Ankita Goel

I recently wrote a PRD with AI and it worked out surprisingly well. Tomorrow, I'm sharing a new post with: - My personal PRD template - My AI prompt to fill in the template with real customer feedback - My favorite PRD examples and AI tools 📌 Sign up to get my PRD template, AI prompt, and examples in your inbox: https://creatoreconomy.so/

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A successful systems design and delivery strategy begins by assuming that change is likely the only constant. Be adaptable, or fail.

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I am excited to share the latest blog, co-authored by myself, Junhwi Kim and Vyas Sekar, detailing how we managed to successfully localized and improved LLM by combining Fine-Tuning and RAG. https://lnkd.in/gKDkgGPq

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Sharing a few of my recent Amazon shopping experiences here to confirm a few observations from people who may know. This is the third time in last few months when I was unable to return/replace the items I purchased. The product in question was a high ticket item and eligible for return/replacement. I was also able to place return orders for them smoothly from the Amazon shopping app. However, on the day of return pick up, I got an IVR call from Amazon saying the return pick didn't succeed because I wasn't present at pick-up/delivery address. In reality, I did not receive any phone call from any delivery agent and nobody came home to pick up return or deliver the replacement item. The call says pick-up/delivery will be attempted again twice and the same incident repeats the day after and the day after that. Now the order is forever stuck in return started/return failed state. And there's no way to mitigate this as Amazon app or website doesn't have the option for talking to a human customer service agent anymore. I think the delivery agents are well aware of this and they are exploiting it by not even attempting to deliver/pick up the items they were supposed to. Would like to know if anyone has experienced this and found a way to raise this issue and/or directly talk to a customer service agent. Appreciate your time and response. Thank you.

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🍜Anybody up for some ramen? I am excited to share that I am back in the garage, building again (it’s actually a house in the Berkeley Hills). We are taking the wraps off of Supercog AI, a new startup focused on solving Application Integration using LLM powered agents. My co-founder in this new venture is a great friend of mine (and a former co-founder partner), Alex Osborne. Alex and I have worked around the application integration space for a long time, and we are unrealistically excited about applying the GenAI stack to this problem. Not many people relish the task to get some bits to move from system A to system B. But it’s a critical job to be done, and that’s led to a lot of brittle scripts, a myriad of inflexible “no code” tools, and a lot of hand crafted SQL. But the power of the Large Language Model, trained on a huge corpus of information, offers a remarkable tool to solve this problem. The LLM you use today already knows the APIs of hundreds of popular systems. It knows the SQL dialects of every major database. It understands the semantics and data schemas of many popular SaaS systems. It understands much of the specific domain in which your business operates. I like to call the AI revolution “the last platform shift”. That may turn out to be hyperbole, but I definitely believe we are in the very early stages of seeing what this new stack can enable. I know we are hardly the first folks to claim that “amazing stuff is coming!”. But this is why Alex and I have decided to focus on a real and hard problem. If we can prove that LLMs can power a new way to solve this problem, it will be the first successful *new* approach in 15 years.. We will have much more to share about this new platform soon. In the meantime, if you’re interested in getting a peek - or even better if you have application or data integration tasks that you would like some help with - please reach out because we want to help. #genai #startups #backinthegarage

