Mock Product Manager Interview (Google PM): Google/Amazon Video Strategy

Summary

In a live mock interview at 'five this Expo p.m.', David Schlossberg, a seasoned product manager, discusses the strategic considerations for Google launching a competitor to Amazon Prime Video. He suggests that rather than direct competition, Google could leverage its ecosystem to offer a unique bundle of services. The conversation delves into product strategy, market competition, and the role of product managers in decision-making at Google, highlighting the importance of quick thinking and strategic vision in the tech industry.

Takeaways

• 😀 David Schlossberg, with 15 years of experience as a product manager, emphasizes the importance of combining technical background with business strategy in product management.
• 🔍 The mock interview format is designed to simulate real product management interviews, focusing on strategic thinking and vision for product direction.
• 🎥 The interviewee suggests that Google should not launch a direct competitor to Amazon Prime Video but could offer a unique bundle of services to compete with Amazon Prime.
• 🤔 The discussion highlights the need to consider the different stakeholders involved in a strategic move and how they might be affected.
• 💡 Google's potential strategy could involve leveraging its existing platforms like YouTube and Google Music, along with additional benefits like extra cloud storage, to create a competitive package.
• 🚫 The interviewee argues against Google investing heavily in original content production, as it's not aligned with Google's typical business model.
• 📈 The importance of having a unique selling proposition (USP) when entering a competitive market is stressed, as it helps to differentiate the product from existing offerings.
• 💡 Ideas such as offering offline video playback on Android devices or including free downloads as part of a subscription are suggested as potential differentiators.
• 🛑 The potential negative impact on Google's ad revenue and its advertisers is considered a significant factor in not offering an ad-free Google search as part of a subscription.
• 🏁 The interview wraps up with a discussion on the importance of quick thinking and maintaining composure during product management interviews, especially at companies like Google.
• 📝 The takeaway for interviewees is to prepare well, organize thoughts, and be ready to adapt and respond to unexpected questions or counterarguments during the interview.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the mock interview in the video script?

The main topic of the mock interview is discussing whether Google should launch a competitor to Amazon Prime Video and exploring the strategic implications of such a decision.

Who is the interviewee in the mock interview?

The interviewee is David Schlossberg, a former Google PM with about 15 years of experience in product management.

What is David Schlossberg's background according to the script?

David Schlossberg started his career in software development, got his master's degree, and then discovered product management. He has worked at various startups, Google, and for the past five years, has been managing teams of product managers.

What is the role of the interviewer in the mock interview?

The interviewer's role is to ask questions about product strategy, simulate a real interview environment, and provide feedback and closing notes after the session.

Why does David believe Google should not launch a direct competitor to Amazon Prime Video?

David believes Google should not launch a direct competitor because Google's model does not involve spending heavily on content production like Amazon and Netflix do, and there is already a lot of competition in the market with unique hooks that Google lacks.

What alternative strategy does David suggest for Google instead of directly competing with Amazon Prime Video?

David suggests that Google could offer a different kind of competitive product by bundling ad-free YouTube with a free subscription to Google Music, extra cloud storage, free apps, and other Google products to create a unique package that competes with Amazon Prime.

What is the importance of product strategy questions in a product management interview?

Product strategy questions are important as they test a product manager's ability to think strategically about the direction of products and product vision, which is a crucial part of product management.

What are some factors that David thinks would not differentiate a video product in the market?

David mentions that factors such as video quality (e.g., 1080p vs. 4k resolution) and the ability to download videos quickly are not significant differentiators unless targeting a niche audience with specific needs.

How does David approach the idea of offering a unique proposition to compete with Amazon Prime Video?

David suggests leveraging Google's existing services and products, such as offering Google search without ads or additional storage space, to create a compelling offer that encourages users to switch to Google for their digital service needs.

What is David's advice for interviewees when faced with on-the-spot questions in a mock interview?

David advises taking the time to write down ideas and brainstorm before responding, as it helps to organize thoughts and provide a more structured answer during the interview.

How does the level of strategic freedom for product managers at Google compare to other companies, according to David's experience?

