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.

Hey Product fans!

Welcome to this week’s 🌮 Product Tapas. If you’ve been forwarded this you can sign up and check previous editions here.

Yes it’s bright and breezy on a bank holiday, but Product never sleeps. Plus there’s so much going on we had to keep shipping for you.

What’s cooking? 🧑‍🍳 

📰 Not Boring 
Last week was brimming with news! TikTok is bypassing Apple’s commission rules, and Google has announced a global rollout of its Gemini apps, accessible right from the Chrome address bar 🤖. Meanwhile, OpenAI is rumoured to be working on a Google search alternative, and they are also rolling out ChatGPT's memory feature. Other highlights include Loom’s new feature connecting directly with Jira, Bumble's innovative message crafting tool, and a head-to-head race between four self-driving cars and an F1 car 👀 🏎️. Catch all these updates and more!

🛠️ Time-Saving Tools & GPTs
This week, we’ve got tools from Otterly, Clearworld, Listenup and more to help with monitoring brand performance, enhancing meetings, improving user research, and more.

🍔 Blog Bites:
Our curated reads for this week include a banger from Peter Ramsay on how to nail welcome bonuses, an in-depth interview offering a glimpse into the strategic thinking and approach to innovation adopted by a leading CPO and a link back to basics on some key PM concepts.

🎙️ Pod Shots
Finally, catch a different perspective this week with Ed Biden on the Numi Podcast. He talks about his career journey, the importance of investing in your career, and the path to becoming a founder.

There's plenty to get into, so let's dive in! 🚀👇

📰 Not boring

• TikTok is circumventing Apple’s commission rules according to screenshots.

• Google has announced a global rollout of its Gemini apps

  • Plus you can also now access Gemini right from your Chrome address bar 🤖 

  • But….. rumours are also circulating that OpenAI could announce a Google search alternative later this month 👀 

• Whilst we’re on OpenAI, they’ve confirmed the rollout of ChatGPT’s memory function, although sadly not in Europe and Korea

• Loom has launched a “video to shareable doc/ticket/message” feature. With direct connection to Jira this could be a quick way for product teams to report bugs and new feature ideas

• Four self-driving cars went up against an F1 car in a head-to-head race 👀 🏎️ 

• Bumble launched a new feature for crafting an opening message

• The EU has opened an investigation into Facebook and Instagram ver “Kremlin lies” on Facebook and Instagram

• Spotify quietly moves lyrics behind a paywall in what seems a bid to push more people to its paid tier. Time will tell how successful this is, but given it had been in test last autumn guesses are they very much think so

• Peloton announces new round of layoffs as CEO quits

• TikTok and Universal Music Group (UMG) Settle Royalty Dispute With New Licensing Agreement to bring UMG music back to the app

• Snapchat launches new AR and ML tools for brands and advertisers to help reach more users on the app

• Stripe announces crypto payments are (so) back after a 6 year pause

Want even more news?? View more here → 

📰 Time-Saving Tools & GPTs

From transcription to virtual avatars monitoring your content with AI and more - we’ve got you covered.

• Otterly: Monitor how your brand, content, and competitors perform on AI-powered searches

• Clearword: Another meeting transcription service. The difference is this one creates notes and completes actions live during calls - so could be worth a look

  • OH look ANOTHER one… Listenup has been especially created with product teams in mind and so geared towards user research and gathering insights…

• Synthesia: video avatar from text. Great for product demos, marketing and maybe an end to nervous presentations too

• Datagpt - allows product teams to talk to their data from various sources (including Google Analytics. Hat-tip to the Department of Product for this link

🍔 Blog Bites - Essential Reads for Product Teams

UX: The Secret to a Successful Welcome Bonus

Peter Ramsay is back with another banger of a UX teardown. If you want to understand the good (and bad) of how they’ve made viral incentives work. Take a look here.

Product 101: 🛠️ Assumptions vs. Experiments vs. Hypotheses

Tim Herbig unpacks the differences between assumptions, experiments and hypotheses in this useful basics article to help people get on the same page in your organisation.

Interview: Lindsey Jayne, CPO of the Financial Times

Here, Susan Belcher from Hustle Badger sits down with Lindsey Jayne to cover:

🎙️ Pod Shots

We’ve got a slightly different one this week. Recently Ed Biden sat down with Mark Long from Numi to chat about his extensive career as well as the journey to becoming a Founder, and why its so important to put time and money into your career if you want to excel.

