Lenny’s Newsletter · Free post♥ 239
Aug 17, 2021 · 6 min
“Q: I recently discovered your newsletter, and I’m finding it hard to browse your posts. Is there someplace I can find your best stuff, ideally grouped by topic? After two and a half years of putting out this newsletter every single week, we’re now at over 150 posts. Discoverability has become a problem. So let’s fix that. Below, I’ve collected my best posts, from day one until today, roughly sorted by popularity, across nine topics: 1…”
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 13
Mar 16, 2021 · 6 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny answers a reader's question about keeping support for a long-term 'big bet' project at a large company. His core argument is that steady, visible wins (the 80/20 split of incremental work and high-risk work) earn…
SVPG · Marty CaganJun 29, 2018
Jun 29, 2018 · 9 min
Marty Cagan argues that the Agile movement had two parts: frequent small releases, and empowering teams to solve problems rather than execute roadmaps. The first change spread easily, but the second threatened…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 294
Jun 10, 2025 · 20 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyColin Matthews explains how product teams can move beyond individual AI prototyping by building shared component libraries, using baselines and forks, and matching prototype fidelity to each stage of the product…
SVPG · Marty CaganMar 12, 2020
Mar 12, 2020 · 4 min
Marty Cagan argues that when product managers find themselves working from home, they should treat the unexpected free time as an opportunity rather than a loss. Most PMs struggle to find time for the deep, high-value…
SVPG · Marty CaganJan 27, 2025
Jan 27, 2025 · 4 min
Marty Cagan addresses a recurring question: how Agile relates to the Product Operating Model. He argues Agile is only one of three dimensions of the product model, covering how software is built, tested, and deployed…
SVPG · Marty CaganMar 4, 2020
Mar 4, 2020
Marty Cagan argues that empowerment in product teams must be paired with accountability, and that how accountability applies depends on the ambition of the objective. A team that misses a bold "Moon Shot" goal is…
SVPG · Marty CaganJun 28, 2019
Jun 28, 2019 · 4 min
Marty Cagan argues that effective product managers need about four uninterrupted hours a day for product discovery: working out valuable, usable, feasible, and viable solutions to hard problems. He observes that many…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 763
Jan 7, 2025 · 19 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyA practical guide to AI prototyping for product managers, covering the main categories of tools (chatbots, cloud development environments, local developer assistants) and when to use each. It walks through turning Figma…
Lenny’s Newsletter · Free post♥ 360
Jan 21, 2025 · 22 min
Lenny Rachitsky and survey partner Noam Segal report results from a survey of 6,500+ tech professionals on the tools they use, love, and want to replace. The clearest shift since 2020 and 2022 is AI assistants, led by…
SVPG · Marty CaganFeb 8, 2023
Feb 8, 2023
Marty Cagan argues that the real alternative to dedicated Agile coaches is competent line management: engineering, product, and design managers coaching their people in hands-on skills. He contrasts a 'Team Red' that…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresAug 5, 2013
Aug 5, 2013 · 4 min
Teresa Torres uses the story of a skier who tried to build a snowboard that worked like skis, despite lukewarm feedback, to show how product teams fall into one-idea-at-a-time thinking. Drawing on the Heath brothers'…
SVPG · Marty CaganAug 20, 2012
Aug 20, 2012 · 3 min
Marty Cagan argues that product teams doing discovery often move far too slowly, risking wasted time and money on unvalidated ideas. He distinguishes time-boxing (fixed work period followed by reflection) from…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 171
Sep 8, 2020 · 13 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny walks through how his Airbnb team turned a problem of rejected booking requests into an 'Instant Book' strategy that grew instant bookings from about 5% to over 80%. He breaks strategy into three steps…
SVPG · Marty CaganMar 17, 2013
Mar 17, 2013
Marty Cagan argues that product teams relying on long, pre-negotiated roadmaps repeatedly fail to deliver business results because of two unavoidable realities. First, at least half of ideas won't work, whether…
The Beautiful Mess · John Cutler♥ 64
Sep 24, 2026
John Cutler argues that AI tools remove not only wasteful friction but also 'positive friction': the productive struggle, debate, and slow sense-making that builds shared understanding and sound judgment in product…
SVPG · Marty CaganDec 14, 2005
Dec 14, 2005 · 5 min
Marty Cagan argues that product management is demanding and that product managers inevitably face rough days, which matter more because their teams watch how they react. He offers a set of practical habits for breaking…
SVPG · Marty CaganJan 15, 2007
Jan 15, 2007 · 6 min
Cagan argues that innovation is harder in large companies because growing organizations become risk-averse, but it is still possible and essential. He says corporate culture and one's manager are the biggest factors…
HEY World · Jason FriedJun 2, 2025
Jun 2, 2025
Jason Fried argues that when we meet a simpler system, idea, or implementation, our instinct is often to dismiss it as insufficient. He suggests a better response is to ask why our own work has become so complicated and…
Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 255
May 21, 2024 · 13 min
Subscriber post — summary onlyLenny Rachitsky shares how he learned to say no to the constant flow of requests as a solopreneur, arguing that protecting focus on the few things that made you successful is essential. He offers a decision framework…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresMar 6, 2024
Mar 6, 2024 · 17 min
Product teams are often flooded with ideas from customers, stakeholders, and their own discovery work, and need a way to capture them without derailing their workflow. In this Tools of the Trade interview, Teresa Torres…
SVPG · Marty CaganFeb 18, 2020
Feb 18, 2020 · 7 min
Marty Cagan argues that organizations believe they are good at focus but usually chase 20-30 'critical' initiatives when only two or three truly matter. He contrasts this with Pandora's stakeholder-driven prioritization…
Product Talk · Teresa TorresJan 18, 2023
Jan 18, 2023 · 9 min
Teresa Torres profiles product manager Helena Jeret-Mäe at Singularity Creations, who moved from building speculative features on request to a continuous discovery practice. Early on, she built an unused field a…
SVPG · Marty CaganApr 16, 2007
Apr 16, 2007 · 5 min
Cagan argues that user experience design should be completed before implementation begins, even though requirements/design and implementation/testing can each be run in parallel within their own pairs. He explains that…