According to David, Google offers more strategic freedom to product managers compared to other companies he has worked at, allowing them to think about problems and solutions in their own way rather than being strictly instructed what to do.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Introduction to the Mock Interview

The video script begins with the host introducing the live mock interview session at 'five this Expo p.m.', acknowledging potential technical lags. The guest, David Schlossberg, a seasoned product manager with experience at Google and various startups, is invited to introduce himself. The host outlines the format of the session, which includes a product strategy question, a mock interview, and feedback. Viewers are encouraged to participate through likes, comments, and subscriptions, indicating the value they find in the content.

05:03

🚀 Discussing Google's Strategy on Video Services

In this paragraph, the discussion revolves around whether Google should launch a competitor to Amazon Prime Video. David suggests that Google should not directly compete but instead could offer a unique bundle of services, such as ad-free YouTube, Google Music, additional cloud storage, and other Google products, to compete with Amazon Prime's ecosystem. He emphasizes considering the perspectives of Google's users and the competitive landscape, noting that Google's strength lies in its vast array of services rather than investing heavily in content production like Amazon and Netflix.

10:07

🤔 Strategic Decision Making at Google

The conversation explores the strategic decision-making process if Google were to enter the video content space. David discusses the importance of understanding what would convince users to choose Google's services over existing options. He mentions the potential of creating unique content, leveraging user data for targeted advertising, and offering services at a lower price point. The paragraph also touches on the challenges of competing with established players like Netflix and Amazon, and the need for a distinct value proposition.

15:08

🔑 Differentiating Google's Product Offering

This section delves into how Google could differentiate its product from Amazon's. David suggests that performance, such as video streaming quality, may not be a significant differentiator. Instead, he proposes ideas like offering offline video playback on Android devices or including additional benefits like free video games with a video service subscription. The focus is on finding small, unique features that could make Google's offering stand out in a crowded market.

20:10

🛒 The Impact of Ads on Google's Product Strategy

The discussion shifts to the role of advertisements in Google's revenue model and how it influences product strategy. David explains that while offering an ad-free Google search could be appealing to users, it could negatively impact Google's ad revenue and make the platform less attractive to advertisers. The conversation highlights the balance between user experience and maintaining a profitable business model.

25:14

💡 Broader Perspectives on Competitive Product Strategy

In the final paragraph, David shares insights on how companies, including startups, should approach competitive product strategy. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the market's capacity for multiple competitors and identifying a unique selling proposition. David also discusses the strategic freedom product managers have at Google compared to other companies, noting that Google encourages product managers to think independently and contribute to the product's direction.

Keywords

💡Product Manager

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for the vision, strategy, planning, and marketing of a product, ensuring that it meets market needs and company goals. In the video, David Schlossberg introduces himself as a product manager with 15 years of experience, highlighting the role's importance in guiding product direction and making strategic decisions.

💡Product Strategy

Product Strategy refers to the long-term plan and vision for a product's development and market positioning. It is a critical aspect discussed in the mock interview, where the interviewee is asked whether Google should launch a competitor to Amazon Prime Video, testing the candidate's ability to think strategically about product direction.

💡Mock Interview

A Mock Interview is a simulated job interview conducted to prepare candidates for the actual interview process. The video features a live mock interview where David Schlossberg is asked questions to assess his strategic thinking and decision-making skills in a product management context.

💡Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based streaming service offered by Amazon, which is part of the broader Amazon Prime package. In the script, it serves as a point of comparison for a hypothetical product that Google might consider launching, illustrating the competitive analysis aspect of product strategy.

💡YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing platform owned by Google, where users can upload, share, and view content. The script mentions YouTube as a source of content for Google and contrasts it with the more costly content production strategies of competitors like Amazon and Netflix.

💡Content Production

Content Production involves creating original media such as videos, shows, and movies. The discussion in the video highlights the financial commitment companies like Amazon and Netflix make to produce original content, which is a strategy that Google has not traditionally pursued.

💡Competitive Advantage

A Competitive Advantage is a characteristic or attribute that makes a company's product or service more appealing to customers than those of its competitors. The video explores how Google could leverage its existing products to create a unique offering that could compete with Amazon Prime without direct content competition.

