The hottest Product Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

🧱 How to Build toward Outcome Based Pricing

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 07 Feb 25
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Companies are shifting from seat-based pricing to outcome-based pricing. This means they want to offer more value for what customers pay, instead of just charging per user.
  2. Add-ons and features can help users get more done without changing the whole pricing structure. This lets companies gradually move towards pricing based on results rather than just how many seats a customer has.
  3. Having complex pricing models can be beneficial. They allow businesses to charge different amounts to different customers based on what they need, capturing more value and catering to various market segments.

LangChain: PM's Guide for Building Smarter Products

Product Mindset's Newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. LangChain is a framework for developing applications powered by language models that are context-aware and can reason.
  2. LangChain's architecture is based on components and chains, with components representing specific tasks and chains as sequences of components to achieve broader goals.
  3. LangChain integrates with Large Language Models (LLMs) for prompt management, dynamic LLM selection, memory integration, and agent-based management to optimize building language-based applications.

What's the ROI of R&D?

Brick by Brick • 18 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Establish concrete business outcomes for R&D investments before making them
  2. R&D organizations should be able to articulate investments and outcomes in terms of business metrics like net new ARR and sales efficiency
  3. Maximizing R&D pre and post PMF involves investing strategically in product features that align with market needs and drive incremental value
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Episode 19: Burkhard on Qt Embedded Systems

burkhardstubert • 19 implied HN points • 05 Jul 21
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Focusing on customer experience (CX) is key for developing smarter products. Businesses should prioritize improving CX over just technical advancements.
  2. Organizational and people challenges often matter more than technology issues in product development. Enhancing team knowledge and collaboration can drive better results.
  3. Using cross-platform tools can help streamline development processes and mitigate issues like the current chip shortage in the tech industry.

What Is Yak-shaving?

Load-bearing Tomato • 7 implied HN points • 15 May 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Yak-shaving happens when you start a task and then realize it leads to a bunch of other unrelated tasks that you didn't expect. It's like going to wax your car and ending up at the zoo, needing to shave a yak instead.
  2. This situation often arises from not understanding the dependencies of a task before you start working on it. Properly planning and identifying prerequisites can help avoid getting tangled in unnecessary tasks.
  3. To prevent yak-shaving, it's important to scope tasks carefully and flag assumptions early. Being aware of how tasks connect can help you manage time better and avoid going down rabbit holes.

Pricing Roundup: AI Pricing is Everywhere

Good Better Best • 1 implied HN point • 25 Jul 25
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Introducing Private Questions lets users ask pricing questions directly and get answers from experts. It's a useful way to get help when you need it most.
  2. Clear communication about pricing changes is essential to avoid backlash from customers. If people don't fully understand new pricing models, it can lead to frustration and confusion.
  3. Bundling features into existing pricing plans can be smart for companies, but it may also upset customers who feel their choices are limited. Balancing value with customer control is key.

E7 - 🚀🤖✨Transform Your Business with Next-Gen RAG Digital Assistants

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 3 implied HN points • 22 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Next-Gen RAG Digital Assistants use external information to improve AI responses. This helps businesses get more accurate and relevant answers.
  2. Building your own RAG-powered assistant gives you control over data and customization, making it better suited for your specific needs.
  3. RAG assistants can boost productivity in companies by providing quick access to information and enhancing customer engagement through accurate support.

Nintendo killed your SaaS villager⚰️

Mehdeeka • 3 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Nintendo has shifted _Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp_ from an online subscription model to an offline version with a one-time payment. This change is quite rare and shows how gaming services can shut down publicly.
  2. The closure process included a quick announcement with little lead time, which surprised many players. Reactions varied, with some feeling sad while others were relieved it wasn’t a total shutdown.
  3. Nintendo's approach to communication differs from other companies. They often rely on blog posts and videos rather than extensive press releases, which can make managing user expectations during service closures challenging.

Build a Product that the User Wants - Hard Learnt Unsaid rules of User Interviews

Build Startup In Public • 4 HN points • 22 Jul 24
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Always ask questions, even if you think you know the answers. It helps you understand the user's perspective better.
  2. Building a good relationship with the interviewee makes them more comfortable to share valuable insights.
  3. It's important to identify your target user base clearly. This helps you gather more relevant data during interviews.

