Podcast
The Product Podcast
Hosted by Product School · EN
Hosted by Product School CEO Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, The Product Podcast drills deep into the minds of Chief Product Officers from Cisco, Lovable, Perplexity, Shopify and many more.
We move beyond high-level theory to reveal how top executives actually lead in the age of AI. We dig deep into their real-world decision-making, strategic frameworks, and the operational playbooks used to build intelligent products.
If you are a VP, Director, or CPO looking to drive innovation at scale, this is your essential listen.
41episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Zapier VP of Product on Orchestrating 800+ AI Agents to Manage Everything | Chris Geoghegan | E286
Mar 400:33:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Chris Geoghegan, VP of Product at Zapier. As the company’s first-ever Product Manager, Chris has spent nearly a decade scaling Zapier into a $5 billion automation giant that serves over 3.4 million businesses and 69% of the Fortune 1000.Zapier is not just building AI tools; they are powering their entire company with them. Chris reveals that his team currently runs over 800 active AI agents internally to manage everything from calendar prep to engineering triage. He breaks down the Code Red moment that shifted their strategy and how they are defining the future of Agentic Workflows.What you’ll learn:Agentic vs. Deterministic: Why standard workflows follow a set path, while agents can reason, access knowledge, and change course to solve problems.The Orchestration Layer: How to hire and onboard AI agents using Context Engineering and Model Context Protocols (MCPs).Adoption vs. Transformation: Why adoption is just doing old tasks faster, while transformation unlocks business models that were previously impossible.Building a Moat: How Zapier uses its vast data on user intent to stay ahead of commodity LLM features.Key takeaways:Treat Agents Like Employees: You can't just deploy an agent; you must onboard it with specific context and tools to be effective.Lead by Building: Transformation fails if leaders don't use the tools. Zapier’s execs do show-and-tell sessions to prove they are hands-on.AI Governance is Key: To move up-market to the enterprise, you must solve for Observability (who sent what data) and Access Control.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Chris Geoghegan Social Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Walmart CPO on Scaling AI-Powered Localization Across Hundreds of Stores Worldwide | Tim Simmons | E285
Feb 1800:28:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, Founder & CEO at Product School, interviews Tim Simmons, Chief Product Officer at Walmart International, the retail giant serving 255 million customers weekly across 18 countries. Tim is leading a massive transformation to move from decentralized tech stacks to global platforms that empower local innovation.Tim explains why complexity is actually a competitive advantage when training AI. He dives deep into Agentic AI and the concept of Orchestrators—systems that manage workflows between agents to automate tasks like user story generation with 88% accuracy. He also shares the strategy behind the Walmart Translation Platform (WTP), which has cut translation costs by 99% while increasing speed and trust.What you'll learn:The Orchestrator Strategy: How to build AI systems where project manager agents coordinate tasks for maximum efficiency.Global vs. Local: A framework for building core platforms that scale while allowing for hyper-local customization.The ROI of AI: How Walmart tracks adoption and accuracy, not just productivity.Human in the Loop: Why keeping humans involved in AI workflows actually makes the models smarter over time.Key takeaways:Complexity is Data: The more you expose AI to your organization's complexity, the more resilient and accurate it becomes.Trust Through Nuance: Successful localization isn't just word-for-word translation; it's about capturing intent to build customer trust.Platform Discipline: Moving from bespoke builds to multi-tenant codebases is essential for scaling innovation globally.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Tim SimmonsSocial Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Vercel SVP of Product on How Real AI-Native Products Operate and Ship Faster | Aparna Sinha | E284
Feb 400:38:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, CEO & Founder at Product School, interviews Aparna Sinha, SVP of Product at Vercel, the cloud platform recently valued at $9.3 billion following a $300 million Series F. Aparna joins us to discuss how Vercel is powering the next generation of AI-native applications.Drawing from her experience at Google Kubernetes and Pear VC, Aparna reveals how Vercel empowers Teams of One to ship faster than ever. She explores the cultural shift required to build in the AI era—moving from rigid planning to rapid experimentation and iterating to greatness.What you'll learn:How Vercel’s Team of One philosophy maximizes developer leverage.Why shipping imperfect products early is crucial for AI strategy.The mechanics of Hybrid Pricing to balance AI costs and value.How to use internal dogfooding to accelerate product quality.Key takeaways:Speed is Survival: In the AI era, waiting for perfection means falling behind.Agency over Hierarchy: Small, autonomous teams outperform large structures.Price for Value: Align AI pricing with user outcomes, not just compute costs.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Aparna SinhaSocial Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Rippling GM on Running a $16B+ Company Like a Product at Scale | Anique Drumright | E283
