AI Product Leadership Masterclass: The Makings of a Manager (With Author of the Book)
Today's guest: Julie Zhuo, Former VP of Product Design at Facebook, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of "The Making of a Manager," and now AI product leader at Sundial"Is the product designer role going to exist in 10 years? Is the product manager role going to exist in 10 years?"That's Julie Zhuo asking the existential questions every product leader is thinking but afraid to voice.Julie spent 13 years at Facebook, starting as an IC designer and rising to VP of Product Design. She wrote the Wall Street Journal bestseller "The Making of a Manager." Today, she's building AI products at Sundial and working with companies like OpenAI.In our conversation, she breaks down:* How AI is killing traditional product roles* The timeless management principles that still matter* What makes a great AI product leader* How to build product taste when AI gets better than youThis isn't just about adapting to new tools. It's about reimagining what product development looks like when one person can do what used to take a whole team.----Check out the conversation on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.Mobbin: Discover real-world design inspirationJira Product Discovery: Build the right thing, reliablyProduct Faculty: Product Strategic Certificate for Leaders (Get $550 off)The AI Evals Course for PMs & Engineers: You get $800 with this link----Timestamps00:00 Intro02:30 The Death of Product Development08:42 Learn The Craft15:02 ADS17:00 Definition of a Managers's Job21:12 Julie's Thoughts on AI Agents28:12 Blindspots While switching from IC to Manger30:40 ADS35:48 The Three Levers That Never Change41:20 What is Feedback46:43 How AI is Changing the Domain52:49 What Makes Great AI Product Leaders Different1:00:55 Essential AI Tools Every Leader Should Master1:09:15 Lessons from OpenAI's Product Team1:15:55 Outro----Key Takeaways1. Stop Thinking in Roles, Start Thinking Skills. The future belongs to builders who combine unique strengths with AI capabilities, not people attached to traditional job titles like PM or designer.2. Taste Becomes the Critical Differentiator. When AI can do many things well, your ability to recognize exceptional work versus average output becomes your most valuable skill.3. The Three Management Levers Still Apply. People, process, and purpose remain the core levers. AI agents just add new tools within the "people" lever you need to manage.4. Face Reality to Build Trust. Create environments where teams can confront what's really happening. Thank messengers who bring problems instead of shooting them.5. Conviction + Humility Balance. Have strong conviction in your process and vision, but stay humble enough to accept feedback and iterate based on what you learn.6. Be a Beginner Again. Even experienced product leaders need to earn their stripes in the AI era. The willingness to learn matters more than past success.7. Lead Through Experimentation. This isn't a playbook era. Try new team structures, new workflows, new approaches. Nobody has all the answers yet.8. Master AI Tools in Your Workflow. Don't just use ChatGPT occasionally. Actively disrupt your old systems and use AI throughout your daily work processes.9. Learn from OpenAI's Approach. They work seven days a week, obsess over understanding user behavior data, and maintain rigorous weekly metrics reviews for alignment.10. Focus on What Remains Human. The joy of creation, learning processes, and meaning we derive from building things we're proud of can't be automated away.----Related ContentPodcasts:Full Roadmap: Become an AI PMComplete Course: AI Product ManagementHow to Become, and Succeed as, an AI PM | The Marily Nika EpisodeNewsletters:How to become an AI Product ManagerHow to Write a Killer AI Product Manager ResumeHow to Become an AI Product Manager with No Experience----P.S. More than 85% of you aren't subscribed yet. If you can subscribe on YouTube, follow on Apple & Spotify, my commitment to you is that we'll continue making this content better.----If you want to advertise, email productgrowthppp at gmail. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.news.aakashg.com/subscribe
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