Vijay Ramani

Grammarly just acquired startup Coda (last valued at 1.2bn) with a goal of a possible IPO. This could be a big move in productivity, especially for product teams. Coda CEO Shishir Mehrotra was recently on Lenny's podcast (first comment below). https://lnkd.in/gmgfcm2P

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A clear articulation of Elon’s clearly stated direction at Tesla re/ working in the presence of one’s teammates in the office, on the factory floor, etc. It’s simply a matter of optimizing productivity, creativity and results, in my experience. That’s doesn’t mean there aren’t workable exceptions for some companies. It’s a choice. His choice is clear. My point? “choose carefully and wisely”. It’s really hard to push on this ime. It’s way harder to have the market put us out of business because someone else slept on the factory floor to drive results and we chose not to. 🙏🏼🇺🇸🚀 https://lnkd.in/gK8Xaven

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Enjoyable. As a Product Manager, you should obsess over that concept.   Yesterday, I chatted with my friend Abhishek Sinha, a senior product leader at NVIDIA, and ex Cohere and Amazon Web Services (AWS).   In front of 40+ Surge founders, we went deep into all things product management. Some insights worth sharing:   👉 “What is a developer?” - it’s important to go deep and specific on your ICP. For example, you can’t just say that your ICP is a developer. What is that? Frontend? Back-end? Data? In SME? Or Enterprise? There are 20+ different type of developers, each with different needs and motivations. Be specific. 👉 All about motivations- definition of personas and segments should not be done based on superficial demographics. Rather, understand the WHY? Understand the motivations, deeply. Why are they using your product? What drives them? Group them based on the WHY. 👉 60% rule. Product Management is not just about drafting PRD’s and project managing build & launch. It’s all about customers. Working backwards. Those motivations? You can only understand them when you spend at least 60% of you time speaking with customers. Anything less, and you’ll miss stuff. 👉 Storytelling is everything - a product can only succeed when the narrative is strong. Communication is key and product marketing should be joined at the hip and part of all key customer conversations. Again, work backwards from the customer and develop clear messaging and value prop, optimized for your different channels.   Which brings us back to enjoyable. That value proposition? It can only be about 3 things: faster, cheaper, more enjoyable. That last one is not the same as ‘easy-to-use’. Some products are not easy, but so unique, so powerful, so rich that they can be hugely enjoyable.   So aim for that. Aim for enjoyable. cc. Peak XV Partners Anuj Sahai Muharrem Derinkök Jon Woods Pieter-Paul Walraven Jascha Zittel Elliott Gibb Nellie Wartoft James Han Carla Penn-Kahn Nitish Tiwari Ajain Vivek

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For product-minded eng people out there, our call to action is simple. People Ops software shapes the experience of talented people (due to performance management, compensation, mobility, etc) to an extraordinary extent... Not to mention building something amazing for managers and leaders to run their teams better. What if we could build something as delightful as Linear to shape this experience?

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The newest issue of The Pragmatic Engineer found a surprise uptick in eng hiring in the typically slow summer season - I'm curious to see how the macro environment impacts this uptick as we head into the fall, but I remain hopeful. I asked Gemini to give me the tldr of the article to share with my team (sorry, Gergely Orosz) and found it missed one of the most interesting pieces of the article. Gemini's highlights - Unexpected surge: Tech recruitment has seen an unusual spike in June and July, contrary to typical trends. Increased demand: Startups, especially AI-focused ones, are driving the hiring uptick. Global phenomenon: This trend isn't just limited to the US; Europe is also experiencing increased recruitment activity. Reasons for hiring: Companies are backfilling positions, investing in growth due to improved financials, and responding to increased VC funding. Challenges remain: While the job market is improving, finding qualified candidates and offering competitive compensation remains difficult for many companies. What I found most interesting - The nature of the backfills: the article finds that a lot of new headcount are actually backfills of folks that were "over-slashed" during rounds of layoffs. Not entirely surprising with the "trim the fat" and "rebuild lean" mentality, but interesting nonetheless. Either way, the uptick is encouraging (and don't always rely on Gemini's tldrs). #hiring #startups #VCbacked #softwareengineering

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Goldcast's startup journey has perfectly mapped the last 4 crazy years of SaaS. Palash Soni and his cofounders first started the company in 2021 to build great, customizable virtual event solutions for enterprise marketers. While their business kept growing past the pandemic, it was clear that overall spend was shifting back to IRL events fast. However, video consumption continued to rise and quickly became the best way to build your brand and an audience in software - if you knew how to operationalize video marketing. Goldcast's product evolution from a virtual events platform to an AI-native video marketing solution has been incredible to watch. The company had its best quarter yet, adding customers like OpenAI and Coupa Software and I couldn't be more proud. Here's Palash talking about their product evolution and the future of video marketing in an AI-native world.