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🎙️ I recently listened to a "fascinating 😉" podcast interview between Ami Vora and Lenny Rachitsky. Here are some key takeaways that stood out to me/I found particularly insightful: Some great metaphors: "dinosaur brain" and "hill climb". • 🧠💡 Executive communication: The "dinosaur brain" metaphor refers to the idea that executives have a limited capacity for processing information. When presenting information to executives, it's important to focus on distilling complex information into concise, actionable recommendations. This allows executives to make informed decisions without being overwhelmed by too much data. • 🏔️💪 Take risks to reach new heights: The "hill climb" metaphor refers to the idea that in order to achieve a global optimum, one must be willing to take risks and make sacrifices. It involves giving up something that is working well in the present in order to pursue a potentially better outcome in the future. It's important to remember what the summit feels like in order to push through the difficult times and keep climbing. • 💼🚀 Execution trumps strategy: Strategy provides direction and goals, but execution is what drives success. Without strong execution, even the best strategies can't succeed. • 🤝📊 "my manager owns context, I own the recommendation", highlights the complementary roles of managers and team members. Managers are responsible for providing context and guidance, while team members are responsible for making recommendations based on that context. This division of responsibilities allows for more effective decision-making and collaboration. • 🔍🤔 Embrace curiosity: When having a disagreement, embrace curiosity, and collaborate to broaden your perspective and information set. While everyone loves being right, delivering the best outcome is what truly matters. YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gUHanrPy #LeadershipInsights #EffectiveCommunication #RiskTaking #CuriosityMindset #PodcastTakeaways

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From Astrologer's Whispers to Real Connections: Reclaiming Belonging in a Lonely Age Have you ever consulted an astrologer, their predictions swirling in your head, only to feel empty when your day takes a different turn? The emptiness might not be about the details themselves, but about seeking outside approval for your happiness. This same feeling can creep in even when you achieve success. Remember climbing the career ladder, landing that dream apartment, only to find yourself lost in a quiet emptiness? In India's bustling cities, it's a familiar, painful emotion. We're surrounded by people, yet there's a little loneliness at the edges of our lives. Thinking back to Mrs. Deshmukh, your friendly neighbour with the legendary Til Gur Barfi's, who brought the whole neighbourhood together with tea and friendly chats. Those evenings of shared stories and laughter, a web woven by simple human connection, feel like a distant memory in our super-connected yet broken world. We chase success with thumbs glued to screens, building online bridges that leave us feeling more alone than ever. The pressure to create a perfect online self-drowns out the whispers of our own desires. But here's the real deal, that shiny designation and fancy car can't fill the hole left by genuine connection. There's hope, though! We can rewrite this story. Let's ditch the small talk and chase deeper connections. Share your fears and worries, break free from feeling isolated in this sea of ambition. Remember the warmth of family gatherings, the joy of shared childhood games? Revive those small traditions. Pick up the phone for a real heart-to-heart conversation rather than What's Apping. Every act of connection, no matter how ordinary, how small, builds a more satisfying life. Imagine hearing back from an old friend, reliving an old laugh, and being surrounded by people who truly see us, where we belong. Isn't that what life is all about? Together, one conversation, one meal, and one act of kindness at a time, we can tear down the walls of loneliness. We can rewrite the narrative of modern society, where connection becomes the foundation of a life well lived. It's not too late, or is it? #HumanConnections #BelongingMatters #OvercomeLoneliness #RealConversations #MeaningfulRelationships #CommunityOverConnectivity #AuthenticLiving #SocialWellbeing #RedefiningSuccess #TraditionsRewoven #FightIsolation #VulnerableAndReal #KindnessRevolution #SmallActsBigImpact #ReconnectingHumanity #IndianSociety #UrbanLoneliness #DigitalDetox #QualityOverQuantity #ConnectionCures Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash

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Reader feedback for my latest post about how to use AI and my PRD template to never have to write a PRD from scratch again. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/eJjVXJUJ

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Ever wonder why some companies can ship software at lightning speeds while others seem stuck in the mud? 🚀⏳ . . . . . . . . . Daksh Gupta of Greptile collected real-world insights from engineers at many of the world's largest tech companies, unpacking the intricacies that either propel or impede the speed of shipping code. The big reveal? Older and larger companies tend to move more slowly because the costs of missteps become greater. In some cases, those costs are fairly non-negotiable (e.g. ensuring software for customers in production remains secure) while in other cases, the costs are more optional and cultural (e.g. wanting a lot of accurate estimates, forcing a manager's vs. maker's schedule, etc). #SoftwareEngineering #Tech #DevelopmentVelocity #Innovation #Productivity