Jan 2100:33:14Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia, CEO & Founder at Product School, interviews Anique Drumright, General Manager and VP of Product at Rippling, the workforce management platform valued at $16.8 billion with over $570 million in ARR.Anique is a product veteran who has shaped high-growth teams at Uber, TripActions, and Loom. Now at Rippling, she helps lead a workforce of over 4,000 employees, including 100 former founders, to maintain the speed and ownership typically lost at scale. In this conversation, Anique breaks down how Rippling successfully operates as a compound startup and why product leaders must evolve into General Managers.What you’ll learn:How to pivot from managing a backlog to owning a P&L as a GM.The Compound Startup framework for consolidating enterprise categories.How to build high-performing teams by hiring for "founder-level" curiosity.Strategies for proving ROI to enterprise customers to drive platform adoption.Key takeaways:Go and See: Why leaders must personally investigate customer issues to set the bar for quality.Singular Obsession: How to organize teams to maintain focus and velocity as you scale.Automating ROI: How Rippling uses product efficiency to justify headcount reduction for clients.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Anique DrumrightSocial Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Miro CEO on Leading AI Product Expansion Without Losing Focus | Andrey Khusid | E282
Jan 700:28:17Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Andrey Khusid, Co-founder and CEO of Miro, the visual collaboration platform valued at an estimated $17 billion with over 100 million users. Andrey reveals how Miro transformed from a simple browser whiteboard into a central hub for innovation, serving 250,000 customers worldwide. He discusses the critical shift from best-of-breed tools to platform suites and how Miro is aggressively integrating AI to support agentic workflows.What you'll learn:How to apply day one thinking to constantly reinvent your product strategy.Why speed of learning is the only true competitive moat in the AI era.How to navigate the tension between market consolidation and AI experimentation.The role of acquisitions in scaling a product team to 1,600 people.Key Takeaways:Reinvention is Mandatory: Why you must risk short-term revenue to secure long-term relevance.AI as a Teammate: Moving beyond features to humans and AI working together to solve problems.Fast Fashion Software: How to build a Lovemark brand to survive rapid commoditization.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Andrey Khusid Social Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Webflow CPO on How Product Leaders at AI-Native Companies Act as Individual Contributors | Rachel Wolan | E281
Dec 2300:45:01Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia speaks with Rachel Wolan, CPO at Webflow, the visual development platform valued at $4 billion that empowers over 3.5 million designers worldwide. Rachel discusses Webflow’s bold strategy to evolve into an AI-native experience platform with the launch of AppGen, a tool bridging the critical gap between AI prototyping and true production for enterprises like The New York Times and Spotify.What you'll learn:The ICCPO Framework: Why modern leaders must remain patient zero and use their own tools to understand the systems they build.From SEO to AEO: Why Product Managers must now own Answer Engine Optimization as a primary distribution channel.AppGen Strategy: How to move beyond simple wrappers to generate full-stack, on-brand web apps directly from prompts.Key Takeaways👇:Build Your Own Leverage: How Rachel built her own Chief of Staff AI agents to automate research and scale her output.Production-Ready AI: Why the real opportunity lies in making AI outputs secure and brand-consistent for enterprise use.New Distribution: Adapting product strategy for a world where discovery happens through AI agents, not just search engines.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Rachel WolanSocial Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Vercel V0 GM on Transforming Developer Workflows to Ship Faster | Zeb Hermann | E280
Dec 1000:46:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Zeb Hermann, General Manager, v0 at Vercel, the AI cloud platform recently valued at $9.3 billion. Zeb oversees v0, which has grown to 3.5 million unique users by fundamentally changing how developers and PMs build software.Zeb dives into the operational shifts required to transform developer workflows and increase velocity. He explains why Vercel prioritizes a "vetoe-based" culture over approvals and how AI tools are enabling a new era of "full-stack" designers and PMs who contribute directly to the codebase.What you'll learn:Speed as a Principle: How to move from an approvals-based culture to a "vetoes-based" culture.The "Full Stack" Team: Why the most effective teams have designers and PMs who ship their own PRs.Prototype to Production: Strategies for closing the gap between AI prototypes and production-ready applications.Key takeaways👇Impact Over Hours: Why the "996" culture is wrong and how to measure true team impact.Eliminating Handoffs: How to reduce coordination costs by empowering individuals to make product decisions.Broadening Literacy: Why the future of workflows is about more people understanding code, not just using client-side overrides.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Zeb HermannSocial Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Lovable Head of Growth on The New AI-Native Growth Playbook | Elena Verna | E279
