The happiness and pain of product management | Noam Lovinsky (Grammarly, FB, Thumbtack, YT)

Summary

In this insightful podcast interview, Noam Lovinsky, the Chief Product Officer at Grammarly, shares his diverse career journey and valuable lessons learned from working with major tech companies like YouTube, Facebook, and Thumbtack. Lovinsky reflects on his experiences, from turning around YouTube's initial financial struggles to building Facebook's New Product Experimentation team. He emphasizes the importance of aligning with a company's broader strategy, the value of resilience in product development, and the significance of having a diverse set of skills within a leadership team. Lovinsky also highlights the unique success factors of Grammarly, a B2C subscription business that has managed to thrive and grow sustainably. His advice for career success centers around pursuing opportunities for growth and learning, even when they come with challenges, and focusing on work that genuinely energizes and fulfills you.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Prioritizing what's best for the business over personal goals can lead to better outcomes and is a sign of a healthy organization.
• 💪 Advocating for team well-being over personal career advancement can be a difficult but rewarding decision in the long run.
• 🚀 Building a startup within a large company requires a different incentive system and operational model to avoid stifling innovation.
• 🤝 Collaboration across different departments at the leadership level is crucial for tackling challenges and driving growth.
• 📈 Diversifying growth channels is essential for long-term sustainability, as reliance on a single channel can be risky.
• 🛠️ Scrappy, bootstrapped beginnings can instill a culture of resourcefulness and profitability that lasts as a company grows.
• 🧩 Finding a balance between new challenges and areas of expertise is key to personal and professional growth without overwhelming stress.
• 🤔 Reflecting on how a potential disruptor would approach your business can provide insights for innovation and improvement.
• 🌟 A strong product that delivers immediate value with minimal effort can drive user satisfaction and retention.
• 🔄 Embracing struggle as a means for growth and development can lead to stronger bonds and better outcomes.
• ⚖️ Having a solid foundation in a few key areas while stretching into new ones can maintain balance during periods of intense learning.

Q & A

What was the initial challenge when Noam Lovinsky joined YouTube?

When Noam joined YouTube, the platform was losing a significant amount of money, and there were internal considerations at Google about whether to sell YouTube.

How did Noam Lovinsky's role evolve at YouTube?

Noam started by rebuilding a product from a company he founded, which was acquired by YouTube. He then transitioned to leading the creator focus area at YouTube, working alongside Hunter Walk and Shishir Mehrotra.

What was a significant learning for Noam Lovinsky during his time at Thumbtack?

Noam learned the importance of not relying on a single channel for growth, as Thumbtack had done with SEO. He also realized that growth can mask underlying problems within a business.

How did Noam Lovinsky approach the challenge of rebuilding the growth engine at Thumbtack?

Noam focused on diversifying growth channels, rebuilding the customer experience to reduce friction, and changing the monetization model to provide instant quotes for services.

What was Noam Lovinsky's role in creating Facebook's New Product Experimentation (NPE) team?

Noam was part of the early team that helped build NPE, with the goal of incubating new product ideas within Facebook, protected from the larger organization.

What was a key takeaway from Noam Lovinsky's experience at Facebook regarding incubating new products?

Noam emphasized the importance of having the right incentive system and allowing for experimentation in a way that doesn't scale, which is crucial for discovering new products in a large organization.

What advice does Noam Lovinsky give to product managers for career success?

Noam advises product managers to seek out roles and opportunities that will lead to significant growth and learning, even if they involve pain and challenges, as these experiences can be highly rewarding in the long term.

How does Noam Lovinsky describe the user experience of Grammarly?

Noam describes Grammarly as a product that requires minimal configuration and works seamlessly across all applications to provide immediate assistance to users, requiring very little effort to extract value.

What is Noam Lovinsky's view on the importance of finding work that energizes you?

Noam believes that it's crucial to focus on work that gives you energy and brings you joy, as life is short and there's no reason to spend time on things that don't fulfill you.

What is the significance of the Grammarly team in Ukraine, according to Noam Lovinsky?

The Ukraine-based team at Grammarly is highly dedicated and has contributed significantly to the company's success. Despite challenging circumstances, they continue to operate effectively and take pride in their work.

What does Noam Lovinsky recommend for someone considering a new job or career move?

Noam recommends that individuals should prioritize positions that will cause growth and learning, even if they are challenging, as these experiences can lead to significant personal and professional development.

What is Noam Lovinsky's approach to interviewing candidates?

Noam prefers interview questions that allow him to work through a product problem with the candidate, believing that this approach provides a better understanding of the candidate's capabilities and thought process.