💡Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage service from Google that allows users to store files, photos, and videos. In the script, it is suggested as one of the services Google could bundle with a potential product to create a compelling offer that includes additional storage space.

💡Google Music

Google Music refers to Google's music streaming service, which is part of YouTube Music. The video mentions it as a possible component of a bundled service that could be offered alongside other Google services to compete with Amazon Prime.

💡Ad-Free Experience

An Ad-Free Experience means that a service is provided without any advertisements. The script discusses the idea of offering an ad-free version of Google's services as part of a subscription package, which could be an attractive feature for users who prefer not to see ads.

💡Product Vision

Product Vision is a clear and concise description of the future direction of a product, including what problems it will solve and what benefits it will provide. The video emphasizes the importance of product vision in guiding the strategic decisions of whether to enter a competitive market like streaming services.

Highlights

David Schlossberg, a former Google PM with 15 years of experience, shares insights on product management.

The interview format includes a live mock interview followed by feedback and closing notes.

Product strategy questions are a mix of business and product design aspects, testing a PM's strategic thinking.

David suggests Google should not launch a direct competitor to Amazon Prime Video but could offer a unique bundle of services.

Google's potential strategy could involve combining ad-free YouTube with Google Music and additional cloud storage.

The importance of distinguishing Google's offering from Amazon Prime's comprehensive package is discussed.

David explains the challenges of competing with established players like Amazon and Netflix in the video content market.

He proposes considering user preferences and leveraging Google's vast data to offer personalized content.

The discussion touches on the potential of offering offline video playback as a unique service differentiator.

David addresses the balance between Google's ad revenue model and the idea of an ad-free subscription service.

The interview explores the strategic decision-making process at Google, with varying degrees of PM autonomy.

The importance of a product manager's ability to think on their feet and adapt to unexpected questions is highlighted.

David reflects on the need for better organization and preparation in responding to interview questions.

The interview wraps up with advice for product managers on how to approach strategic decisions and competition.

The conversation emphasizes the value of product managers having a unique proposition in a competitive market.

David shares his contact information for further questions on product management and coaching opportunities.