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This old post from Ben Horowitz highlights a common struggle among entrepreneurs – expecting the team to perform seamlessly without investing in training. People are not plug-and-play; they bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives. You gotta spend time training and educating on your business, the way you want to talk to customers, and the right experience you want for them. Training is a powerful tool and needs to be done regularly! https://lnkd.in/ekv8c6WD #Entrepreneurship #Training #BusinessSuccess

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There has never been a better time to be in the AI/ML field - I have been truly amazed and humbled at the pace of innovation and value creation in this space. There's a ton of work to be done to make sure this technology is faster, cheaper, and more accessible to all - to truly democratize AI/ML for all 🚀 🚀 My team at Annapurna ML (which builds hardware AWS Trainium/AWS Inferentia and a custom software stack for it termed Neuron) is hiring top talent to build and realize the above vision. This is a unique opportunity to work with a team that - (A) Has full control and visibility of all software and hardware layers to drive innovation that differentiates. (B) Works with some of the top AI/ML players in the industry to collectively push the boundaries on the state-of-the-art. Three of our biggest and exciting challenges are - (A) Establishing SOTA performance through software-hardware co-design for recent and upcoming model architectures (e.g. MoEs, Multi-Modal models, and many more) (B) Scaling our software stack to work at massive scale (e.g. training across >10k chips) (C) Making open-source solutions (e.g. Nemo, vLLM) easy to use. We work on foundational parallelism techniques (e.g. tensor, pipeline, expert parallelism), make enhancements to open-source frameworks (PyTorch, JAX, XLA, Nemo), and work alongside compiler experts and chip architects in cross-functional setups to drive innovation and value creation. And the best part for me personally is that I get to work with and learn from some of the smartest engineers and scientists driving innovation in this space. If the above excites you, then do reach out to me (DM on LinkedIn) to discuss about ways in which we can work together. We are hiring across all roles (SDEs, SDMs, PMs) and levels (L4-L7). You can refer to https://lnkd.in/gMMdDPVC for details on the job description. I'd love to chat with you if - (A) You have a solid background in either fundamental model architectures, the science of training (e.g. reasoning about convergence, accuracy; understanding of fine tuning / alignment techniques), or in scaling AI/ML workloads through parallelism techniques. (B) You have a solid systems background and an ability to understand workload characteristics, systematically identify bottlenecks, and architect solutions to optimize performance. (C) You do not have a background in AI/ML but you are a 10x engineer - You have a track record of thriving in dynamic environments and learning new things quickly. (D) You are currently in university or a recent graduate and are passionate about the space and believe in the vision we have for AI/ML.

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🚀 Strategy and Profitability: Insights from Lenny’s Podcast with Ami Vora I recently listened to a fantastic episode of Lenny Rachitsky podcast with Ami, where they delved into the critical aspects of governance and profitability in product leadership. Their insights were incredibly resonant and thought-provoking, particularly for anyone navigating the complex intersection of innovation and business sustainability. Highlights: Detangling User Needs: • They emphasized the importance of understanding user needs while setting up strategic frameworks. Clear guidelines help product teams innovate without getting bogged down by bureaucracy. GMV and Surface Separation: • Ami made a compelling point about Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) and the need to separate it by surface. This approach helps product leaders see which platforms or channels are driving the most value, enabling targeted improvements and strategic investments. Building User Engagement for GMV: • Ami discussed how different user engagements contribute to GMV. By segmenting GMV per surface, companies can tailor strategies to enhance user experiences across various touchpoints, driving higher overall GMV. Profitability with Purpose: • Integrating profitability into the product development process from the start is crucial. Ami shared strategies for ensuring every product initiative drives financial success without compromising on user value. Data-Driven Decisions: • They underscored the power of data in strategic planning. Leveraging analytics allows product leaders to make informed decisions that balance short-term gains with long-term growth. Building Accountability: • A strong theme was fostering a culture of accountability. Transparency and regular reviews are key to maintaining high standards and achieving sustainable growth. Reflection: This podcast was a powerful reminder that effective strategy and profitability are not mutually exclusive. It’s about setting the right frameworks to foster innovation and ensure our products are financially viable. I highly recommend this episode to fellow product managers and leaders. It’s packed with actionable insights on balancing governance and profitability. How do you integrate governance frameworks without stifling innovation in your teams? #ProductManagement #Governance #Profitability #Innovation #Leadership #DataDriven #SustainableGrowth