🧑‍🏫 Ed Biden: Invest in your education - it WILL help you advance in your career

🎥 Watch the full episode here 

📆 Published: April 23rd, 2024

🕒 Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes. Time saved: 34 minutes🔥 

🎯 Making the Transition from PM to Head of Product

Ed first delved into the challenges of transitioning from a product manager to a group product manager or head of product. According to Ed, this shift is one of the biggest changes a product manager will face in their career. To successfully navigate this transition, it's crucial to start embodying the role you aspire to achieve. Ed emphasized two key areas where aspiring product leaders often fall short:

1. Managing a Team: The shift from individual contributor to leader requires honing people management skills. Often, PMs will either grow a team from scratch or inherit a team to lead.

2. Leadership Mindset: A leadership mindset involves strategic thinking and aligning the team's work with broader business goals. This requires understanding the CEO's perspective and ensuring your team's efforts are aligned with the company's vision.

🏃‍♂️ Career Experience and the Role of Non-Professional Activities

Ed stressed the importance of extracurricular activities as indicators of leadership potential. However, he highlighted the need to calibrate expectations, acknowledging that different backgrounds offer varying opportunities. Consistent drive and achievement, regardless of the context, are strong predictors of future success.

🌍 The Impact of Generational Differences on Leadership

While some people argue that generational differences significantly affect management styles, Ed downplayed these differences, emphasising that effective leaders should prioritise guiding their teams through change empathetically, irrespective of the generation they belong to.

🏢 The Future of Work: Office vs. Remote

Ed's perspective on remote work is grounded in practicality. While he acknowledges the value of flexible work arrangements, he believes that some level of in-person collaboration is necessary for relationship-building and effective communication. The ideal setup involves a hybrid model that allows for flexibility while still fostering in-person interactions.

💡 Understanding the CEO-Product Manager Dynamic

In a recent LinkedIn post that gained significant attention, Ed highlighted the tension that often exists between CEOs and product teams. He attributed the post's popularity to the fact that it resonated with product teams who felt validated in their struggles. However, he also acknowledged the importance of accountability for product managers in delivering value and meeting expectations.

📊 The Role of Product Management in Modern Organisations

While debates continue about the evolving role of product management, Ed believes that the essence of the job remains the same: it's about blending qualitative and quantitative research, stakeholder management, and strategy to drive value. The job title may evolve, but the need for a multidisciplinary approach will remain.

🎮 Learning from Experience: Lessons from Leading Companies

Ed shared that his time at a Berlin-based mobile games company - this provided him with a comprehensive understanding of product management fundamentals. The range of activities—from modelling game economies to conducting A/B tests—helped him hone his skills and understand the creative and strategic aspects of product development.

🧩 Breaking into Product Management

Ed's advice for aspiring product managers centres around showcasing a complete skill set. Depending on one's background, it may involve learning to code or building strategic projects to fill gaps in one's resume. His course, "Effective Job Hunting," offers practical guidance for professionals navigating their next career move.

🚀 Founding Hustle Badger

Ed's journey to founding Hustle Badger was driven by his desire to create practical resources for product managers and tech professionals. The platform offers courses, a wiki, a newsletter, and a community, all aimed at solving the real-world challenges that tech professionals face in their day-to-day work.

🏞️ Work-Life Balance for Founders

As a founder, Ed understands the importance of setting a sustainable pace from day one. By bootstrapping Hustle Badger, he has retained the flexibility to control his own time and targets.

Bootstrapping could be something to consider for would-be founders to provide flexibility and control over targets and schedules, ensuring a healthier work-life balance.

Want to know more quickly? Just ask the episode below [web only]👇️ 🤯 
or if you prefer, 🎥 Watch the full episode here 

📅 Timestamps:

• 0:28 - Transition to Head of Product

• 1:24 - Paths to Leadership

• 2:24 - Leadership Mindset

• 4:33 - Empathy in Leadership

• 5:22 - In-Person Collaboration

• 8:36 - CEO-Product Manager Tension

• 10:06 - Role of Product Management

• 20:00 - Founding Hustle Badger

That’s a wrap.

As always, the journey doesn't end here!

Keep exploring, keep questioning, and most importantly, keep growing in your product journey.

Please do share to help us continue to grow and let us know what you would like to see more or less of so we can continue to improve your Product Tapas. 🚀👋

Alastair 🍽️.