About this episode
Yuhki Yamashita is the Chief Product Officer at Figma, leading the product and design teams. Previously, he was a product and design leader at Uber, where he orchestrated the redesign of the rider and driver apps. Yuhki was also a product manager at Google (YouTube iOS app) and Microsoft (Hotmail). Additionally, he has taught introductory computer science at Harvard University.In today’s episode, we discuss:
How Figma approaches new products, prioritization, and storytelling
Product culture at Uber, Microsoft, Google
The difference between “good” and “extraordinary” PMs
Tactical advice for storytelling
The “un-learning” required in new jobs and industries
–Referenced:
Figjam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
Figma: https://www.figma.com/
Figma Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
Figma Slides: https://www.figma.com/slides/
–Where to find Yuhki:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/yuhkiyam
–Where to find Brett:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson
–Where to find First Round Capital:
Website: https://firstround.com/
First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital
This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast
–(00:00) Introduction(02:50) Figma's early days(09:11) Product culture across companies(13:42) Knowing when to change things(17:40) How business goals impact product expansion(21:00) Advice for going multi-product(24:30) The skills of a “0 to 1” PM(27:36) Identifying entrepreneurial talent(29:06) Why aren't there more designer founders?(35:22) How Figma launches new products(41:19) “0 to 1” versus “1 to 10” talent(46:01) The role of storytelling at Figma(49:22) How Figma prioritizes product(55:11) Advice for product storytelling(59:02) “Good” vs “extraordinary” product managers
