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Unsolicited Feedback — Technology
Unsolicited Feedback

Tired of interview podcasts? Us too. That’s why we created Unsolicited Feedback – the podcast that should have come out 5 years ago, but we’re making it anyway. In this podcast, Brian Balfour (Reforge, HubSpot), Fareed Mosavat (Reforge, Slack) and friends provide unfiltered feedback on the products they actually use, along with key product lessons.

Essentially, we’re taking the conversations that happen between experts at invite-only happy-hours and delivering them to the podcast platform of your choice.

Although no one asked for their opinions, they’re sharing them. It’s like eating Goodles when you want Kraft Mac n Cheese, or Olipop when you want Pepsi – it feels wrong, yet so right.

Each week, they analyze recent announcements, features, and releases across product and growth. The hosts make predictions about where Threads and Twitter will be in a year, and analyze unparalleled growth loops at LinkedIn. They give respect where it’s due, but also deliver tear-downs when the writing’s on the wall. Sorry, not sorry!

Latest Episodes:

Erik Allebest of Chess.com: Transforming a Niche Business into a Global Phenomenon Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Ever wondered how a game as old as chess could become a global sensation in the digital age? The answer lies in the power of product, growth, and, more recently, AI.

In our latest episode of Unsolicited Feedback, Joff Redfern and Fareed Mosavat had an insightful conversation with Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com. This episode explores the intersection of technology, human behavior, and ethics in the world of online chess, focusing on how Chess.com leverages AI to revolutionize the game while confronting challenges like cheating and maintaining a fair competitive environment. Insights from the platform's journey illuminate broader lessons in innovation, user engagement, ethical considerations, and growth strategy.

Kipp Bodnar on Marketing Experiments at HubSpot and Harnessing HeyGen to Improve Conversion Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

In today’s episode of Unsolicited Feedback, Fareed Mosavat, Joff Redfern, and Kipp Bodnar delve into the meteoric rise of Martech tools and the transformative role of AI, with a special focus on the innovative video creation platform, HeyGen. This discussion is very valuable for anyone leading marketing efforts in 2024 and beyond. 🌠

The bottom line: We're currently optimizing AI tools to enhance conversion rates, yet we're still waiting for a new distribution channel to emerge. Could this change be on the horizon?

Full summary is available at UnsolicitedFeedback.co

Kipp Bodnar on LinkedIn's Gamification Gambit - Game On or Game Over? Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

LinkedIn Games: A Brilliant Move or a Misstep? 🎮🤔

LinkedIn is reportedly working on in-app games, a move that has ignited a wide range of opinions. In our latest episode of Unsolicited Feedback, co-hosts Joff Redfern and Fareed Mosavat, joined by HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar, delved into this topic.

We’ve shared our thoughts below, and we’d love to hear yours! Tune in next Thursday for more Unsolicited Feedback, where we’ll discuss the growing surge of martech tools.

Context: LinkedIn is testing the gamification waters, with companies ranked based on their employees' gaming scores. The company has confirmed these rumors, though we've only seen a few early screenshots. The games, a mix of puzzles and mini-games, seem reminiscent of the New York Times' daily games. But the question remains: is this what LinkedIn users need or want?

Full summary is available here!

Adam Nash Applies Clay Christensen’s Innovator's Dilemma to Modern Fintech Mar 28, 2024

Show notes

In Part 2, of our Unsolicited Feedback with Adam Nash, CEO of Daffy, co-hosts Joff Redfern & Fareed Mosavat dove deep into the world of fintech, exploring the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

To frame the conversation, Adam looked to the past, revisiting Clay Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma.

For a full summary of the episode's takeaways, join us at UnsolicitedFeedback.co.

0:00 Introduction & AI's Impact on Fintech

17:31 Importance of Understanding Competitors

19:40 Adam's Spicy Take

28:09 Return to Value Creation

36:41 Revisiting Clay Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma

41:50 Innovator's Dilemma Applied to Fintech

Adam Nash Explores the Art of Process-Strategy Fit at eBay and LinkedIn, with a Side of Diet Coke and Legos Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

Adam Nash Explores the Art of Process-Strategy Fit at eBay and LinkedIn, with a Side of Diet Coke and Legos

On the latest episode of Unsolicited Feedback, hosts Fareed Mosavat and Joff Redfern are joined by the esteemed Adam Nash, CEO and Co-Founder of Daffy, a philanthropic platform championing the concept that everyone should get in the habit of giving back. Adam's illustrious career spans across tech giants like Greylock, Dropbox, LinkedIn, eBay, and Apple, and he's widely recognized for his insightful contributions on his blog, PsychoHistory.

