Always Be Recruiting: The New Rules of Hiring in the AI Era
Release Date: 05/15/2025
Always Be Recruiting: The New Rules of Hiring in the AI Era
Fireside Product Management
If you had asked me five years ago whether product managers would need to worry about AI-generated job applicants or remote interviews with operatives from North Korea, I would've laughed you out of the room. But here we are. I recently sat down with Shannon Anderson, longtime recruiter and talent scout at Madrona Ventures, for an episode of the Fireside PM podcast. What started as a reaction to a viral LinkedIn post ended up being one of the most wide-ranging, eye-opening conversations I've had on the topic of recruiting, AI, and the future of work. In this post, I want to unpack that...
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From Creators to Corporations: How the Smartest Founders Are Monetizing Attention in 2025
Fireside Product Management
Ex-YouTube exec Ben Grubbs reveals how MrBeast, Good Good Golf, and Moonbug cracked the code—and what PMs can learn about strategy, defensibility, and AI's role in the next wave
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Digital Twins, Real Impact: How Palatial’s Pivot Is Fueling the Robotic Future
Fireside Product Management
We’re back with a Startup Spotlight episode on the Fireside PM podcast. It’s not every day you get to speak with someone who’s straddled the worlds of architecture, gaming, AI, and robotics—and managed to turn those disparate threads into a startup tackling one of the most important problems in our robotic future. Steven Ren, the co-founder and CEO of , joined me from Lower Manhattan to share the winding journey of his company—from Cornell’s architecture school to optimizing simulations for robot training at scale. We went deep on the technology, market evolution, and product...
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How Executive Search Really Works: Lessons from Somer Hackley for Product Leaders Navigating Uncertain Times
Fireside Product Management
I rarely read career books cover to cover. But when I listened to Search in Plain Sight by Somer Hackley, I was hooked. It wasn’t a blog post padded into a book—this was the real deal. Structured, thorough, and full of insights that I wish I had twenty years ago. Naturally, I invited Somer onto the Fireside PM podcast to dig deeper. What followed was a masterclass on how executive search firms actually work, what most job seekers get wrong, and how product managers (PMs) can be far more effective in today’s hiring market.
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From Fans to Founders: How Community-Driven Product Development Builds Better Tech (and Teams)
Fireside Product Management
What Lego, Apple, and a golf startup can teach Silicon Valley PMs about designing with—not just for—your users. https://jakemckee.com/
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I Turned Down a $350K Job Offer—And Why You Might Want to as Well
Fireside Product Management
How to Avoid Career Pitfalls and Make Smarter Moves in Today's Job Market Early to mid-career product managers in Silicon Valley often dream of landing the perfect job—high comp, strong team, great product, and a clear path for impact. But what if I told you that sometimes the smartest move is walking away? That was the case for Elizabeth Haig, a seasoned marketing leader with two successful exits under her belt. She recently turned down a VP of Marketing role that came with a $350K offer, and her reasoning provides invaluable lessons for navigating today's brutal job market. This post is...
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5 Interview Mistakes That Cost You Great Product Leaders—And How to Fix Them
Fireside Product Management
Lessons from the Fireside PM podcast on how to stop missing top-tier candidates and make your next VP or Director of Product hire a game-changer. Hiring a Great Product Leader Is Harder Than You Think Team, we’re back on the Fireside PM podcast, and today, I want to talk about a topic that keeps coming up: why even experienced executives struggle to hire strong product leaders. If you’re a CEO or CPO at a mid-to-late-stage company and you need to hire a killer Director or VP of Product, this post is for you. You go through the hiring process, extend an offer to someone who looks...
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Mastering the PM Interview: The Hidden Hack You're Probably Missing
Fireside Product Management
Why revealing your thinking matters more than your final answer—insider secrets from Rodolfo, Senior PM at Spotify. https://rodolfodays.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile
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Mastering AI for Product Management with Mustafa Kapatiya
Fireside Product Management
n this episode of Fireside PM, I sit down with fellow ex-Googler and product consultant Mustafa Kapatiya to dive into how product managers can maximize AI for productivity, decision-making, and strategy. Mustafa shares real-world insights, including a live demo of AI-driven sentiment analysis, a breakdown of how top PMs leverage AI differently, and how organizations can use AI to do more with less. We also explore the future of product teams, AI's impact on PM career paths, and the evolving role of leadership in an AI-powered world. Tune in for actionable tips and deep insights!
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🔥 Fireside PM with Dave Lu: Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling & Empowering AAPI Founders
Fireside Product Management
Join me for a Fireside PM conversation with Dave Lu, founder of Hyphen Ventures, as we dive into his incredible career journey, the challenges of the Bamboo Ceiling, and his powerful advocacy for AAPI representation in tech and venture capital. From working at top companies like Apple, Yahoo, and eBay to launching Hyphen Capital and championing AAPI entrepreneurs, Dave has been a driving force in breaking barriers. We'll discuss: ✅ His path from corporate tech to investing in the next generation ✅ The Bamboo Ceiling: What it is & how to overcome it ✅ Building wealth and influence for...
info_outlineIf you had asked me five years ago whether product managers would need to worry about AI-generated job applicants or remote interviews with operatives from North Korea, I would've laughed you out of the room. But here we are.
I recently sat down with Shannon Anderson, longtime recruiter and talent scout at Madrona Ventures, for an episode of the Fireside PM podcast. What started as a reaction to a viral LinkedIn post ended up being one of the most wide-ranging, eye-opening conversations I've had on the topic of recruiting, AI, and the future of work. In this post, I want to unpack that conversation for my fellow PMs—especially early to mid-career professionals—because it’s not just a hiring manager problem. The game has changed, and you need to play it differently.