Transcripts

hey everyone I believe we're now live at

five this Expo p.m. mock interview and

forgive the lag and at such where that

may happen throughout this interview but

I'm super excited to be here today with

plus was a former Google PM why do you

go ahead and introduce yourself everyone

yeah my name is David Schlossberg I've

been a product manager for about 15

years I started my career in software

development I pretend I'm not really

quickly got my masters and then

discovered this really cool a field

called the product management where I

could take my tech background combine it

with all the fun stuff I learned in my

masters and then since then I have

worked at a ton of startups I worked at

one unicorn one company called Google

and for the past five years have been

managing teams of product managers so

I've got a ton of experience and in the

process of going through product

management interviews hiring people and

I'm happy to be here today awesome cool

we're excited to have you and so for the

viewers who may not know how this works

we are going to do a live mock interview

where I will ask a question to floss

about a certain type of question and

then we'll simulate a real mock

interview after the session we'll do a

little bit of feedback and some closing

just notes and comments throughout this

you are more than welcome to and

encouraged in fact to chime in via the

buttons on the bottom of the screen like

hearts Wow faces whatever you want to

give as well as comments throughout we

love questions we love comments we love

just like thumbs up because it makes us

feel good and makes us feel like this is

worth your time too and you know please

subscribe and like our page as well if

this content is valuable to you so let

me know that we can make more types of

this content

cool so now that we have that out of the

way we'll go ahead and dive into the

interview so in this interview we're

going to do a product strategy question

product strategy questions are kind of a

mixture of a lot of different aspects of

business and also a product design and

they're commonly asked at companies like

Google to test your prime managers

ability to strategically think about the

direction

products and product vision it's a very

important part of product vision so I'll

go ahead and ask the question it's the

question that philosophy are going to do

today is should Google launch a

competitor to Amazon Prime video you can

take it away whenever you ready plus

yeah happy to so the answer is not

specifically they should not watch a

direct competitor to Amazon Prime video

but Google could launch a competing

product to Amazon Prime and what I like

to think about these strategy questions

I always like to think about who are the

actors that are involved in these in

these transactions and how would they be

changed based on this strategic outcome

so let's imagine the world where Google

has this Amazon Prime video competition

and think about a further perspective of

Google from there Google's users and

then from the competitors as well

so from Google Google doesn't like

spending money on content they have this

really cool thing called YouTube where

they get tons and tons of content for

practically free they have watched

premium products in the past before and

even have put like some money into

YouTube production but like they're not

putting in the same kind of money like

some of their competitors are like

Amazon and Netflix who are pouring

hundreds of noise it's not billions of

dollars into into their video production

so like from Google's perspective like

like that's what Mike directly we're

gonna start like producing really

expensive content like that's not

Google's mo that's not the way Google

likes to do things are the respective

like Google users Google there's a lot

of competition that you know these users

can buy their premium video services

from a lot of different companies and

there's already distinguishing things

that like if you go buy for Netflix

you're getting all of Netflix is really

cool it's for content you're getting all

of who who's really cool production

content Gould doesn't have that same

sort of hook that they could get people

with right away so a video alone is not

enough of a thing to get the users to go

to Google's video service over some of

those other competitors services and

just like rap about the competition side

remember that Amazon Prime video is not

just Amazon video it's also free

delivery it's

books it's a whole bunch of other stuff

that you also get on top of your video

so when I say Google should not

specifically compete with Amazon Prime

what I mean is that Google could offer a

different kind of competitive product

like combining ad-free YouTube with a

free subscription to Google music plus

extra cloud storage free apps and a

whole bunch of other stuff that has a

bundle of really cool Google products

that could compete with Amazon Prime and

would actually be something like

distinct and unique from Amazon Prime

and something like that actually could

be really competitive with with Amazon

Prime where Google doesn't have to do

the same kind of massive expenditures on

crazy content and new shows like Amazon

or Hulu or gash lips duster so in this

case you're sort of talking about it may

make sense on a high level but in the

lower level case of just the video

content and it doesn't make sense

correct got it and so it just to follow

up there like what would how would we

think about this let's say that you know

we are deciding that we want to compete

in that space would there be like how

would we think about that decision

strategically you know so you made a

recommendation to cinder he says no I

don't care

I understood wanna do it anyways how

would we think about the product

strategy in that case yeah so in that

case you'd have to ask the question what

would Google need to do that would

convince people that they should use

Google's premium video services either

instead of or in addition to other

premium video services that they use so

for example it's not uncommon it's not

I've heard of that someone has a

subscription to glue it and phonetically

