Episode 189: Prioritizing Platform Products with Vijay Pitchumani of Okta

In this episode of the Product Thinking Podcast, host Melissa Perri welcomes Shruti Patel, Executive Vice President and CPO Business Banking at U.S. Bank, to share her expertise on navigating the complexities of product development within large financial institutions. Shruti delves into the intricacies of balancing innovation with legacy systems, the importance of focusing on high-impact products, and strategies for aligning teams around customer-centric goals.

Vijay Pitchumani is the esteemed guest of Melissa Perri on this episode of the Product Thinking podcast. Tune in to hear Vijay, a renowned expert in product strategy and Director of Product at Okta, share his insights on the essential role of product managers in platform teams and the unique challenges they face. The discussion covers the importance of defining success metrics, experimenting with API-first approaches, and balancing short-term experiments with long-term goals. Vijay also highlights strategies for innovating within platform teams and managing PM rotations to foster diverse experiences and drive impactful outcomes. Listen now to explore how platform PMs can effectively navigate the complexities of scaling and evolving their products.

In this episode of the Product Thinking podcast, Melissa Perri sits down with Tamar Yehoshua, President of Product and Technology at Glean, to explore the transformative role of AI in modern enterprise search and productivity. Tamar shares her journey from leading product teams at Google to driving innovation at Glean, discussing how AI and retrieval-augmented generation are reshaping how organizations access and utilize information. She dives into the challenges of scaling AI-driven products in a fast-paced startup environment and the strategies her team employs to maximize impact and drive user adoption.

Melissa Perri welcomed Vrushali Paunikar, Chief Product Officer of Carta, to this episode of the Product Thinking podcast. In this engaging conversation, Vrushali delves into the dynamic world of product management and innovation, sharing insights on how to balance subject matter expertise with fresh perspectives. She discusses the challenges and triumphs of building a custom general ledger from scratch and how her team's approach to innovation and validation has led to significant business growth.

Melissa Perri sat down with Christopher Li, SVP of Product at Xactly on this episode of the Product Thinking podcast. In this enthralling episode, Christopher shares his journey from engineering to product management and the challenges his company faced in adopting the Scaled Agile Framework. Christopher has spent the past 15 years in product management, working through different functions and eventually becoming the SVP of Product at Xactly, an enterprise software provider.

Melissa Douros is the guest on this episode of the Product Thinking podcast and she sat down with our host, Melissa Perri, to discuss her career journey and role as the Chief Product Officer at Green Dot, a modern fintech company. The pair explore the challenges and excitement of working in the banking-as-a-service model, the importance of adopting a product model in organizations undergoing digital transformation, and the role of effective communication and collaboration in driving successful customer experiences.

In this episode of the Product Thinking podcast, Melissa Perri sits down with Trisha Price, Chief Product Officer at Pendo. They explore the evolving landscape of product management, including the shifting role of product operations and the integration of tools like Pendo in enhancing productivity. Trisha shares insights on how product managers can navigate the balance between immediate demands and long-term strategy, as well as the impact of recent developments in product management practices.

Todd Wilkens joined our host Melissa Perri on the latest episode of the Product Thinking podcast. Todd started his career in design and gradually transitioned into product development, now serving as the Chief Product Officer at Qualio. In this engaging episode, they discuss the importance of collaboration, shared goals, and breaking down disciplinary boundaries in organizations. Todd shares his extensive experience in various roles, including design and product development, and highlights the value of hiring smart people and giving them autonomy.

In this episode of the Product Thinking podcast, Melissa Perri sits down with Amir Kabbara, a seasoned product leader with a diverse background at Microsoft, Amazon, Shopify, and now serving as Advisor to the CEO at Paper. In their conversation, they explore the intricacies of managing product strategy and balancing the needs of various stakeholders in high-growth environments. Amir shares valuable insights on data-driven decision-making, the challenges of leading teams through transformation, and the importance of aligning product management with overall business goals. The discussion also delves into ethical considerations in AI and how to address them effectively. Tune in to gain a broader perspective on general management principles and strategies for driving successful product outcomes.

Atif Rafiq was Melissa Perri’s guest In this episode of the Product Thinking podcast. Atif is a multi-talented CEO at Ritual, as well as a Board Member at multiple companies. On top of that, he is the best-selling author of Decision Sprint. Tune in to discover how Atif's software, Ritual, combines workflow and AI to facilitate decision-making and hear his thoughts on balancing long-term goals with short-term objectives. Don't miss out on this inspiring discussion about the future of technology and problem-solving within organizations.