Weekly Product Hits: PhD Founders, Go After Big Things, The Problem with Viral Hype
Product Hits: April 21, 2025Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! PhDs Aren't Starting Companies Like They Used To by Nnamdi Iregbulem Nnamdi Iregbulem, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures, examines how the growing burden of knowledge and lack of division of labor discourage PhD-level talent from entrepreneurship. Therefore, PMs who work with PhDs like data scientists or ML researchers can attract and empower PhD talent by implementing systems & processes that reduce cognitive overload and streamline knowledge-sharing, enabling technical teams to focus on discovery and innovation. Only Go After Big Things by Alex Hardiman Alex Hardiman, CPO at The New York Times, emphasizes the importance of aiming for "big things" in product strategy. Hardiman urges PMs to think beyond incremental wins and instead aim for long-term, generational change. Why high growth, high churn products never seem to work by Andrew Chen Andrew Chen, partner at Andreessen Horowitz, warns that products driven by viral social spikes (like meme or AI novelty apps) often give the illusion of success. Despite rapid early growth, poor retention ultimately limits their sustainability. Chen urges PMs to resist chasing hype and instead prioritize long-term retention and network effects. In the end, DAU spikes mean little without sticky use cases that compound. Behind the ScenesHey there, it’s Clement! I’ve recently gotten a handful of questions about communities for products: how to build them, when they matter, and what role they play in your product’s go-to-market strategy. First things first - you don’t need to have thousands of users or launch a full-blown forum to build community! Start with your existing customers before looking outward. We can help connect customers to each other, not just to your product. I’ve seen PMs kick this off by hosting informal user roundtables, scheduling feedback calls with multiple customers at once, or simply introducing customers with similar use cases to each other over email. If your users are active on LinkedIn, consider starting lightweight discussions from your product’s account. Share lessons from real usage. Ask open-ended questions. Reshare customer wins. Your goal is to spark organic conversation. I’ve also seen success with niche Slack groups, private Discord servers, and invite-only office hours. The key is to choose a format that feels natural for your users and gives them a reason to come back: not just to hear from you, but to learn from each other. Above all, a great product community is all about generating and maintaining momentum. When users teach each other, troubleshoot together, and share best practices, you’re no longer the only one advocating for your product. That’s powerful. Have you seen a product community you admire? What made it work? I’d love to hear from you! With love, Let's do more together!
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Product Teacher
In-depth essays and thought-provoking reads for product managers.
Product Hits: July 21, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Networking, Reframed by Deb Liu Deb Liu, CEO of Ancestry.com, reframes networking as long-term community-building rooted in generosity and consistency, rather than selfish short-term transactions. When PMs invest early in authentic relationships, they can draw on that trust when it’s time to seek support. Avoid incepting negative ideas by Wes Kao Wes Kao, co-founder of...
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