so like when they subscribed to Hulu and

Netflix and Google Video so you know the

main way that these video services have

been competing with each other is by

having unique content that's only

available on their platform that is not

available on the competition's platform

and most of them like I said have done

it through the custom creation of like

new shows and new content that is only

available on

but for YouTube that I think has done

something like that as well and so what

Google could do is say alright we're

gonna take half a billion dollars we're

gonna go hire some really awesome

Hollywood writers and they are going to

go and create all this custom contents

so that the user has really have a

compelling reason to sign up for

Google's video service and and maybe

instead of us some of those other

services so I think like that would be

like the most naive solution it's

something that's like really special or

unique but it has like a very high cost

of entry and it may not be enough to

really convince people you know there's

other options that Google could take to

distinguish their services well like

offering it at a lower price point

Google could perhaps do that if they

could repurpose some of the information

that they get from people about say

their show preferences and turn that

into stuff that can be targeted by

companies who are serving ads at the

other end Google likes to do that with a

lot of their services we're like we

learned a whole bunch about you from a

whole bunch of different services and

then we can get use that to make better

decisions about what to show you

elsewhere throughout Google properties

so it's not gonna be another approach

that Google could take is is to think

about like well like we can maybe offer

it as a cheaper alternative or and in

exchange that you know that your

information is being used perhaps or

targeting you for services driver

Tesla's okay great and thanks for

handling that but follow-up booth that I

just gave you which is fun to do in an

interview and you just came up with an

answer and then I have your key the

other perspective

okay okay I'm curious also just to talk

a little more about like you know so so

in this world where Google is doing this

sort of strategy and something you know

Google losing peanut costs is one of the

big factors that can you know and also

like you're saying content but content

might be a challenging one to compete on

because Google has to get a lot of like

original content that would be a high

upfront cost for Google and are there

other factors that you think would

differentiate a product with Google and

Amazon or maybe like what wouldn't

differentiate Google and Amazon too so

for example like

I can imagine the way the video plays

might not be a key competitive advantage

for for either company perhaps so I'm

curious if to tease out more to push

you'll adjust a little bit more to see

how you might think about the what

matters and what doesn't matter in this

kind of space yeah well let me talk a

little bit about what does not matter so

much sure every all these companies are

generally offering the same kind of

performance like you know you can

download the videos really quickly they

stream at really high quality it's not

like there's like you're gonna offer it

at like if you offer it have like a

1080p resolution versus like a 4k or

something else like that like that's not

significant enough unless you're like

really at the extreme end of someone who

like cares so much about video quality

that like you're gonna notice something

like that most people won't notice

something like that there could be other

smaller ways Google could differentiate

their services like for example maybe

Google could strike some sort of deal

where they allow all the video content

to be played offline on Android devices

we're like yeah something where like you

could kind of tie that into other Google

products and services so a lot of those

other streaming services make film let

you take content offline and so maybe

that'd be like that could be something

that you know if you're a very heavy

mobile user maybe if you're a traveler

like you travel a lot on airplanes where

you don't have a reliable Wi-Fi

connection if you could just download

any video that you want on demand this

guy shows up on your phone that could be

something that differentiates it we

think of what else maybe Google cut out

other kinds of things like for example

if I recall correctly uh I think I was

there in their stadia launch they're

offering some sort of thing where you

can like get three video games like this

if you sign up for their streaming video

game service so maybe go Kouga it off or

something like well you sign up for our

video service and you get to own some of

the video on top of being able to rent

it by so maybe you get to own like by

quote-unquote by one video every month

or some whistle sort of credit and keep

it permanently on top of your monthly

subscription that gets you free

downloadable access so there are like

little things that Google could do that

would differentiate themselves I don't

think any of those significantly changes

the math behind this though like I don't

think so much we just at Google because

they get one free download a month but

maybe they care enough about offline

playing that that is something that

might be more meaningful cool yeah and I

just wanna pause here as we keep going

through this interview if you're

watching we love comments thoughts

reactions likes subscribes all that kind

of good stuff especially if you have any

questions that you like answered by us

or questions that you want to ask

directly as a part of this interview

we'd love to hear that

so do comment below if you're watching

this like we love the interactivity it

really like helps us to so love any any

sort of that kind of thing yeah okay

cool so that we time kind of talked

about that the difference is that world

I'm curious to just poke your brain more

now on switching gears back to the

Google Amazon piece if Google were to

compete with Amazon Prime what are some

unlike the brains terms or dreams that

