We track Product so you don't have to. Top Podcasts summarised, the latest AI tools, plus research and news in a 5 min digest.
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Welcome to this week’s 🌮 Product Tapas.
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What’s cooking this week? 🥘
Chrome auto-browses. Anthropic flipped 40% market share in 18 months. OpenAI's API hit $1B monthly. Amazon's Rufus captured 66% of Black Friday. Yet execs claim 8 hours saved weekly, workers report 2. AI productivity gap: alive and well.
On the menu:
📰 Not Boring → AI agents shipping, enterprise adoption accelerating, what actually converts
⌚️ Productivity Tapas → ChartGen for data viz, Crustdata for AI-powered search, Kimi for instant slides
🍔 Blog Bites → Chiefs of Staff success criteria, top 5 UX insights from Built for Mars, how playlists power Spotify
Let's go 🚀
📰 Not boring
From Assistants to Agents and Beyond
Chrome's Auto-Browse - Gemini 3 now handles multi-step web tasks autonomously while you grab coffee. Google Blog
Siri's Gemini Era + Chatbot - Apple integrates Google Gemini into Siri (March/April) for context-aware tasks, with iOS 27 bringing full ChatGPT-style chatbot. MacRumors | Yahoo Finance
Cursor 2.4 Subagents - Parallel AI agents tackle different parts of your codebase simultaneously, compressing multi-hour tasks into minutes. Cursor Changelog
Claude in Excel - Control+Option+C to explain any cell, debug formulas, test scenarios, build models from scratch. Claude
GitHub Copilot SDK - Embed Copilot's agentic workflows into any app - model routing, auth, and tool orchestration all handled. GitHub Blog
Each week brings another fundamental uplift - Chrome browses autonomously, Siri pulls cross-app context, Cursor parallelises workflows, Claude debugs spreadsheets, GitHub ships agent infrastructure. The pattern? AI is quietly eliminating every manual step between "I want this" and "I have this."
The PM Toolkit - Product Insights & Workflows
Spotify Page Match - Scan your book page, jump to that exact audiobook spot (or reverse) - OCR sync that beats Amazon's Kindle-Audible lock-in. Android Authority
YouTube 2026 Roadmap - 1M+ channels use AI tools daily; 2026 brings customizable multiview, AI-generated Shorts, parental "zero Shorts timer" control. YouTube Blog
Netflix Mobile Redesign - Late 2026 overhaul adds vertical feeds + 30+ weekly podcasts - internal tests show 15-20% session time lift. WebProNews
Google Stitch MCP - Design tool speaks to AI agents via Model Context Protocol - auto-generates design docs and React components from canvases. Stripe’s CEO on X
Spotify eliminates page-hunting friction. Netflix trades margins for vertical feeds because Gen Z scrolls more than binge-watches. YouTube gives creators AI velocity tools. The pattern? Product architecture is the new moat - teams weaponising seamlessness win format-agnostic consumers.
Where AI Actually Makes Money
OpenAI's $1B API - API business added $1B ARR in December alone, eclipsing ChatGPT as growth engine - predictable, high-margin revenue. WebProNews
Anthropic Redesigns Hiring Test - Claude Opus 4.5 matched top candidates, forcing multiple assessment redesigns since 2024. Dataconomy
Anthropic Takes 40% Market Share - Captured 40% enterprise LLM spending (up from 12% in 2023), OpenAI fell 50% to 27% - coding dominance drove the flip. Menlo Ventures
Capital One Buys Brex for $5.15B - Half cash, half stock - adds 25,000+ corporate clients after $51.8B Discover deal. American Banker
Anthropic flipped market share in 18 months - technical superiority matters when real workloads scale. OpenAI's API hitting $1B monthly proves enterprise adoption moves faster than predicted. Capital One's Brex acquisition shows incumbents know the money flows through the rails, not the models. Own the distribution layer or own nothing. But what of Brex will survive being consumed by the beast?