Product Management 2: Deepak Abbot, ex SVP at Paytm on Building an App for India & Growth Hacking [BONUS VIDEO CONTENT]

Turnaround • 19 implied HN points • 30 Dec 19
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. India's app market is fast-growing and competitive, but retention rates can be challenging with high uninstall percentages within the first day.
  2. Creating a successful app for the Indian market involves understanding user behaviors, focusing on product design to capture attention, and strategically planning the app's lifecycle stages.
  3. Deepak Abbot, former SVP at Paytm, shares valuable insights on benchmarking data, growth hacking, and app development specifically tailored for the Indian market in a bonus video presentation.

Pricing Roundup: Breakdowns for Ramp, Ahrefs, and Mixpanel

Good Better Best • 2 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Some SaaS companies like Ramp and Docker have made recent changes to their pricing and product offerings. For example, Ramp reorganized its pricing page to highlight its features better.
  2. Ahrefs adjusted their pricing for additional users, lowering costs for the Lite plan while increasing them for more advanced plans. This can help attract new users while still encouraging upgrades.
  3. Mixpanel made a significant change by reducing the number of free events allowed but added new features. This suggests a focus on getting free users to convert to paid plans more quickly.

A Dispatch On All Things Tools

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Building timelines can be frustrating due to lack of ideal tools like Gantt charts or whiteboarding tools.
  2. C4 Diagrams are a great visual language to discuss software architecture for TPMs and PMs.
  3. There is a desire for an all-in-one tool to manage product development, simplifying the use of multiple tools like Slack, Linear, Coda, Figma.

10/36 - User Research 101: Navigating the Discovery Process

Product Mindset's Newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. User research helps understand user behaviors and needs through various methodologies to improve product usability.
  2. Benefits of user research include cost reduction, increased user satisfaction, and gaining a competitive advantage.
  3. User research methods include qualitative and quantitative approaches, attitudinal and behavioral studies, and a mix for a comprehensive view.

How to Gain an Edge as a B2B PM

Product Managers at Work • 4 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Being a B2B Product Manager comes with unique challenges compared to B2C, like blending limited data with qualitative feedback for decision-making.
  2. It's crucial for B2B Product Managers to gather direct feedback from users through feedback portals to avoid bias and make informed decisions.
  3. Contextualizing and acting on user feedback effectively, based on target segments and feature usage data, can help prioritize product improvements for B2B success.

Ask Aadil - Wrong way to use the TPM function

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 12 May 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Technical Program Managers operate on two planes: strategic and tactical.
  2. The real value of TPMs comes from operating on both strategic and tactical planes.
  3. To fix the situation of using TPMs in the wrong way, help evangelize the TPM role, ensure the culture is right for a TPM, and ease in the TPM role while establishing a Program Charter.

Chasing highs that hurt your product

Product Managers at Work • 6 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Jumping into implementation without sufficient customer discovery can hurt product success.
  2. Focusing on firefighting and feature development without data analytics can be detrimental to the product.
  3. Constantly pinging team members about updates may not be an efficient way to drive execution; creating efficient systems is key.

Why hire Technical Program Managers when we have Product Managers

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Hiring Technical Program Managers can add value by keeping track of complex project schedules and dependencies.
  2. Product Managers can sometimes handle the work of TPMs, especially in early stage startups.
  3. As organizations grow, there may be opportunity costs in not hiring TPMs to ensure effective communication, alignment, and risk mitigation.

Feature flags are ruining your codebase

Leading Developers • 3 HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Feature flags can make codebases more complex and harder to maintain, especially when used as an excuse to avoid making hard decisions like completely removing a feature.
  2. Having too many feature flags can lead to wasted time on dead code, increased testing burden, and making testing a substitute for fixing issues.
  3. Different types of feature flags, like release toggles, experiment toggles, and permission toggles, require specific management approaches to prevent the codebase from becoming unmanageable.

Week 81 - E9 - Google Gemini AI blunder: Ethical Considerations and Responsible AI in Product Management

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 3 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Responsible AI practices are crucial to avoid unintended harm and build trust – especially as AI impacts critical areas like healthcare, justice, and finance.
  2. Key ethical risks in AI include perpetuating bias, lack of transparency, privacy violations, and negative societal impacts, making vigilance essential for product managers.
  3. Responsible AI principles like fairness, transparency, inclusiveness, accountability, and governance guide product managers in championing AI innovation while upholding ethical standards.

