In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Christina Goldschmidt, VP of Product Design at Warner Music.

Warner Music is one of the world's leading music companies, serving artists and songwriters across various labels and publishing divisions. With a rich history in the music industry, Warner Music has evolved to embrace digital transformation, offering innovative ways for fans to engage with artists and music.

Christina leads the entire UX team at Warner Music, overseeing product designers, design systems specialists, visual designers, content designers, researchers, and design operations. Her team designs experiences connecting fans to artists, provides services to artists and songwriters, and creates internal tools that power various aspects of the music business, from distribution to sync licensing and royalties reporting.

In this episode, we'll explore Christina's unique approach to product design, how she and her team are leveraging unconventional practices to drive innovation, and the future of music technology. We'll discuss strategies for aligning design with business goals, structuring design teams for interconnected ecosystems, and balancing zero-to-one initiatives with product improvements.

What you'll learn:
- Christina's journey from front-end developer to VP of Product Design at Warner Music and her insights on the company's digital transformation.
- The challenges and strategies involved in creating user experiences for a global music company.
- How to prioritize design initiatives and innovations in a fast-paced, artist-centric environment.
- The future of music technology, including AI-powered tools and immersive fan experiences.

Key Takeaways👇:
- Design as a Revenue Driver: Christina emphasizes the importance of positioning design as a strategic asset that contributes to business growth.
- Unconventional Problem-Solving: Warner Music is pushing boundaries by incorporating mystical practices like tarot readings and shamanic journeying into their design thinking process.
- Data-Driven Design: Christina highlights the use of product discovery, UX research, and business metrics to guide design decisions and improvements

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Craig Saldanha, Chief Product Officer at Yelp, a leading local business review and discovery platform.
Founded in 2004, Yelp has become a go-to resource for consumers seeking authentic reviews and recommendations for local businesses. With over 300 million user reviews across 35 countries and 42 languages, Yelp has continuously evolved to meet changing consumer needs and technological advancements.

Craig joined Yelp almost three years ago, following a decade-long career at Amazon. As CPO, he leads Product Management and oversees the development of Yelp's consumer and business-facing products. His impressive background includes working on groundbreaking products at Amazon, such as Kindle and Prime Video.

We explore Yelp's transformation from a simple review platform to an AI-powered local business discovery tool, the evolution of AI in local search and customer reviews, and the challenges of integrating AI into an established platform.

What you'll learn:
- How Yelp is leveraging AI to enhance user experience and business connections
- The impact of AI on product development and organizational structure at Yelp
- Yelp's journey in developing AI-powered features like the Yelp Assistant and AI-generated video reviews
- Strategies for maintaining trust and authenticity in an AI-enhanced review ecosystem
- Challenges and opportunities in integrating AI into an established platform like Yelp

Key Takeaways:
- AI Integration: Craig discusses Yelp's innovative use of AI in features like the Yelp Assistant and AI-generated video reviews
- Organizational Structure: He explains how Yelp organizes its product teams around consumers and local businesses to drive value for both sides of the marketplace
- Trust and Authenticity: Craig emphasizes the importance of maintaining trust in reviews while leveraging AI to enhance the user experience
- Content Distribution: He introduces Yelp's strategy to distribute its valuable content through partnerships and APIs in the AI era
- Product Frameworks: Craig highlights the importance of robust decision-making frameworks and a culture of experimentation in product development

As a fun fact, Craig shares his experience using Yelp to plan his first date with his now-wife!

Social Links:
- Follow our Podcast on Tik Tok here
- Follow Product School on LinkedIn here
- Join Product School's free events here
- Find out more about Product School here

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Craig Saldanha

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Paul Adams, Chief Product Officer at Intercom, a leading customer communication platform that has experienced both remarkable success and near-catastrophe.

Founded in 2011, Intercom revolutionized customer service as a SaaS pioneer, reaching a peak valuation of $1.3 billion. However, by 2022, the company faced potential collapse as AI rapidly disrupted its core business. In a dramatic turnaround, Intercom's original founder returned as CEO, transforming the company into an AI-first powerhouse now serving over 50,000 paying customers globally.

Paul's 12-year tenure at Intercom has been pivotal in shaping the company's evolution. As CPO, he leads Product Management, Design, Data Science, and Research. His impressive background includes working on groundbreaking products at Google, such as YouTube and Gmail, during the iPhone's launch era.

In this episode, we explore Intercom's transformation from a simple customer support tool to an AI-powered communication platform, the evolution of AI in customer service, and the challenges of building AI-first products as a non-native AI company.

What you'll learn:
- How Intercom navigated the transition from a traditional SaaS model to an AI-first approach.
- The impact of AI on product development and organizational structure.
- Intercom's journey in developing AI-powered customer service agents.
- Strategies for implementing outcome-based pricing models in the AI era.
- Challenges and opportunities in building AI-first products for established companies.

Key Takeaways:
- AI Transformation: Paul discusses Intercom's bold move to allocate 70% of R&D to AI development.
- Organizational Restructuring: He explains how Intercom is reimagining traditional product roles to adapt to AI-driven development.
- Customer-Centric AI: Paul emphasizes the importance of building AI products in close partnership with customers.
- Pricing Innovation: He introduces Intercom's exploration of outcome-based pricing models aligned with customer success.
- Product Judgment: Paul argues for the increasing importance of product intuition and risk-taking in the AI era.

Social Links:
- Follow our Podcast on Tik Tok here
- Follow Product School on LinkedIn here
- Join Product School's free events here
- Find out more about Product School here

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Paul Adams