Mayur Kamat: Why N26's CPO ditched strategy for experiments

Choose high-growth environments where you ship constantly, see outcomes quickly, and build a strong network; the vast majority of lifetime earnings and opportunity will come later, so a 10–20% pay bump early on is usually a distraction.

Figure out what you both excel at and enjoy (e.g., experimentation, stakeholder management, complex systems) using tools like strengths assessments and self-reflection, then seek roles and companies where success depends heavily on those strengths rather than your weaknesses.

Mayur argues that in product, “strategy” is often just packaged intuition decided by the loudest voice; building a rigorous experimentation culture turns product decisions into science, gives PMs real authority, and makes strategy largely a byproduct of validated learning.

Borrowing from Shreyas and founders he’s worked with, Mayur prioritizes work that can massively move KPIs (growth or existential risk), then personally dives into the granular metrics and flows—while keeping his calendar intentionally light to make space for this deep work.

Being a CPO/exec is not about prestige; it’s about genuinely loving that kind of work so sacrifices don’t feel like sacrifices. Many people would be happier and equally “successful” as exceptional ICs, specialists, founders, or balanced-life directors who derive meaning outside work.