$1.25 billion Unicorn. Only 2 Product Managers. The Linear Method:

How did Linear scale to a $1.25B valuation with just 40 engineers and 2 PMs while becoming the tool of choice for OpenAI, Perplexity, and Cursor? This is part 2 of the podcast with Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear. In the first episode, we dove into building AI agents inside Linear: https://youtu.be/e_T8Sn8s46M In this episode, we sit down to unpack the Linear Method that’s redefining how high-velocity teams build software without bloat. We talk about: - How Linear became the backbone for top AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity. - The $1.25B Linear Method: directness, momentum, and shrinking scope to ship with speed and quality. - Why most startups misuse OKRs (and what to do instead). - The secret behind scaling with only 40 engineers and 2 PMs. - Culture and craft: feature “roasts,” public changelogs, and avoiding feature bloat. - Nan Yu’s personal career story Timestamps: Preview – 00:00:00 Why are all the GIANTS using Linear? – 00:02:09 Ad (AI Evals) – 00:04:44 Ad (Vanta) – 00:05:44 Linear Method: How They Build Product – 00:06:36 Principles of the Linear Method – 00:09:16 Saying No to Busy Work / Busy Work Is a Result of “Lack of Clarity” – 00:12:14 Ad (AI PM) – 00:15:06 Ad (Maven) – 00:15:53 Planning Process – 00:16:41 Linear's Take on OKRs – 00:19:13 Setting The Bar High – 00:26:06 Story: Building The Smallest Version Possible – 00:28:49 Public Roadmaps are DANGEROUS – 00:34:20 Applying Linear Method to AI Features (Agents as Users) – 00:38:18 Mantra: Solve Real Problems for Real People – 00:43:08 Landing a Head of Product Role at Linear – 00:46:08 Story: How the Initial Contact with Linear Happened – 00:48:16 Advice for Aspiring PMs at Linear – 00:49:50 Making it to unicorn status with 2 PMs & 40 engineers – 00:53:18 Everlane's Pricing Strategy (Cost-Plus) – 00:53:44 Shift from B2C Retail to Product-Led B2B SaaS – 00:55:10 Can Today's PMs Shift Industries? – 00:57:22 Closing Notes – 00:59:49 💼 Check out our sponsors: 1. The AI Evals Course for PMs & Engineers :Get $800 off with this link - https://maven.com/parlance-labs/evals?promoCode=ag-product-growth 2. Vanta: Automate compliance, security, and trust with AI (Get $1,000 with our link) - https://www.vanta.com/lp/demo-1k?utm_campaign=1k_offer&utm_source=product-growth&utm_medium=podcast 3. Product Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM certification with code AAKASH25 - https://maven.com/product-faculty/ai-product-management-certification?promoCode=AAKASH25 4. Maven: Get $100 off my curation of their top courses - http://maven.com/x/aakash 👀 Where to Find Nan Yu: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/ X: https://x.com/thenanyu Personal website: https://thenanyu.com Linear: https://linear.app/partners/aakash 👨‍💻 Where to find Aakash: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aakashg0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aakashg0/ 🔑 Key Takeaways: 1. How to build products with speed and quality: Everyone thinks speed and quality are opposite ends of a spectrum. At Linear, they've learned they’re actually dance partners. The trick isn’t to move faster by cutting corners. It’s to design the system so cleanly that you don’t need hacks in the first place. 2. Why the smallest possible scope is your superpower: When you’re staring at a big ambitious idea, it’s tempting to swing for the fences immediately. The problem? Big scope creates drag. Ship the smallest version that works, then let reality guide the next cut. That’s how you keep velocity without losing control of quality. 3. The truth about OKRs: OKRs are like prescription glasses: they work beautifully if you actually need them and give you headaches if you don’t. For huge, multi-layered orgs, they align chaos. But most startups try to wear someone else’s prescription. 4. Scaling smart vs. scaling headcount: Linear hit a $1.25B valuation with ~40 engineers and 2 PMs. That’s not because they were allergic to hiring, it’s because they treated people as force multipliers, not just bodies to throw at problems. 5. Breaking into top product roles: His own career shift - from Everlane CTO in apparel to SaaS PM leadership - taught me a hard truth: sometimes you have to take a step sideways (or even down) to move forward. When I pivoted industries, I took an IC engineering role and a comp hit. But eventually it all worked! #ai #linear 🧠 About Product Growth: The world's largest podcast focused solely on product + growth, with over 180K listeners. Hosted by Aakash Gupta, who spent 16 years in PM, rising to VP of product, this 2x/ week show covers product and growth topics in depth. 🔔 Subscribe and like the video to support our content! And turn on the bell for notifications.

