In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Anthony Maggio, Vice President of Product at Airtable.

Airtable, founded 12 years ago, has evolved from a user-friendly spreadsheet alternative to a robust enterprise-grade application development platform. The company has raised $1.35 billion in funding and achieved a valuation of $11 billion. Airtable now serves over 500,000 organizations, including half of the Fortune 500 companies.

As VP of Product at Airtable, Anthony leads the product management organization, focusing on creating powerful, intuitive solutions that enhance user experience and meet customer needs. He played a pivotal role in developing Airtable Cobuilder, a groundbreaking AI-powered tool that allows users to create custom applications quickly and easily.

In this episode, we explore Airtable's transition from a consumer product to an enterprise platform, the integration of AI in product development, and the launch of ProductCentral—a solution unifying the entire product development process. We also discuss why product teams are becoming more accountable for revenue and how Airtable connects Product-Led Growth with Sales-Led Growth for enterprise customers.

What you'll learn:
- Anthony's approach to scaling Airtable from a consumer product to an enterprise platform.
- How Airtable Cobuilder revolutionizes application creation using AI.
- Strategies for making product teams accountable for revenue.
- The integration of AI into Airtable's product development process.
- How Airtable balances Product-Led Growth with Sales-Led Growth for enterprise customers.

Key Takeaways👇:
- AI-Powered Development: Anthony highlights the transformative potential of AI in application development, as demonstrated by Airtable Cobuilder.
- Revenue Accountability: He emphasizes the importance of aligning product teams with revenue goals to drive business success.
- Enterprise Focus: Anthony discusses Airtable's strategic shift towards serving larger enterprises with connected applications.
- Customization at Scale: He explains how Airtable enables customers to build and customize applications that can serve thousands of users.
- Future of No-Code Platforms: Anthony shares insights on how AI is democratizing software creation for non-technical users.

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Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Anthony Maggio

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Sneha Rao, VP of Product for Platform at The New York Times.

The New York Times, founded in 1851, has undergone a significant digital transformation over the past decade, evolving from a print-centric business to a digital-first news and lifestyle platform. With over 10 million paid subscribers and more than 100 million weekly active users globally, the company has a market cap of over $9 billion and annual revenue of $2.4 billion.

As a Platform Product Leader at The New York Times, Sneha is passionate about building and scaling robust platforms that empower developers to create innovative products. Her focus is on enhancing developer productivity, optimizing cloud infrastructure, and ensuring the reliability of our systems across news and standalone products like games, cooking, wirecutter to name a few.

In this episode, we explore Sneha's approach to building and scaling platform products, strategies for driving digital transformation within a large enterprise, and The New York Times' expansion into a multi-product media company. We delve into methods for identifying leading indicators of revenue growth and the science of running multiple experiments to enhance the user experience.

What you'll learn:
- Sneha's approach to building and scaling platform products at The New York Times.
- Strategies for driving digital transformation within a traditional media company.
- How The New York Times is expanding into a multi-product media company.
- Methods for identifying leading indicators of revenue growth in a platform environment.
- The science of running multiple experiments to enhance user experience in news consumption.

Key Takeaways👇:
- Platform Efficiency: Sneha emphasizes the importance of building efficient platform teams that can support diverse product offerings without overshadowing the core business.
- Rapid Experimentation: She advocates for shortening the time from idea to deployment, enabling faster learning and adaptation in the digital space.
- Balancing Innovation and Tradition: Sneha highlights the necessity of maintaining The New York Times' core journalistic mission while driving digital innovation.
- Metrics for Success: She outlines key metrics for platform success, including time to market for new features and experiments, and cost to serve for new ideas.
- Future of News Consumption: Sneha shares insights on how The New York Times is positioning itself to meet changing reader expectations in an increasingly digital world.

Social Links:
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- Find out more about Product School here

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Sneha Rao

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Drew Lesicko, Vice President of Product and Technology at SoulCycle.
SoulCycle, founded in 2006, is a pioneer in boutique fitness known for its passionate customer community. The company has successfully blended physical and digital experiences, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when it launched its At-Home Bike.
Drew oversees the full digital journey of SoulCycle customers and all technology platforms for the company. He joined SoulCycle in 2018 and played a crucial role in launching the At-Home Bike at the beginning of the pandemic, which helped sustain the business when physical studios had to close.

What you'll learn:

• Drew's approach to balancing physical and digital experiences in fitness.
• SoulCycle's adaptation during the pandemic, the strategy for blending physical and digital experiences, and the future of connected fitness technology.
• How SoulCycle has built such a strong customer community and how they're using data and AI to personalize each rider's fitness journey.
• The future of connected fitness technology and SoulCycle's positioning in this evolving landscape.

Key Takeaways👇:

• Blending Physical and Digital: Drew emphasizes the importance of making digital experiences additive to the in-studio experience, rather than replacing it.
• Data-Driven Personalization: He highlights how SoulCycle uses data on instructor styles, music, and user preferences to create hyper-personalized recommendations for riders.
• Adapting Business Models: Drew shares insights on how SoulCycle evolved its business model, including the introduction of subscription plans and the At-Home Bike.
• Customer Retention Strategies: He discusses the importance of the first five rides in customer retention and how SoulCycle focuses on guiding new riders through this crucial period.
• AI in Fitness: Drew outlines how SoulCycle is leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences, from personalized class recommendations to improved customer service.

Social 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

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Drew Lesicko