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Lenny's PodcastInside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)
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Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- October 8, 2023
- Duration
- 1h 39m
- Channel
- Lenny's Podcast
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Karri Saarinen is the co-founder and CEO of Linear, an issue-tracking tool that has quickly become the fastest-growing and most beloved in the world. Before Linear, Karri was the principal designer and co-creator of design systems at Airbnb and the founding designer at Coinbase. In today’s episode, he shares:
- How to prioritize craft in product development
- The Linear method for modern software development
- How Linear operates with only one PM
- Why every product needs good design in 2023
- Strategies for staying focused amid distractions
- Linear’s unique hiring strategies
- Sneak peek of a soon-to-be-released Linear feature
— Brought to you by Mercury—the powerful and intuitive way for ambitious companies to bank: https://mercury.com/ | Composer—the AI-powered trading platform: https://www.composer.trade/?utm_source=lenny&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=10-8-23 | Pendo—The all-in-one platform for product-led companies building breakthrough digital experiences: https://www.pendo.io/lenny Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-linear-building-with-taste Where to find Karri Saarinen:
- X: https://twitter.com/karrisaarinen
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karrisaarinen/
- Website: https://karrisaarinen.com/
Where to find Lenny:
- Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
- X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Karri’s background (04:25) Overview of Linear (06:43) Linear’s design process and its focus on quality (12:25) Building a craft-oriented company (16:41) Product management at Linear (18:37) Strategies for launching a startup without a dedicated PM (21:16) How Linear assists PMs in their roles (23:46) Linear’s potential expansion in PM roles (24:58) The importance of design (29:08) Utilizing design and brand as distinct competitive advantages (30:48) The importance of authenticity in branding and messaging (33:08) How design reviews are conducted at Linear (38:34) The Linear method for modern software development (40:07) Why productivity software should be opinionated (41:23) Why Linear created “cycles” and how it works (43:27) Why Linear doesn’t have metric-based goals (45:07) How a business can thrive without metrics, PMs, and A/B testing (48:04) A customer-focused approach to building product (50:02) Adapting strategies for diverse products and domains (53:05) Three techniques Karri uses to maintain focus (56:47) Linear’s hiring practices (1:02:10) Paid work trials (1:04:31) How to determine a candidate’s “product sense” (1:08:21) Linear’s growth journey and milestones (1:14:18) How pricing strategies were initially introduced at Linear (1:16:18) Linear’s journey to finding product-market fit (1:21:44) The importance of online presence and authenticity in business (1:24:59) Insight into the corporate culture at Linear (1:28:29) Lessons learned during Karri’s transition from IC to CEO (1:30:21) Sneak peek into the upcoming “asks” feature at Linear (1:32:04) Lightning round Referenced:
- Linear: https://linear.app/
- Vercel: https://vercel.com/
- Nan Yu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/
- The Linear method: https://linear.app/method
- How Ramp builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-ramp-builds-product
- Lessons from scaling Ramp | Sri Batchu (Ramp, Instacart, Opendoor): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/lessons-from-scaling-ramp-sri-batchu-ramp-instacart-opendoor/
- Eric Yuan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericsyuan/
- The Timeless Way of Building: https://www.amazon.com/Timeless-Way-Building-Christopher-Alexander/dp/0195024028
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0060839872/
- John Wick: Chapter 4: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10366206/
- Silo on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/silo/umc.cmc.3yksgc857px0k0rqe5zd4jice
- Philips Hue lights: https://www.philips-hue.com/en-us
- Finnish salmon soup recipe: https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/finnish-salmon-soup-lohikeitto
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
SPEAKERS
Karri Saarinen
guestLenny Rachitsky
host
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Lenny's Podcast, featuring Karri Saarinen and Lenny Rachitsky, Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO) explores Inside Linear: Opinionated Product Craft, Lean Teams, And Relentless Focus Karri Saarinen, co‑founder and CEO of Linear, explains how Linear builds a highly polished, beloved issue-tracking product using a tiny, very senior team and a culture obsessed with craft, speed, and focus. Rather than A/B tests and feature-level metrics, they rely on deep customer understanding, taste, and opinionated product decisions, plus a strong emphasis on retention and trust over short-term wins. Linear minimizes specialization (one PM for ~50 people, rotating project leads) and uses structured cycles, opinionated workflows, and high design quality as core differentiators in a crowded market. Saarinen also details Linear’s selective growth approach—from waitlisted private beta and segment-by-segment product‑market fit, to a unique paid work trial hiring process and culture rituals that reinforce quality and authenticity.
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