Private - 00:02:17The Untold Origin Story of Zoho - 00:06:52How Zoho Carved Its Unique Market Position - 00:09:23The Secret Sauce Behind Zoho's Growth - 00:11:06Inside Zoho: Understanding Its Scale and Size - 00:15:29From Marketing to Management: The Transition Path - 00:18:39Why Showing Up Drives Career Success - 00:26:57Proven Strategies for Landing PM Interviews - 00:28:42Mastering Self-Reflection to Thrive as a PM - 00:32:14Leveraging No-Code Tools to Build Referral Systems - 00:35:02Picking the Right Starting Point with Popular Tools - 00:40:13Common Pitfalls in PM Interviews - 00:41:53The Art of Structuring Perfect PM Interview Answers - 00:46:18The AI Revolution: What It Means for the Future of Product Management - 00:48:59Brought to you by:Attio: The next generation CRMWorkOS: Your App, Enterprise ReadyExplo: Customer-Facing analytics in your productWhere to find Aishwariya:LinkedInWebsiteNewsletterEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Anuj Rathi, Bilawal Sidhu, and Chloe Shih. I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
In this episode, Gautham Krishnan shares his playbook for mastering product strategy, apply second-order thinking to uncover hidden opportunities, and leverage pre-mortems to minimize risk.If you’re looking to sharpen your "product sense" to accelerate your career growth and build strategic products, this episode is for you.In today's episode, we cover:"You're Never Late to the Party with a Strong Product Strategy" — 00:11:12How BluSmart Is Beating Uber in India — 00:15:54Assessing If Your Product Strategy Is Good Enough — 00:34:04How to Gain Deep Insights Into Your Users — 00:40:41The Biggest Mistakes People Make During Pre-Mortems — 00:45:28Product Strategy: Startups vs. Larger Companies — 00:49:53Marty Cagan’s Take on Crafting Product Strategy — 00:52:33The Most Important Lesson From 16 Years of Aakash’s Experience — 00:56:20The Most Critical Trait Gautham Looks for When Hiring PMs — 01:03:10Favorite Questions to Assess Customer Obsession in PMs — 01:08:19How Gautham Landed His Executive Director Role — 01:10:14Increasing Your Surface Area of Luck — 01:11:35Gautham’s Best Advice for Aspiring PMs — 01:12:36How PMs Should Leverage AI to Stay Ahead — 01:14:22Brought to you by:Explo: Customer-Facing analytics in your productAttio: The next generation CRMEnterpret: Transform customer feedback into product growth with custom AIWhere to find Maria:LinkedInTwitterWebsiteEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities.We have some great podcasts coming from: Aishwarya Ashok, Anuj Rathi, and Bilawal Sidhu. I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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1:16:38
How Airbnb Went From $0 to $85B Valuation with Mona Gandhi, Early on Airbnb’s Growth Team
In this episode, Mona shares her journey as the first female engineer of Airbnb’s growth team to tackling the challenges of localization and scaling performance marketing.If you’re looking to crack into PM, build scalable growth systems, or learn how Airbnb achieved global success, this episode is packed with lessons you can’t miss.In today's episode, we cover:Why and How Brian Chesky Redefined the PM Role – 00:03:03Airbnb’s Approach After Ditching Traditional Product Management – 00:09:23Key Considerations for Driving User Adoption – 00:13:10The Early Wins of Airbnb’s Acquisition Team a Decade Ago – 00:23:28Airbnb’s Biggest PR Nightmare and How They Handled It – 00:28:42Building a Culture of Quick Experimentation – 00:39:42The Secrets Behind Airbnb’s Localization Success – 00:53:41From Engineering to Product Management: Lessons Learned – 01:04:10The Journey from Software Engineer to Product Manager – 01:11:00Brought to you by:Attio: The next generation CRMExplo: Customer-facing analytics in your productWhere to find Maria:LinkedInTwitterWebsiteEmail [email protected] to discuss advertising or guest opportunities. We have some great podcasts coming from: Gautham Krishnan, Aishwarya Ashok, and Adam Robinson. I’m so excited to share them with all of you. Get full access to Product Growth at www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe