Airbnb’s Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Par…
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. — Brought to you by: • Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application — Vlad Loktev spent 10 years at Airbnb, where he started as an IC PM and quickly advanced to lead the core Airbnb marketplace business and then GM the entire homes business, managing over 1,000 people and reporting directly to CEO Brian Chesky. He recently left Airbnb and joined Index Ventures as their newest partner. Vlad was my manager at Airbnb for many years, and is the person I credit most for teaching me how to be a great product manager. Prior to Airbnb, Vlad spent a year at Zynga, where he helped grow Words with Friends to over 14 million daily active users. In our conversation, Vlad shares:
Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/impact-impact-impact-vlad-loktev Some takeaways:
Where to find Vlad Loktev: • X: https://x.com/vladimirloktev • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirloktev/ In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Vlad’s background (02:54) Reflecting on transformative years at Airbnb (04:28) Skills and mindsets for success (11:03) Impact-driven mindset (13:16) Saying no and inquiry before advocacy (17:54) “Poking the bear” (22:46) Psychological tools for leadership (30:08) Building and scaling teams (36:12) Letting fires burn (47:34) Embracing chaos (54:40) The unsell email strategy (01:02:01) Finding your place in an organization (01:05:38) The importance of company culture (01:13:16) Airbnb’s unique approach to product management (01:26:41) Failure corner (01:31:32) Lightning round and final thoughts Referenced: • Inquiry vs. Advocacy framework: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vladimirloktev_ever-get-feedback-that-you-need-to-listen-activity-7107746905190797313-tR1k/?trk=public_profile_like_view • Making an impact through authenticity and curiosity | Ami Vora (CPO at Faire, ex-WhatsApp, FB, IG): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/authenticity-and-curiosity-ami-vora • Serenity prayer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer • Index Ventures: https://www.indexventures.com/ • Unorthodox PM wisdom: Automating user insights, unselling job candidates, logging every decision, more | Kevin Yien (Stripe, Square, Mutiny): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unorthodox-pm-wisdom-kevin-yien • The Unsell Email: https://kevinyien.com/blog/unsell.html • What Seven Years at Airbnb Taught Me About Building a Business: https://marker.medium.com/what-seven-years-at-airbnb-taught-me-about-building-a-company-e1d035d49c56 • Life at Airbnb: https://careers.airbnb.com/life-at-airbnb/ • Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach • Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto • The growing importance of software product marketing managers: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-growing-importance-of-software-product-marketing-managers • Red Rising: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Pierce-Brown/dp/034553980X • Silo series: https://www.amazon.com/Silo-Saga-Wool-Shift-Stories/dp/0358447828 • Silo on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/silo/umc.cmc.3yksgc857px0k0rqe5zd4jice • Survivor on CBS: https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/ • Discord: https://discord.com/ • Gobblet Gobblers: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Orange-103-Gobblet-Gobblers/dp/B001TMXDMK/ Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. You're currently a free subscriber to Lenny's Newsletter. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
Older messages
Part 2: Time management techniques that actually work
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Seven more tactics for making the most of your precious days ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
How to consistently go viral: Nikita Bier’s playbook for winning at consumer apps (co-founder of TBH, Gas, advisor…
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Learn from Nikita Bier, the expert behind TBH & Gas, on how to create viral consumer apps and succeed in the competitive tech landscape. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Succeeding as an introvert, building zero-to-one, and why you should PM your career like you PM your product | Deb…
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Deb Liu, Ancestry CEO & ex-Facebook VP, on PMing your career, overcoming perfectionism, and turning failures into success ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Why PMs are best positioned to thrive in an AI world
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
An optimistic case for the future of product management ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
🚨 Announcing: The inaugural Lenny’s Newsletter Compensation Survey
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Building a trusted compensation benchmark for tech roles by level, company stage, and geography ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
You Might Also Like
How much do founders earn?
Monday, January 13, 2025
+ UK government's AI plan; EU regulations to watch out for 2025 View in browser Leonard_Flagship Good morning there, If you didn't know much about startups, you might think all founders begin
🏙️ Building the Future: Parker Conrad's Journey
Sunday, January 12, 2025
A founder of two unicorns, Parker has had one of the more dramatic startup journeys in recent years. This Week at YC January 12th, 2025 ✨ The Latest How To Build The Future: Parker Conrad Parker Conrad
🚨 [LIVE IN 1 HOUR] Day 1 of the Challenge with Anthony Lazarus
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Get ready. Your journey to your first Shopify sale starts in just 1 hour. Hi Friend , The wait is almost over! Day 1 of the Make Your First Shopify Sale 5-Day Challenge starts in just ONE HOUR. ⌛
#214 | Startup themes for 2025, Palantir for Health, & more
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Jan 12th | The latest from Cowboy, Bowery, Matrix, Khosla, Homebrew, Maveron, and others ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
This weekend side project makes $16K/month
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Starter Story Sunday Breakfast ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
How to build your product team from scratch, attract top product talent, go multi-product, and more | Rohini Pandh…
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Rohini Pandhi on building beautiful products in "boring" industries ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
🔴 [Last call] 24 hours left to join the biggest ecomm challenge ever
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Don't miss your opportunity to finally launch your dream ecommerce business. Hi Friend , This is it—less than 24 hours left to join the Make Your First Shopify Sale 5-Day Challenge! If you've
💼 $16K/m with a ChatGPT wrapper
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Simple Job Interview Assistant
What’s 🔥 in Enterprise IT/VC #428
Saturday, January 11, 2025
The truth about building in AI according to Sam Altman - "there is no one at all who can tell you exactly how it should be done" ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
My 2024 year in review
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Howdy! Happy New Year! Today, I'm finally sending you my annual review. (A little later than I'd hoped!) For over a decade now (eleven years!), I've been writing these annual reviews.