Our journey begins with a nostalgic look at the pioneering days at LinkedIn and eBay, where we discuss the intricacies of process creation and leadership dynamics.

Stay tuned for our upcoming episode where we'll delve into the Fintech sphere, diving into the nuances of prioritization and competitive analysis.

Full summary of the takeaways and links to Adam's infamous blog can be found at Unsolicitedfeedback.co

Shaun Clowes Analyzes Cognition Labs' Devin & Reddit’s IPO Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Shaun Clowes Analyzes Cognition Labs' Devin & Reddit’s IPO

We are joined by guest co-host Joff Redfern, Fareed Mosavat, and our guest Shaun Clowes. Today, we dive into two major stories: Devin and Reddit.

Join us at UnsolicitedFeedback.co for a full summary!

Devin: The Future of Programming or Just Another Tool in the Box? 🧰

This week, Cognition Labs released a video showcasing it’s AI Coder, Devin. Devin promises to be able to handle complex programming tasks with the autonomy that you’d expect from a human coder. We thought it was worth diving into this new offering and delivering some Unsolicited Feedback.

The Pending Reddit IPO: A Deep Dive into the Power of Community and the Potential of Monetization 🚀

Reddit, the front page of the internet, is finally going public and we have thoughts.

For absolute clarity, it is important to note that neither the podcast content nor this summary constitutes investment advice.

Let’s dive in.

Shaun Clowes (Confluent, Salesforce) Riffs on Waymo, Legos, and Process Advancement Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Shaun Clowes Riffs on Waymo, Legos, and Process Advancement

This week, Fareed welcomed co-host Joff Redfern, Principle at Menlo VC and former CPO at Atlassian and guest Shaun Clowes, CPO at Confluent and former CPO of Mulesoft at Salesforce, CPO @ Metromile, and Head of Growth @ Atlassian.

This week’s Deep Dive drops Wednesday and we’re focused on Reddit & Cognition Lab’s Devin, but our riff this week is simply a classic happy hour conversation.

Fareed, Joff and Shaun cover a wide range of topics dropping some brilliant nuggets along the way. Enjoy!

For a summary of their takeaways, join us at UnsolicitedFeedback.co.

Casey Winters Dives Deep Into Prioritization, Second Product Mishaps, Meta & Square Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

Casey Winters is back with Fareed Mosavat and our guest co-host, Ravi Mehta. In this episode, we're discussing two recent articles from Casey Accidental, Casey’s product & growth blog. In “Wood Grain Steering Wheels,” Casey writes about a misplaced prioritization pattern he sees time and time again.

We delve into these prioritization challenges and explore Meta's impressive history of decisive prioritization.

Then, we jump into mishaps with second products - understanding signs of trouble and how to address them.

Lastly, we delve into the impact of organizational structure on product expansions, analyzing the reasoning behind Square's recent organizational shift.

For a full summary, join us at Unsolicitedfeedback.co.

Casey Winters (Eventbrite, Pinterest) Riffs on Whether Consumer Is Back and What It Means for Product Leaders? 🤔 Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

Ravi Mehta teams up with Fareed Mosavat once more. This week, Ravi and Fareed are joined by Casey Winters, former CPO at Eventbrite and growth expert at Pinterest and Grubhub.

🔍 The Big Question for Today: Is consumer tech experiencing a resurgence? With the advent of AI, some believe we're on the brink of a consumer tech revolution. But is this really the case?

🤷 Is consumer back? Sort of… 🤷

The Good News 🎉 People are spending more time online and are more willing than ever to try new products, including paid products. The days of freemium being the only way to acquire customers is seemingly behind us. And, the rise of AI has opened up exciting opportunities for product-minded founders to create value for consumers.

The Bad News 😬 The landscape is dominated by big players like Apple, Amazon, and Epic, making it hard for new entrants. Plus, the journey from seed stage to a mass-market consumer platform is long and fraught with risk. As a result, we’re still seeing few and far between VC backed consumer start ups. But, just because consumer is largely not investable, doesn’t mean it isn’t vibrant and growing.

What should founders or product leaders interested in consumer markets do? Check out a full summary of the takeaways at UnsolicitedFeedback.co.

Behzod Sirjani and Ravi Mehta Dive Deep on the EV Market Speed Bump for Apple, Rivian and Tesla Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Apple's car project is dead, Tesla missed earnings, and Rivian's stock is down. So, what's going on here? We deep dive on this very topic with our guest Behzod Sirjani, our guest co-host Ravi Mehta, and of course, the one and only Fareed Mosavat!

We discuss Adjacent User Theory, the problem with Early Adopters, the risks of limited SKUs, and why Apple might want to avoid this commodity market.

For a full summary of all of the insights from the episode, head to Unsolicitedfeedback.co!

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