How to ensure that your data science team isn’t the bloated cost center ?

Build Startup In Public • 2 HN points • 15 Apr 24
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Data scientists should not just focus on algorithms. They need to understand the business to make a real impact.
  2. Data science can improve many areas of a business, like marketing and customer service. It's important to use their skills effectively.
  3. Hiring 'business' data scientists is crucial. Teams should look for candidates who can think beyond just data and algorithms.

SaaS: The Lazy Industry

Alex Ghiculescu's Newsletter • 4 HN points • 07 Apr 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. SaaS companies prioritize cash flow over product improvements, leading to less investment in innovation.
  2. The high cost of software production creates strong moats for B2B companies, making it challenging for competitors to enter the market.
  3. To avoid becoming 'lazy,' companies can focus on disciplined spending, lean teams, and continuous innovation.

My Career Journey, Part 2

The Next Chapter • 4 implied HN points • 04 Mar 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. The author reflects on their journey in product roles, navigating challenges and finding their niche as a consumer product builder.
  2. Transitioning to a startup role during a global pandemic was transformative but also induced anxiety and self-doubt.
  3. The author grapples with the desire to become a startup founder, questioning sacrifices and uncertainties about their future career path.

My Career Journey, Part 1.

The Next Chapter • 4 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. The author explores their career journey and the pivotal moments that led them to where they are today.
  2. They reflect on the transition from a focus on medicine to pursuing a career in tech and product management.
  3. The author shares insights on navigating chaotic environments in tech careers and offers a free virtual workshop on the topic.

Why You Should (Still) Join Warp

Why You Should Join • 3 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Warp has seen significant growth in user base and engagement due to innovative features like Warp AI and Warp Drive.
  2. The company has a strong team with expertise in product development and engineering.
  3. Warp needs to focus on expanding to different platforms, delving deeper into existing features, and adding new functionalities to continue evolving.

Revisiting: Why Scrum is the Wrong Way to Build Software Pt.1

Rethinking Software • 1 HN point • 09 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. Scrum gives all product decision power to the Product Owner, leaving engineers to persuade rather than decide. This can create frustration for engineers who want to contribute to product direction.
  2. Many companies confuse the Product Backlog with engineering tasks, making it hard for engineers to focus on their work without interference. Keeping these backlogs separate can help maintain clear roles.
  3. The way Scrum is often implemented leads to engineers being sidelined in decisions about what to build, showing a need for better practices to include their input in product decisions.

The Role of User's Habits in Startup's Success - And How They Can Backfire ?

Build Startup In Public • 1 HN point • 06 May 24
💼 Business Product Management
  1. People naturally form habits to make their daily lives easier. It takes about 66 days on average to build a new habit, with morning habits being easier to establish than evening ones.
  2. Startups benefit when users develop habits around their products. This leads to more loyal customers and can increase a company's ability to raise prices while keeping users engaged.
  3. However, if companies push too hard to create addictive habits, it can backfire. Users may feel wasted time and resentment, leading them to abandon the app. Healthy engagement should be the goal, not just increasing time spent.

What do you think Product Managers do?

The Raising PM • 0 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Product Managers focus on using soft skills that become hard in the role.
  2. Product Managers set the vision for the product and work on details without losing sight of the big picture.
  3. Product Managers should be willing to take on tasks outside their job description and take full responsibility for the team's success or failure.

An Update from The Takeoff

The Takeoff • 0 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Product Management
  1. The team at The Takeoff has graduated and started working in various roles.
  2. They will be launching conversations with product leaders from innovative companies.
  3. The goal is to help people learn about product management and running large product organizations.

Moving from Big Tech -> Startup

Product Principles Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
💼 Business Product Management
  1. Talented professionals are migrating from big tech to startups with different expectations and work environments.
  2. Startups are focusing more on unit economics and fundraising standards, leading to funding and valuation corrections.
  3. Product managers at early stage startups will experience a shift from big budgets and tools to a focus on distribution and creating features for existing users.