CPO Rising Series: Disney Fmr. CPO on the Evolving Role of Product Leaders and Impact of AI

How is the role of product leaders evolving? In this episode of the CPO Rising Series hosted by Products That Count Resident CPO Renee Niemi, Disney Fmr. CPO Sidd Mantri shares his experiences building a highly customized and localized Disney Plus product for markets like India, Indonesia, and the Middle East. He discusses the evolving role of product leaders, highlighting key aspects such as customer focus, aligning business and customer outcomes, amplifying team productivity, and cultivating a high-performance culture. Additionally, Sidd provides his perspective on the impact of AI and generative AI tools on the product management function. He explains how AI is enhancing the efficiency and productivity of product managers, while emphasizing that creativity remains a core and irreplaceable aspect of the role.

Join us for new conversations with leading product executives every week. Roll through the highlights of this week’s podcast below, then head on over to our Events page to see which product leaders will be joining us next week.

Show Notes:

1. Sidd Mantri led the development of a highly customized and localized Disney Plus product for emerging markets like India, Indonesia, and the Middle East.
2. The Disney Plus product for these markets focused on mobile-first experiences, hybrid ad-supported and subscription models, and innovative features like catch-up TV and live sports.
3. The role of Chief Product Officer (CPO) has evolved significantly in the last 5-6 years, emerging from more technical backgrounds.
4. Key aspects of the modern CPO role include customer focus and aligning business and customer outcomes.
5. Sidd defines customer focus as the ability to outperform and outserve customers beyond their stated needs.
6. Crafting a strategy that unifies business and customer outcomes is crucial, avoiding trade-offs between the two.
7. Amplifying team throughput and creating a high-performance culture that enables employees to do their best work are critical leadership responsibilities.
8. Sidd’s “superpower” is his ability to be the “binding glue” that brings together all the elements required.
9. Sidd’s wife, a UX designer, has been a significant influence on his professional and personal growth, providing a balanced perspective.
10. Integrating growth into the product development process is essential, rather than treating it as a separate function.
11. Sidd’s experience at MX Player demonstrates the power of building inherent growth loops into the product itself.
12. When a product reaches a certain level of maturity, it may make sense to create a dedicated growth team focused on high-risk, high-reward experiments.
13. AI and generative AI tools are making product managers more efficient and productive, automating non-value-add activities.
14. However, Sidd believes that the core of product management, creativity, is irreplaceable by AI, at least in the near future.
15. AI is eliminating some of the “perverse variations” of product management. This includes project management or backlog management, which is a positive evolution for the discipline.
16. The fear of AI replacing product managers stems from these perverse variations, not the core of the product management role.
17. Sidd emphasizes the importance of product managers continuously upskilling and reframing their capabilities to adapt to the changing landscape.
18. Collaboration and building strong relationships are key to Sid’s success, achieved by identifying win-win scenarios and creating a collaborative environment.
19. Sidd’s experience in both Silicon Valley and Asia has shaped his unique perspective on product development.
20. The episode highlights the evolving role of product leaders and the impact of AI.