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🚨🚨 🚨 Unlocking Innovation: The Power of the Adjacent Possible Innovation programs can stall when the team tries to ideate way beyond their collective perspective and frame of reference. Like a software engineer brainstorming genetic modification of mycelia, or a senior executive ideating process improvements which they haven't been participated in for decades. It's challenging, exhausting, and ultimately self-defeating. Enter the concept of the "Adjacent Possible" - a game-changer for innovation. What is it? The Adjacent Possible, coined by Stuart Kauffman, represents the realm of new ideas within reach based on our current knowledge, resources, and capabilities. Why it matters: ➡️ Realistic Innovation: it focuses on achievable advancements, not far-fetched concepts. ➡️ Incremental Progress: each innovation opens doors to new possibilities. How to leverage it: • Constantly explore the boundaries of your adjacent possible. What's in your line of sight is what you know best. • Combine existing ideas in novel ways. Even small perturbations from status quo can generate large innovation leaps. • Stay curious about developments in adjacent industries. Cross-domain patterns create fresh sources of ideas, while also expanding the adjacent possible. Most of all, it takes the 'genius' pressure off the team. No one knows everything, but each one of us knows a lot about something, and we can all drive plenty of innovation potential by focusing on the spaces we know best. Are you exploring your Adjacent Possible? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #Innovation #innovationsystems #AdjacentPossible

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After 10+ years working with early-stage startups it’s fair to say I’ve seen I’ve seen some things (& some things I will never unsee), learned some things, earned some stripes, some scars, and some measure of expertise (one hopes) helping more than a dozen startups find product-market fit. While I’ve enjoyed year-long runways at well-funded startups that were eventually acquired, or went public, or very publicly imploded—what really taught me the real meaning of Lean startup was working with self-funded founders who had ten compelling concepts but resources to build one. When you don’t have a year to be wrong; you learn to get it right very fast. If you are a founder facing your own set of high stakes decisions & tradeoffs; we can help. For free. You can book a 1 hour chat with us to talk through all the things racing through your head. We know what’s involved in getting something tested, validated, and built; this is what we do every day all day. We might not have all the answers but there is a good chance we can give you some clarity, some calm, some options. Call us at 1.844.4FLAGRANT or DM me. And if you want to get a sense of what we are like as hoomans- check out our Delightful Reveal series. It’s all the things we have been reading, watching, listening to, & enjoying. https://lnkd.in/gfrz9tQS #startups #entrepreneurship #socialentrepreneurs #innovation

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The one critical thing that founders must contend with in their first few years which ultimately makes or breaks a business - ego. When we were searching for our first technology hire in our early days, a founding team member from YouTube wanted the job. He was seasoned and experienced. He had multiple exits under his belt. He didn’t need a job, he wanted to work with us because he believed in the idea. At the time, I was early in my fundraise. Landing someone like him would have potentially closed my round overnight. It would credential us as a real business. It was a dream scenario. The problem was I could see he would be huge culture problem. He was sarcastic and dismissive. I was told by advisors he wouldn’t respect me because I didn’t have tech experience so I’d need to get an advisor to manage him. My ego wanted to pick the seasoned executive with accolades. I wanted that credential and market validation. That would have been the easier choice to attract top notch investors at the time. We didn’t have other candidates. But culture is everything. As a former lead singer of a band (fun fact), when explaining why I passed on him to our team, I compared the technology role to a drummer which drives the beat and is the operating system for every song. If the drummer isn’t in sync with the band, the whole song goes off the rails. When we told him we were a no, he was shocked and wanted to know who got the job. When we told him no one, he was in disbelief. A few months later we opened the position and got 250 applicants and found the right talent and right culture fit for our company. We often say that decision was a make or break one for us. And since then there were many other decisions we had to make that when we unpacked things - we realized the value was the story - over the substance. In those situations we also walked away with great discernment from investors, potential customers, and partnerships to ensure true vision and values alignment. Our mission is just too important for us to compromise or get caught in the vanity moves that undermine our true impact.