The Things That Actually Matter
Moderna + Merck Cancer Vaccine - 5-year data shows 49% reduction in melanoma recurrence/death risk - same mRNA tech as COVID, custom to each tumor. Phase III trials, 2027 approval. BioSpace
Ocean Cleanup Hits 25M kg - Removed 25M kg in 2025 (45M total) - 30 Cities Program targets one-third of global plastic pollution by 2030. The Ocean Cleanup
Not whitepapers - cancer vaccines working five years in, ocean cleanup processing millions of kilograms annually. Moderna proves COVID infrastructure pivots to cancer. Both share the same DNA: patient capital, boring consistency, measurable outcomes. This is what long-term thinking looks like.
Quick Hits
AI Productivity Gap - 40% of non-exec staff saved no time with AI vs 2% of C-suite execs - execs claim 8+ hours/week saved while workers report 2 hours or less. WebProNews
Vertical SaaS Under Threat - RBC Capital Markets warns AI penetrating once "AI-proof" vertical SaaS markets - domain expertise and unique data still provide moat but margin compression coming. BizToc
Amazon Rufus 3.5× Conversion - SensorTower shows Rufus AI drove 3.5× higher conversion than non-Rufus sessions - 40% of mobile sessions use it, captured 66% of Black Friday purchases. SensorTower
Anthropic CEO "Adolescence of Technology" - AI models solving unsolved math problems - if progress continues, few years before AI beats humans at essentially everything. Dario Amodei
Tesla Unsupervised Robotaxis in Austin - No safety driver, just AI behind the wheel - starting small but this is public robotaxi rides with nobody in the driver's seat. Teslarati
The productivity gap reveals AI's dirty secret - executives save 8+ hours weekly while workers report 2 hours or less, with 40% of time savings lost to rework. Meanwhile, Amazon's Rufus quietly proves AI commerce works at scale (3.5× conversion, 66% of Black Friday purchases). Vertical SaaS companies still have moats (domain expertise, unique data) but RBC warns margin compression is coming. PMs should watch what scales, not what demos well.
⌚ Productivity Tapas: Time-Saving Tools & Workflow Automation
ChartGen: Turn your data into stunning, professional charts in seconds.
Crustdata: People and Company Search for AI; power any AI agent in sales, recruitment and investment with the freshest, most trusted data.
Kimi: Turn ideas into slides in minutes; Gamma type AI slides
Remember. Product Tapas subscribers get our complete toolkit - 550+ personally tailored, time-saving tools for PMs and founders. Your shortcut to efficiency and what's hot in product management 🔥
Check the link here to access.
🍔 Blog Bites - Essential Reads for Product Teams
Strategy: Unlocking the Secrets of Chiefs of Staff Success
Bill Kerr delves into the criteria of success as defined by 96 chiefs of staff across various organisations. These executives highlight that success encompasses not just accountability but the ability to enhance efficiency and strategic focus within their companies. Read the full article here.
💡 "Success hinges on three main factors: the amount of 'founders' time' saved, avoiding critical mistakes, and achieving operational excellence."
Key Takeaways
• Operational Excellence: Chiefs of staff measure their success through the autopilot management of operational tasks. This frees leaders to focus on strategic priorities such as product vision without getting bogged down in routine issues.
• Value Creation: Success is closely linked to the company's overall performance metrics, with chiefs of staff playing an integral role in fundraising and growth strategies, as evidenced by the collaborative efforts during a Series A fundraising round.
• Cultural Impact: Strong internal culture is a primary indicator of success. Engagement survey results demonstrating improvement in collaboration and innovation reflect the effectiveness of efforts made by chiefs of staff in nurturing workplace environments.
• Adaptability and Trust: Effective chiefs of staff are those whose success is gauged by the trust their principals place in them, using feedback and engagement to direct efforts. This adaptability is crucial in navigating uncertain or changing circumstances.
UX: Top 5 User Experience Insights That Make a Difference
Unbelievably, it’s over 3 weeks since I’ve put something from Peter from Built for Mars in the newsletter. I’m surprised I haven’t had more mail about it… This week dives into the five most popular UX strategies that have resonated with audiences. Each of these UX innovations focuses on enhancing user commitment and personalisation, offering actionable insights for designers. Read the full article here.