you would include or leverage maybe and

let thinking about like a google package

versus a prime package yeah yeah I think

Google could take advantage of some of

the other services that Google has and

find ways to package them up together to

make a really compelling offer that you

really just ought to switch to Google

for all of your digital service needs

and that's not me that Amazon and

frankly like a lot of those other

companies will have a really hard time

replicating so some examples of some of

those things would be here's a terabyte

of Google Drive space that cost Google

practically nothing

and most people will not even use it but

if you say like hey Google here's like

my $10 a month for 3d videos plus all

this extra storage space that would be

pretty fantastic other things like add

for you YouTube access to Google music I

think I mentioned that they could give

away free Android applications Google

just has a slew of other products that

are kind of have premium ish services on

top of them and so I think the best way

to to to create like a Google package is

it just takes some of those things and

just like skip them all together and

actually make something that's really

compelling at the outset maybe Coupole

could even go further like hey you get

Google search without ads or as to

browse like other like websites out

there where Google Adsense ads would pop

up maybe some of those just get replaced

with thanks for being the Google

subscribe things like that actually if I

could have some meaningful could be

meaningful for a lot of people

especially people who might be sensitive

to advertisements people who need a lot

of extra data storage yeah III think so

I think that's the best way that Google

can approach this problem is by just

like you take a whole bunch of other

things that doesn't cost Google very

much and then offer them as something

that actually like turns it turns a

so-so video offer and too much like a

pretty fantastic I'm gonna keep you

hooked into the Google ecosystem offer

nice yeah I think I would be really

fascinating the experience if I could

just remove ads from Google like if I

could save money and just get bad to go

away I would be crazy

yeah I wonder I'm curious like why you

think Google maybe wouldn't want to do

that or like what the you know like

let's say like Google couldn't just do

that like we could begin a subscription

service where you pay Google money and

you don't see ads which is kind of what

happens on YouTube with a lot of YouTube

products and why not like that sounds

awesome

no it's an excellent question I think

the short answer is ads are Drupal's

bread-and-butter Google makes nearly all

of its revenue from advertisements and

I'm sure there's like some calculation

you could come up with that like says

like well how much is a person month of

ad revenue like a user month of that

revenue

right so like with all the Google

searches that I do or all the Google Ads

that I see on other publishers web sites

across the web Google probably makes

more than 10 bucks off me in a month

then like the ten bucks I could pay to

Google directly so that right there

would be like the most immediate impact

it also would have downwind impacts -

which is that Google advertisers are

paying Google because they want their

ads place and because they want their

ads seen and clicked so if there's a

service where Google says like well you

can have all of these customers except

for that point that actually makes

Google a less compelling offer for

advertisers and so Google would actually

be kind of gets on throw if they offer

in something like that I'll take that my

idea it's probably not the best thing

for Google just for that for that reason

they advertise it would be very upset

like it would actually make Google a

much worse platform for advertising yeah

I mean yeah depends on of course like

how much traffic again and all that kind

of stuff but like how much traction that

that product gets bit I could imagine

that nuking like Google's core bread and

butter as you said but it's interesting

as intention but the user experience

which might be a lot better you know a

lot of users nowadays they ought to pay

money actually to get rid of their

advertisements and so there's a yeah I

think it's a worthwhile discussion but

very least - it just kind of talked

through those things cool wall I you

know again I know you all are watching

so we haven't gotten any comments yet in

questions but we would love to get your

comments I see some of you watching and

so you know just comment below with just

some thoughts questions ideas even if

it's just you know asking David what's

your product or something you know or

what the ice cream flavors it's just

good to get some of that interaction

back and forth so please do comment

below or give us a like if you're

enjoying this and yeah so David I guess

like the the last piece that you're

going on I'm curious about like you know

from a broader perspective if in general

like how a company should think about

its competitive products like you know

so you know we talked about kind of an

instance in this case of Google and

Amazon but I'm curious saying how do you

generally think about it for product

startups companies etc yeah give me a

sec something about that totally yeah

not an easy question so there's

that come to mind the first one is that

it's always okay to compete with someone

because there's usually room in a market

for more than one product to be

successful there's always a first place

winner the second place company usually

does pretty well too if you're third

fourth fifth and so on like maybe you

you know then you probably need like

something else going for you like you

know maids like you're a secondary or

tertiary product and you're making your

money somewhere else so if there's

always room in a market for lots of

people to compete over the same users

over even the same type of product

specifically we see that all the time

and we're seeing it again like in the

video space is a perfect example where

Netflix and Hulu and YouTube are

capturing those two the revenue but now