Nov 2600:43:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Elena Verna, Head of Growth at Lovable—the fastest-growing AI startup to ever surpass $100M in ARR, hitting the milestone in just eight months. With a proven track record leading growth at Miro, Amplitude, Superhuman, and Dropbox, Elena brings unparalleled expertise in driving sustainable, product-led growth across both hyper-growth and turnaround environments.Elena shares how building in the fast-moving “vibe coding” category requires a radical shift in how we define product-market fit, structure growth teams, and measure success. From product-led monetization loops to redefining brand as a product responsibility, Elena outlines a bold vision for what growth looks like in the age of AI-native products.What you’ll learn:How Lovable ships at record speed, with daily product updates and a 3-tier launch model.How AI-native products redefine activation, retention, and monetization.Why product teams must now own brand experience—not just featuresHow Elena designs feedback, education, and referral loops that turn users into growth engines.The evolving role of activation, retention, and monetization in AI-native PLG.Key Takeaways 👇Velocity as a Moat: Why rapid shipping is a survival strategy in AI-first companies.Always-Evolving PMF: How Lovable redefines product-market fit weekly in a category shaped by fast-moving LLMs.Product-Led Brand: Why every product touchpoint must be “lovable”—and how that standard powers word-of-mouth loops.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Elena Verna Social Links:Find out more about Product School hereFollow our Podcast on TikTok hereFollow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Hims & Hers CPO on Building Delightful Products in Regulated Markets | Dheerja Kaur | E278
Nov 1400:41:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Dheerja Kaur, Chief Product Officer at Hims & Hers, the publicly traded health and wellness platform with a market cap of over $10 billion and more than 3 million active users across its Hims and Hers consumer brands.At Hims & Hers, Dheerja is building the future of preventative care by combining diagnostics, clinical guidance, and personalized treatments—all delivered through a consumer-grade digital experience. From healthcare to fintech, Dheerja breaks down how PMs can master regulatory nuance without sacrificing speed or UX, why pairing product with clinical and compliance experts is a superpower, and how to turn constraints into differentiation through org design, platform thinking, and data. What you’ll learn:Why product leadership in regulated industries requires a different kind of PM muscle.How Hims & Hers is expanding from transactional treatments to full-stack preventative care.The rationale behind maintaining two separate apps—and how that unlocks personalization at scale.How AI is powering internal tools, treatment plans, and personalized health journeys.Key Takeaways 👇 Building for Impact, Not Just Efficiency: Why Dheerja prefers mission-driven industries that improve lives over “fun” products.Product Meets Clinical: How Hims & Hers pairs PMs with in-house physicians to co-create treatment and diagnostic experiences.From Health Stack to Health Loop: Why continuous testing, personalized treatments, and AI-powered insights are the future of digital health.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Dheerja KaurSocial Links: Find out more about Product School here Follow our Podcast on TikTok here Follow Product School on LinkedIn here
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Cisco President & CPO on Building Security-by-Design in AI Products | Jeetu Patel | E277
Oct 2900:30:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Jeetu Patel, Chief Product Officer at Cisco, as he explores the critical intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and collaboration. Jeetu shares how Cisco is designing next-generation security products to protect enterprise systems in an AI-driven world. He discusses the balancing act between speed and safety, and how the rapid pace of AI adoption is reshaping both cybersecurity and enterprise software.Jeetu dives into the frameworks Cisco uses to innovate securely at scale and why trust, privacy, and responsible AI design are central to their approach.What you’ll learn:How AI is transforming the cybersecurity landscape and the enterprise software industry.Frameworks for balancing innovation and security at scale.The role of trust, privacy, and responsible AI design in product development.Key Takeaways 👇AI in Cybersecurity: How Cisco is leveraging AI to build next-gen security products that adapt to emerging threats.Building Secure Innovation: Practical approaches for ensuring scalable, secure innovation in a rapidly changing landscape.The Future of Responsible AI: Why Jeetu believes privacy and ethical AI practices are critical for maintaining trust in an AI-powered world.Credits:Host: Carlos Gonzalez de VillaumbrosiaGuest: Jeetu PatelSocial Links: Follow our Podcast on Tik Tok here Follow Product School on LinkedIn here Join Product School's free events here Find out more about Product School here
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