To mirror PM Fast Track's upcoming meetups, this week's posts is a mix of philosophical and practical. A look back in history at one of the most successful products ever. And pragmatic posts about product MVP and a feature study.
Harry McCracken
Gmail is arguably one of the most successful and impactful products in tech. The reader will pick up many themes in this piece, but one of the ones that I find most relevant is the dynamics between the PM and the engineers, and the hacker mindset to building.
“All along, though, Gmail’s creators were building something to please themselves, figuring that their email problems would eventually be everybody’s problems.”
Biz Stone
“Learning design with Steve set me on the path that led me where I am today.”
The very fact that so many people have so many different idea about product management itself is an indication of the complexity of the craft. What distinguishes the top performers will be the quality of the people they learn from. Choose your mentors and community carefully. That said, this is a delightful piece about Biz Stone's entrepreneurial learning journey.
Teresa Torres
“An MVP is not the smallest or the easiest product you can get out the door. It’s the smallest or easiest product you can release to learn what you need to learn.”
Jamie
A quick study of Yelp's recent privacy setting modal feature. A good example of a quick product teardown.
San Francisco
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