there's just a whole like flurry of new

video streaming services that are coming

online very soon and so so there's

always room to like have your your

product in keeping competition the

second that is what's your what's your

niche like what's the what's the thing

that's special or different about your

product that's not that none of the

other products can replicate or would

have a really tough time deprecating so

again to use the video space as an

example it's the content itself that's

actually like the really valuable asset

here so a lot of these movie studios who

are gonna launch their own video

streaming service what they've done is

you can only watch the Marvel movies on

Disney's new exchange service you're not

gonna see it anywhere else and so that's

the reason why you would subscribe to

that service and maybe in addition to

one of the others maybe instead of one

of the others but it's because like I

love Marvel movies so much I'm gonna pay

them my 10 ducks a month to get those

movies so if you are gonna go into

competition it's like especially like in

a space that already has a ton of

competition already you need that thing

that makes you unique that makes you

different it could be the content it

could be the price point it could be a

lot of other things but those are the

two things I would say that are the most

important when you're thinking about the

competition is will you be number one

because if you're not number one then

you need to understand the economics of

not being the first place player in that

space and then what's your unique

proposition that's going to convince

people to use your product and not

someone elses mmm

okay awesome so let's wrap it there I've

done enough putting you on the spot -

huh for now so you give your breath and

yet again I will just queue up if folks

have questions please comment below

there's just questions about key on

being or Google etc we would love to get

your interactions and thoughts and

comments likes and all that kind of good

stuff so we talked a lot about a bunch

of different things I want to kind of

kick it now to the feedback section but

we talked about how that went and sort

of some high-level strategies for the

interview that are given before that do

you have anything that you kind of

wanted to reflect on and how that went

for you and I gave you a lot of

questions and yeah like Before we jump

into you know my thoughts sure sure I

mean definite not my best interview ever

but I think there were surprised you a

lot so I think I was not as organized as

I could have been and some of my

responses I felt like I was struggling

to come up with good ideas for some of

those questions you put me on the spot

if this had been a real interview

session I'd probably have taken a little

bit more time to kind of written down

some ideas and just done a little more

brainstorming in fact like that's often

the feedback that I have for most other

like when I'm helping other people in

the interview process the feedback I

give them most often is take those 30

seconds and make sure you write down

your answers and give make sure you kind

of get the thoughts out of your head

onto paper and I use that as a guide

when you can your responses I think

that's the thing that I I would have

done had this been a quote-unquote real

interview for other than is sort of mock

session yeah yeah yeah I think just if I

wake you got up I didn't mention

plus is also one of our coaches so if

you're looking to interview at companies

like Google as a product manager we have

a team of coaches and exponent that

they're excited and ready to help you a

snap an interview but I totally was

gonna say like I think we you know you

had a lot of great thoughts okay so just

to get rid of all the viewers sense like

I didn't I only we only talked about one

of the first question beforehand

and then I sort of added all that

follow-up myself so kind of

a slice on the spot there but I think

you can know it really well especially

given that you know it was kind of a lot

of that back and forth and pushing you

and pulling you and you know a classic

move that the interviewer will do is

take what you're saying and just say

like argue the opposite side or they do

the other thing and so but I think it

shows to have Damita expertise that

you're able to speak about both sides of

that perspective and yeah I think the

structure for me was like the biggest

piece that I would I would definitely

love and it sounds like you reflected on

it too but just like kind of going

through a list of like okay this is a

reasons why or these are like aspects

why of the competitive nature and like

you know some sort of yeah I don't

really we don't really believe in like

frameworks too much but sort of like

kind of a high level process or map of

going about that question

it would have been helpful so it's like

okay at first we're gonna talk about you

know I think you did a little bit of

that was like cost is one factor then

other vector is like you know um I

forget about that piece but another one

could have been you know okay what are

they the in competition like what are

the risks now what are the risks in the

future rate like what the current

competitors like in the future how will

this change right also thinking about

the president the future maybe could

help frames in those concepts but

overall I think like you know these

products strategy questions are actually

quite new they're like more infrequently

asked at companies like Google they

actually just recently added a section

for it so they're something that you

know everyone's still kind of

experimenting with and there's not a

clear most ruptured approach is like a

product design question so a lot of it

is this kind of back and forth you know

if you were about like okay well why

don't they do that like why don't they

do that I think why should they do that

and I think thinking in your feet and

being able to respond quickly is like a

big part of it as well yeah I definitely

worth everything you just said there I

would note that the the big difference

between like a great product manager

