How can product managers stay on the cutting edge of innovation while ensuring user needs remain the top priority? In this episode with Jonathan Ozeran, Meta Director of Product Mike Arcuri shares lessons from over 15 years of experience launching groundbreaking platforms, building for mobile and VR, and leading technical product teams. From optimizing the mobile app development process to shaping the future of social VR, Mike discusses best practices for bridging engineering and product while keeping customers at the heart of every decision. Tune in for insights on navigating new technologies like AI and emerging form factors, as well as advice on cultivating passion and fun throughout the challenges of building the metaverse.
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Show Notes
- Regular software releases require discipline in engineering processes and continuous customer feedback.
- Development pace should consider consequences of failures for different types of applications.
- When building for mobile and VR, it’s important to focus on continuously improving the user experience through discipline, iteration, and customer feedback.
- Methodologies like Agile have evolved product development away from big specs towards iteration.
- Passion and interest are important but not the only factors when choosing projects or jobs.
- Technical skills help product conversations but non-experts should recognize limits.
- Partially self-educating using tools like ChatGPT can boost product knowledge.
- Celebrating milestones like releases can foster a culture of quality and speed.
- Understanding customer perspectives is key despite focus on next capabilities.
- Generative AI will transform many fields by amplifying human creativity.
- AI also risks legal issues or low quality without expert oversight.
- New form factors like AR glasses will enhance experiences in many domains.
- Video games are a major center of social connection for many people.
- Science fiction can inspire but also highlight societal risks of new technologies.
- Triple timelines to prepare for longer challenges than initially expected.
- Consider people, company importance, and passion when choosing projects.
- Speech interfaces will soon enable more natural tech interactions.
- Passion is vital but not the only factor – find complementary talent.
- Turnarounds are possible with conviction, decisions, and UX focus.
- Have fun and don’t lose sight of why the work matters.
About the speaker
Mike is working to make "the good parts" of Snow Crash and Ready Player One real with the Horizon team at Meta. Before Horizon, Mike worked on the initial launch of Meta's Spark AR platform, and in mobile/social games as a marketer, product manager, and producer. Outside of games and AR/VR, Mike's been through several startup journeys, having led teams dedicated to mobile photos & videos, maps & traffic monitoring, and behavior science & e-learning. He's also built productivity tools for businesses and workers having cut his teeth as a PM and manager on Microsoft's Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and SharePoint. In his free time, Mike's renewing his love for windsurfing, working his way up to a major trail run, and occasionally backing/coaching/consulting for startup founders.
About the host
Jonathan is a product and operations leader, company builder, investor and advisor. He has assembled, scaled and led product, design, software engineering, hardware engineering and machine learning teams across numerous financing stages (pre-seed through Series G).