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The Xoogler.co community is lucky to have incredible leaders like Shiva Rajaraman help community members grow. He's speaking on being a Product Manager to General Manager in 2 hours time. Xooglers/Googlers don't miss out on hearing from him! RSVP: https://lnkd.in/gGEJQUKc Shiva has held leadership roles (Google, YouTube, Spotify, OpenSea, and now Uber) where product has extended beyond designing and prioritizing app experiences and involves content or services to make the experience exceptional. Thus good deals, operational rigor, merchandising, and deep P&L understanding are critical skills and these only get more important in today’s leaner and growth/margin sensitive environment. PMs need to act more like GMs and he’ll walk through what worked in that shift as well as what pitfalls to avoid. #product #gm #xoogler

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What's going to happen to NVIDIA now that they've reached 3tn market cap? For the current employees and long timers... I've read stories of mid-level engineers who reportedly earned more than $60M via stock appreciation. Imagine the numbers for the more senior folks. How will NVIDIA keep folks around who are post-economic? And for all the new folks... The value proposition is complex. The company is the most valuable (by market cap) in the world. If they are heavily compensated via RSUs, the assumption is that there is significant remaining upside to be gained. It's incredibly difficult to continue orders of magnitude stock appreciation after reaching the absolute zenith... NVIDIA is an obvious tech darling - it looks and feels like a version of Google in the mid to late 2000's - but I'm really interested to see if the immense financial success of the stock will end up driving out the core talent group (eg, the long timers who are now mega rich) while also limiting access to new upstart talent who don't see a path to outsize financial success. Curious what others think!!

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🌏 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 🌎 As a staunch supporter and investor in Meta, it’s disheartening to witness a 16% plunge in its stock despite the company surpassing first-quarter expectations. This stark drop, primarily driven by weaker-than-anticipated revenue guidance for the upcoming quarters, underscores the volatility and challenges within the tech sector. What’s particularly interesting—and concerning for some investors—is Meta's substantial investment in hardware through partnerships with companies like NVIDIA, which was pointed out by Chamath Palihapitiya in a recent discussion on the All-In Podcast. Meta may be overspending on NVIDIA's capabilities, which are traditionally strong in training but less so in inference, a critical component of AI efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This misallocation might not be fully appreciated by the market, contributing to the sharp decline in Meta's stock. Aligning with Chamath's critique, Andrew Ng's recent speech at Sequoia Capital emphasizes the growing importance of inference over training in AI development. He argues that the future of AI lies not just in processing vast datasets but in making smarter, iterative improvements through 'agentic workflows.' This approach mimics human-like reasoning and problem-solving, significantly enhancing AI's applicability and effectiveness across various sectors. The juxtaposition of Meta's current strategy with Andrew NG's vision presents a fascinating discourse on the strategic decisions tech giants must make. As investors and industry observers, it's crucial to assess not only the financial metrics but also the technological and strategic underpinnings of these companies. Are they investing in the right technologies for the future, or are they anchored to the past? This scenario serves as a critical lesson for venture capitalists and tech entrepreneurs alike. As we navigate the complexities of AI investments, understanding the distinction between mere computational power (training) and actionable intelligence (inference) will be key to identifying and leveraging the next wave of innovations in technology. Here are all my sources for the ones interested: Meta Earning release reviewed by CNBC: https://lnkd.in/ddGia5kK All-in Podcast clip on Chamath point of view on Meta: https://lnkd.in/dfs7JQG4 Andrew NG at Sequoia: https://lnkd.in/dqnvex2u #AI #VentureCapital #Meta #TechnologyTrends #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #NVIDIA #Groq #InvestmentStrategy

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Really enjoyed my conversation with Matt Newberg on the HNGRY podcast. We dove into why we founded Bikky, why there's so much potential for restaurants to tap into their customer data, actionable ways to use that data, and the age old third-party vs. first-party debate. Restaurants raised prices aggressively over the past two years to stay ahead of inflation, and for the first time in a while consumers are questioning the value equation for their favorite brands. We're seeing softness in traffic across the category - with even leaders like CAVA (who still had blowout earnings) showing a slight decline. The winners in this cycle will be those that know what levers to pull to drive incremental traffic, frequency, and sales. I want to thank Matt for allowing me to talk about how we're doing that at Bikky. He's one of the most insightful folks covering the space, and holds the record for number of articles I forward when folks ask me what's top of mind in the industry. Here's the link the episode. I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I enjoyed being part of it: https://lnkd.in/e4yHTYeu

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🗻 I'll be in Seattle end of month and hosting a small dinner for experienced product operators -- who should I invite? Pls tag or DM me 🙏 We've had some great feedback from other dinners/events we've done in NYC, SF, Boston, Denver etc. so excited about meeting the Seattle community! If you've been to one of our events, pls help me validate this! 😇 I'm hoping to cover a few topics with the group, including: 🤔 Are product strategies diversifying / are teams trying to broaden their product reach? 🔨 Internally, are product teams trying to consolidate their tooling/stack (e.g. data, analytics, engagement etc.) as they face budget pressure? Would love to discuss this with product people (we'll have a mix of PMs, Directors, VPs, from SaaS and other industries) and help form some new relationships 🫶🏽