Key Takeaways:
• Referral Mechanisms: Integrating interactive calculators, like the one on Spoil Me, can help users understand potential rewards from referrals, enhancing their motivation to invite friends.
• Reduced Commitment Framing: Blinkist successfully minimises user apprehension by rephrasing the account creation CTA to focus on user interests, thereby creating a more personalised onboarding experience.
• Focused Goal Setting: By prompting users to select a primary goal in the Rocket Money app, the platform fosters a clear direction for users, increasing their chances of achieving that goal.
• Commitment Techniques: Yazio’s method of requiring users to tap and hold during sign-up creates a psychological commitment, enhancing user engagement from the outset.
• Creating Contracts: Me+ uses a signature prompt to establish a commitment moment, reinforcing the user's intention to follow through on their goals with the platform.
Strategy: How Playlists Secure Spotify's Dominance
Tom explores Spotify's strategic advantage through the power of playlists. By transforming the music listening experience, Spotify not only personalises user engagement but also embeds itself as a critical player in the music industry. Read the full article here.
💡 "Playlists became the fuel for Spotify’s organic growth engine." This quote highlights the essential role playlists play in driving user engagement and retention.
Key Takeaways:
• User Empowerment: By shifting focus from albums to playlists, Spotify lets users express themselves and share their identities through music, enhancing user loyalty and engagement.
• Innovative Features: Spotify continually refines playlists to maximise user experience, introducing collaborative options, smart recommendations, and sponsor integrations that enhance both personal and ad-driven monetisation.
• Curatorial Control: Spotify leverages vast amounts of data to create Editorial Playlists, significantly impacting artist visibility and industry dynamics, demonstrating their influence over music consumption.
• Strategic Moat: Playlists serve as a protective barrier against competition by embedding Spotify deep within the music ecosystem, making it essential for artists, labels, and listeners alike.
🎙 Pod Shots - Bitesized Podcast Summaries
Remember, we've built an ever-growing library of our top podcast summaries (120 or so). Whether you need a quick refresher, want to preview an episode, or need to get up to speed fast - we've got you covered.
Check it out here
🦾 Teresa Torres on Claude Code: Task Management, Research Automation & Obsidian
Teresa Torres, author of Continuous Discovery Habits, proves you don't need to be an engineer to build production-quality automation. Her Claude Code + Obsidian setup handles task management, daily research digests from academic papers, and writing workflows - all without traditional dev experience. This episode shows what's possible when Claude Code meets methodical file structure.
This is a very similar set up to what I run and covered in my Claude Code for PM’s series. You can dig in for a more detailed step by step walkthrough here: Part 1: Why Every PM Needs Claude Code
💡 Top tip - Read the TL;DR below to understand Teresa's complete setup, then dive into the task management or research automation sections that match your biggest pain point. The workflows are reusable regardless of your role.
Key insights from the full article:
📁 File structure as operating system - Obsidian vault with structured folders (sources/, notes/, topics/) creates searchable context Claude Code leverages automatically
✅ Task management that sees your work - Markdown to-do lists in Obsidian give Claude visibility into your priorities, enabling "What can you do for me today?" queries
📚 Automated research digestion - Daily scripts scrape arXiv preprints, Claude summarises papers with methods/effect sizes/relevance, builds searchable knowledge base
✍️ Pair writing, not AI writing - Claude edits as you type (typo fixes, research lookups, fact-checking) without taking over the voice or creative direction
🏗️ Gradual evolution from web to terminal - Four-year journey from ChatGPT in browser → Claude for writing → Claude Code for engineering → Claude Code for everything
🔍 Local search engine for your brain - Claude reads your vault structure and finds fuzzy-matched content ("new blog post tomorrow" → "article Wednesday")
🎥 Watch the full episode here
📆 Published: 19th January 2026
🕒 Estimated Reading Time: 12 mins. Time saved: 33 mins! 🔥
That’s a wrap.
As always, the journey doesn't end here!
Please share and let us know what you would like to see more or less of so we can continue to improve your Product Tapas. 🚀👋
Alastair 🍽️.