who's interviewing at Google and I know

a pretty good one is the ability to

really think on your feet and stay on

your feet during the course of that

interview the great PM's are the ones

too they don't get flustered or fazed

when you come back around you say like

you said now I'd be the other side of

this question yeah p.m. so the ones who

just are on top of every single answer

and can just jump right in and ending

right at least as as right as as they as

it could be t answer a question like

that mm-hmm

yeah totally I think like that is just

one journal treat that's a really

effective in interviews in general and

so you know keeping your calm your cool

and you know what to navigate that

interview and know that it's going to go

in that direction that you're not

totally comfortable with but you know

it's gonna be a really good way to

showcase that you know as hiring

managers do you want to think I defeat

gotta think quickly if that's right cool

so we I got one comment from the slack

channel that we're in the exponent slash

channel but no comments on the actual

page so again folks maybe it's a slow

day or it's a p.m. on Wednesday and

people are trying to do more fun stuff

than watch the p.m. mock interview but

would love your comments like you know

if you're watching this video right now

please do comment or show reaction or

anything like that so that we can

respond to any of your questions but in

the meantime another question I had is

from the slide channel is how strategic

are the decisions made when product

managers at Google so I got to add live

on this question I'm assuming it kind of

you know there's you decision that gives

me that startups think I can't get that

that's obvious but like what about

strategic decisions made at Google they

do product managers actually gonna say

in those kinds of decisions

yeah that's a great question I can help

answer and see I figured editor view the

quick answer oh I'll tell you for like

my own experience and the answer is it

depends there definitely some teams at

Google like I worked in ads and I worked

in the converse team at different points

and they I've seen it was probably the

most mature part of Google when it comes

to product management and the product

managers are it's very much bottoms-up

managed so the individual product

managers actually get a ton of say on

the strategy and direction and things

like that

compared to other teams in Google which

are much more top-down managed now

that's not to say you don't have like

some sort of say in the strategy or

where things are headed but just that

you know you're probably going to be

given some like very high-level strategy

that you're trying to achieve and like

you

with some other PM's are trying to

figure out how you how you do your part

accomplish that strategy or like I said

is it more about like you know actually

like you're kind of on your own you know

go go figure it out and that's uh that

was definitely how my time with Google

100 just keeps mm-hmm

yeah I think I'm trading what I would

say good point it does depend a lot with

Google such a big company that you can

just get a lot of different kinds of

products and strategies and things like

that like even I'm imagining part of

strategy is like prioritizing which

features to build or like prioritizing

which products to invest time in and

that it is a strategic decision at the

end of the day right like but I do think

that in some aspects of Google or some

aspects of other companies you don't

actually have to interface the business

logic that much so for example if you're

working on a very user facing feature or

a feature that doesn't actually generate

revenue you may need not need to think

too much about the like financial

implications of your product and you may

just like the scope is narrower because

you're kind of thinking less about like

the long-term strategic impact of being

a platform like Android versus being a

like you know 5c a product like the

iPhone and so that's just like a

different nature of how big Google is

basically yeah I would add one last

thing which is I think at Google I had

much more strategic freedoms and pretty

much any other company that I've worked

at so I definitely want you to get the

idea that like you're just gonna get

locked in and doing what you're told

that goo actually far from in fact like

Google really wants great product

managers because they want the way that

you think about problems they want you

to come and actually like try to solve

things and the way that you think are

the best way to do that so like I said

compare so like other companies I've

worked at Google was far more loose in

terms of the way that you know the in

terms of like the ownership that product

managers had compared to like being told

what to do mm-hm

yeah totally yeah I think there's still

a lot of exciting sushi strategic

decisions

we're running up against the 30 minute

mark and it's usually about when I want

to clap cause thanks to those who are

watching I know we didn't maybe get as

many comments this time but something we

got a lot of viewers so who knows but if

you do have any other comments or

thoughts or questions um what's the best

way to reach out to you or you know is

there anything else you want to plug for

Neosho yeah of course yeah if you want

to get in touch with me you can always

go to my website Sumeet org th e + e 8e

o RG and my email is dave at that

address so I'm happy to answer any

questions you all might have and you can

see a whole bunch of content on that

website regarding issues in product

management design and tech at least cool

yeah and for those of you in exponent

losses in this life channel as well so

you can voice DM and directly there or

you can always reach out to me or

schlotz

to get a coaching session if you're

interested in any sort of p.m. interview

prep if you're preparing for your

upcoming interview without with that I

think we're sort of on a wrap so thanks

so much fluffer do this probably

strategy interview I hope you had fun I

had fun and I hope everyone else

watching you have fun as well yeah just

great thanks very much thanks a room

right