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Vinod Khosla is known for founding Sun Microsystems and backing some of the most important tech companies of all-time including Google, OpenAI, Stripe, DoorDash, and many more. What you may not know is that he got his entrepreneurial start in soy milk! After reading a research paper on the subject, Vinod thought it would be a good fit for the Indian market given the absence of pasteurized cow milk. In the end, Vinod moved on to bigger and better things, but it's a fascinating look at how a legendary technologist began his founding journey. There are lots more fascinating tidbits and invaluable lessons in our full piece with Vinod:

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India is not just catching up in the AI race; we're innovating and leading in ways that are uniquely ours. The Economic Times recently highlighted how our approach to Generative AI goes beyond just Large Language Models (LLMs), addressing the specific challenges and opportunities within our diverse market. Rahul Agarwalla, Managing Partner at SenseAI Ventures, shared his invaluable insights into this AI revolution. His leadership and vision are truly driving innovation in the field, and it's an honour to be part of this journey with him. For anyone interested in the developments in AI and how India is making its mark on the global stage, this is a must-read.

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Agree that majority of the traditional jobs will disappear, but Universal Basic Income alone won't solve for that reality. Humans need purpose and want to feel valued beyond just paying the bills. We need to create avenues for human contributions and creativity to continue to flourish. Without human contributions, AI is of no use (no training data, no predictions). Perhaps it's time to rethink value—should AI systems compensate for the human knowledge they're built on? Can we create systems where the benefits of AI and automation are shared more fairly across society? Could we reimagine our education systems with focus on community engagement and emotional intelligence? Could we rethink what work means and prioritize mental well-being in ways we haven’t done before? What else do you think we need to prepare for that era?

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The Watugot Revolution: How Restaurants Can Break Free from Commission-Based Delivery Apps For years, restaurants have been bound to commission-based delivery apps like UberEats, GrubHub, Swiggy, Zomato and DoorDash, sacrificing profit margins and control over customer relationships. However, Watugot is changing the game with its innovative subscription-based model, empowering restaurants to take back control and thrive in the digital age. The Drawbacks of Commission-Based Delivery Apps 1. Exorbitant Commission Fees: Up to 30% per order, eating into restaurants' profit margins 2. Loss of Customer Control: Third-party apps own customer data and relationships 3. Dependence on Delivery Services: Restaurants rely on external services for delivery, compromising quality and control 4. Pricing Pressure: Discounts and promotions reduce profit margins, impacting sustainability 5. Limited Menu Flexibility: Restaurants are restricted in customizing their menu and pricing The Watugot Solution 1. Monthly Subscription Fee: A fraction of the cost compared to commission-based models 2. Restaurant-Controlled Shopping and Delivery: Maintain control over customer relationships and data 3. No Commissions on Orders: Price food similarly to walk-in customers, increasing profit margins 4. Menu Flexibility: Restaurants can customize their menu and pricing as desired 5. Direct Customer Engagement: Encourage customer loyalty and retention through direct relationships Benefits for Restaurants 1. Increased Profit Margins: Reduce costs associated with commission-based apps 2. Regained Control: Over customer relationships, data, and delivery services 3. Competitive Pricing: Offer prices similar to walk-in customers without compromising quality 4. Improved Customer Service: Focus on delivering exceptional experiences and building brand loyalty 5. Sustainability: A cost-effective solution for long-term success By joining the Watugot revolution, restaurants can break free from the constraints of commission-based delivery apps and thrive in a more sustainable, customer-centric ecosystem. #pioneers #pinetwork #web3 #Watugot #dapps #decentralisation #localshopping

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Interesting conversation between Jason Calacanis and Tekedra N. Mawakana Mawakana, CEO of Waymo (Google's self-driving project).... (Paraphrased) Jason Calacanis: Why are you not testing your Waymo self-driving on highways? You seem focused primarily on city environments like San Francisco, yet in my experience being a tesla-owner from the very beginning (and using both auto-pilot and then full self driving) it is better on the highways. You seem to be taking the opposite approach. Is it because speed kills? Tekedra: Our mission is safety and to get to Level 4 driving (the highest level of autonomous driving, no driver behind the wheel, no drivers' license) and so we’ve made a deliberate decision to focus on crowded urban environments because that is the hardest problem. Anything that doesn’t contribute to our getting to Level 4 is not interesting to us (not intended, but could be back-handed compliment to Musk 🙂) You don’t learn anything new self-driving on the same boring monotonous highways. --- Great point! #waymo #allin #selfdriving #google

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