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🌟 Reflecting on a Memorable Experience 🌟 A while back, I had the unique opportunity to provide crucial advice to the CTO at a mid-sized software development company. They were seeking feedback on fostering collaboration between sub-businesses and sharing best practices across the organization. The differing leadership styles among their direct reports had been a barrier, and I knew addressing this issue would require careful navigation. Initially, I suggested a casual lunch meeting at a favorite Italian restaurant. However, the executive declined due to a garlic allergy and preferred to meet in their office. I was aware of the rumors about the executive's difficult demeanor and previous conflicts, including a significant issue with an employee displaying a crucifix in their cubicle. These factors added to my apprehension. During our meeting, I took a collaborative approach to present the issue. Instead of pointing fingers or placing blame, I highlighted the importance of aligning leadership styles to drive effective collaboration. I shared examples of successful cross-organizational initiatives from other companies, emphasizing how consistent leadership could foster a more cohesive and innovative environment. By focusing on shared goals and the potential benefits of unified leadership, I aimed to build consensus and encourage a collective effort towards improvement. The CTO listened intently and engaged in the discussion, asking insightful questions and offering their perspective. Our conversation gradually shifted from identifying the problem to brainstorming actionable solutions. This approach not only eased the tension but also paved the way for a productive dialogue on how to implement best practices across the organization. During our conversation, I noticed a blood donation poster prominently displayed in the CTO's office. Suddenly, everything clicked - the CTO was a Dracula. Understanding the gravity of the situation, I acted decisively, snapping a leg off of the wooden chair I had been seated on, and using a stapler to hammer it into the executive's heart, sending the demon back to the hell from which it came. The CTO let out a terrifying screech, and within moments, their body disintegrated into a pile of ashes. The room fell silent, and I knew I had done what was necessary to protect the company and its employees. This experience underscored the importance of cohesive leadership styles. Aligning leadership approaches is essential to fostering a collaborative and innovative environment, allowing teams to work together effectively towards shared goals. By ensuring consistency in leadership, we can drive positive outcomes even in the most unforeseen circumstances 💪🌟. #Leadership #Collaboration #Teamwork #Adaptability #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment

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Reflecting on my journey from my early days at #Amazon, where one of my initial product designs emerged from a simple problem-solving discussion 7 years ago, I realize how far I’ve come. The path from then to now has been filled with continuous learning and growth. Data Analytics and Product Management have not only honed my professional skills but also shaped me into a better person. While there’s always more to learn, Self-motivation drive me forward every day. #SelfMotivation #ContinuousLearning #DataAnalytics #ProductManagement #ProblemSolving

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I read this news today that Intuit decided to layoff 10% of their workforce and openly label a large portion as being “underperformers”, this is another level of low for any corporation. This is a company whose one of their supposed core values is "Integrity Without Compromise", i guess as long as it's other people's livelihood that is compromised then integrity isn't necessary. A move like this affects everyone who was impacted by the layoff with little differentiation between who was in what bucket. More importantly, underperformance isn't always specific to the individual and can be a result of various leadership failures like poor direction, unclear expectations, broken processes and misallocation of resources. Layoffs are an unfortunate part of business, but understandable. But there is a right way to do it, a wrong way to do it, and a stupid way to do it. Shame on Intuit. I would recommend everyone to consider twice before seeking employment at Intuit or other companies that employ such a practice. Hope everyone affected lands on their feet. As someone who values community and support, I'd like to offer free coaching to help those impacted navigate this difficult time, specifically in doing a mock-interview session along with feedback for anyone in Product Management. Please note that my availability is limited, and I may not be able to accommodate everyone, but I will do my best to assist as many individuals as possible.