Aakash GuptahostNan Yuguest

Aug 4, 20251h 0mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 4, 2025
Duration: 1h 0m
Channel: Aakash Gupta
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

How did Linear scale to a $1.25B valuation with just 40 engineers and 2 PMs while becoming the tool of choice for OpenAI, Perplexity, and Cursor? This is part 2 of the podcast with Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear. In the first episode, we dove into building AI agents inside Linear: https://youtu.be/e_T8Sn8s46M In this episode, we sit down to unpack the Linear Method that’s redefining how high-velocity teams build software without bloat. We talk about:
How Linear became the backbone for top AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity.
The $1.25B Linear Method: directness, momentum, and shrinking scope to ship with speed and quality.
Why most startups misuse OKRs (and what to do instead).
The secret behind scaling with only 40 engineers and 2 PMs.
Culture and craft: feature “roasts,” public changelogs, and avoiding feature bloat.
Nan Yu’s personal career story
Timestamps: Preview – 00:00:00 Why are all the GIANTS using Linear? – 00:02:09 Ad (AI Evals) – 00:04:44 Ad (Vanta) – 00:05:44 Linear Method: How They Build Product – 00:06:36 Principles of the Linear Method – 00:09:16 Saying No to Busy Work / Busy Work Is a Result of “Lack of Clarity” – 00:12:14 Ad (AI PM) – 00:15:06 Ad (Maven) – 00:15:53 Planning Process – 00:16:41 Linear's Take on OKRs – 00:19:13 Setting The Bar High – 00:26:06 Story: Building The Smallest Version Possible – 00:28:49 Public Roadmaps are DANGEROUS – 00:34:20 Applying Linear Method to AI Features (Agents as Users) – 00:38:18 Mantra: Solve Real Problems for Real People – 00:43:08 Landing a Head of Product Role at Linear – 00:46:08 Story: How the Initial Contact with Linear Happened – 00:48:16 Advice for Aspiring PMs at Linear – 00:49:50 Making it to unicorn status with 2 PMs & 40 engineers – 00:53:18 Everlane's Pricing Strategy (Cost-Plus) – 00:53:44 Shift from B2C Retail to Product-Led B2B SaaS – 00:55:10 Can Today's PMs Shift Industries? – 00:57:22 Closing Notes – 00:59:49 💼 Check out our sponsors:
1. The AI Evals Course for PMs & Engineers :Get $800 off with this link - https://maven.com/parlance-labs/evals?promoCode=ag-product-growth
1. Vanta: Automate compliance, security, and trust with AI (Get $1,000 with our link) - https://www.vanta.com/lp/demo-1k?utm_campaign=1k_offer&utm_source=product-growth&utm_medium=podcast
1. Product Faculty: Get $500 off the AI PM certification with code AAKASH25 - https://maven.com/product-faculty/ai-product-management-certification?promoCode=AAKASH25
1. Maven: Get $100 off my curation of their top courses - http://maven.com/x/aakash 👀 Where to Find Nan Yu: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/ X: https://x.com/thenanyu Personal website: https://thenanyu.com Linear: https://linear.app/partners/aakash 👨‍💻 Where to find Aakash: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aakashg0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aagupta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aakashg0/ 🔑 Key Takeaways:
1. How to build products with speed and quality: Everyone thinks speed and quality are opposite ends of a spectrum. At Linear, they've learned they’re actually dance partners. The trick isn’t to move faster by cutting corners. It’s to design the system so cleanly that you don’t need hacks in the first place.
1. Why the smallest possible scope is your superpower: When you’re staring at a big ambitious idea, it’s tempting to swing for the fences immediately. The problem? Big scope creates drag. Ship the smallest version that works, then let reality guide the next cut. That’s how you keep velocity without losing control of quality.
1. The truth about OKRs: OKRs are like prescription glasses: they work beautifully if you actually need them and give you headaches if you don’t. For huge, multi-layered orgs, they align chaos. But most startups try to wear someone else’s prescription.
1. Scaling smart vs. scaling headcount: Linear hit a $1.25B valuation with ~40 engineers and 2 PMs. That’s not because they were allergic to hiring, it’s because they treated people as force multipliers, not just bodies to throw at problems.
1. Breaking into top product roles: His own career shift - from Everlane CTO in apparel to SaaS PM leadership - taught me a hard truth: sometimes you have to take a step sideways (or even down) to move forward. When I pivoted industries, I took an IC engineering role and a comp hit. But eventually it all worked! #ai #linear 🧠 About Product Growth: The world's largest podcast focused solely on product + growth, with over 180K listeners. Hosted by Aakash Gupta, who spent 16 years in PM, rising to VP of product, this 2x/ week show covers product and growth topics in depth. 🔔 Subscribe and like the video to support our content! And turn on the bell for notifications.

SPEAKERS

Aakash Gupta
host
Product leader and podcast host who interviews product and tech operators.
Nan Yu
guest
Head of Product at Linear, previously CTO at Everlane and VP of Product at Mode.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Aakash Gupta, featuring Aakash Gupta and Nan Yu, $1.25 billion Unicorn. Only 2 Product Managers. The Linear Method: explores linear’s direct, high-momentum product method behind its unicorn rise Linear’s popularity with top AI companies is driven by speed of operations: fast UI interactions, direct workflows, and minimized friction so teams can stay focused on building.

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