From ChatGPT to Instagram to Uber: The quiet architect behind the world’s most popular products | Peter Deng

In this interview-style podcast, Lenny interviews Peter Deng, a product leader, about his experiences building and scaling products at companies like Facebook, Instagram, Uber, and OpenAI. Deng shares counterintuitive lessons he's learned, such as the product itself sometimes mattering less than price and ETA, and the importance of operations. He emphasizes the role of proprietary data and workflow integration for AI startups, the need for product craft to overcome distribution advantages, and the symbiotic relationship between product and research teams. Deng also discusses his approach to hiring, focusing on building a balanced "Avengers" team with diverse PM archetypes and prioritizing a growth mindset. He shares his management philosophy, including the importance of autonomy and continuous learning, and recounts a product failure at Instagram, highlighting the value of learning from setbacks. Finally, Deng offers advice for those deciding on career paths, emphasizing alignment with human behavior and optimizing for learning, and describes the types of startups he's looking to invest in at Felicis.