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I made a critical decision while launching Amazon Prime that my manager disagreed with. Not everyone will agree with your product decisions, and that’s okay. Disagreement is part of the decision making process. Here is how it happened 👇 I felt strongly about a new feature that would resonate well with our customers, but my manager wanted me to stay focused on the fundamental aspects of the launch since we were behind schedule. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻: 1. Understand & Empathize 2. Address concerns 3. Prepare the case 4. Get buy-in 5. Communicate 6. Measure decision 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲? 1. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 & 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘇𝗲: My manager was not wrong, he wanted to ensure I focused on what's urgent and important and met my launch date.     2. 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀: By gathering supporting data, mitigating risks and focusing on his goals as a priority.     3. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲: Document detailing the objective, key insights and supporting data. I also included mock-ups of the experience to answer any lingering questions.     4. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘆-𝗶𝗻: Before presenting to my manager, I made sure I had buy-in from other stakeholders who would be affected positively or negatively by this feature.     5. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲: I set up a meeting to present my document to my manager, including other leaders of whom I had aligned with.        ⛔ Even though he was still not fully convinced, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 that his concerns were addressed and goal was being met.     6. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Having received no objections from my manager, I made sure to have the right mechanisms to measure the impact of my decision post-launch. ✅ 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲: The feature performed better than expected, and my manager recognized me in front of my peers and leaders for having worked hard to deliver on my promise despite obstacles. 👨‍🏫 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱: Embrace disagreements! Without my manager's objections, I would not have strived to validate my assumptions, and raised the bar on the quality of work I was willing to produce the first time around. Do you have any success stories where you went against the popular opinion? Share your experience in the comments! 👇 -- 🥷 I'm on a mission to help PMs master high-performance. 📟 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 me for more tips on becoming an unstoppable PM! Grab my 𝟳 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 - Link in the first comment.

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Reach: Who & How The first system or feature most people own is often built from scratch. My initial foray was developing a ranking model for Messenger-only users. Having built the component, I was naturally inclined and actively advocated for its application in broader contexts, such as Messenger contact recommendations. As an owner, you become the system’s champion—its impact reflects on you. Understanding the system's reach, whether it's advertisers or users segmented by Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV), is crucial. For internal systems, your primary users might be engineers and teams, but their users are your audience too. It’s vital to review user journeys. Ensuring intended users can utilize the system consistently without disruption is a baseline for sustained impact. Monitoring tools for metrics like user drop-off rates, retention, and adoption speed are essential. For internal systems with smaller user counts, supplementing data with qualitative research like surveys is invaluable. One of my first tasks when taking over new systems is a thorough review of these metrics. Regular monitoring aids early bug detection and sets development priorities. For example, while enhancing the Google Maps Notifications Infrastructure, I initiated end-to-end tracking for notification delivery. This revealed a higher than expected rate of dropped notifications, prompting immediate improvements. Once the system is stable and the user experience is effectively managed, expanding reach becomes more manageable. Discovering new user groups often requires collaboration with cross-functional partners. Occasionally, a system may experience rapid adoption. Skilled owners should capitalize on this momentum, making strategic trade-offs when necessary. For instance, implementing optimistic caching for certain user cohorts could be a solution when costs spike, with plans to optimize later. I faced this when Messenger-only user adoption of a contact recommendation service skyrocketed from 10 million to over 700 million users. Navigating this scale required several hardcoded optimizations and commitments to infrastructure engineers. Finally, increasing and maintaining reach isn't feasible without setting a minimum standard for reliability and cost. Higher usage often brings more bug reports and requires managing varied levels of user expertise, which can hinder wider adoption and engagement.

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"Your main job is to make your product win." I think this should apply to any product that your company makes. I also like what he says following this statement about what is NOT your main job. I will summarize here: "Your main job is not to make your manager happy, it is not to make execs happy." Also, note, this main job doesn't only apply to PMs, but also to senior Engineering Managers, Tech Leads, and Designers. #makeyourproductwin #leadership

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