Kevin Yien: How decision logs build product sense fast

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

August 18, 2024

Duration

1h 28m

Channel

Lenny's Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Kevin Yien leads product for merchant experiences at Stripe. Before that, he meandered his way from being a technical designer to a product manager, built the restaurants business and ecosystem team at Square, and most recently was head of product and design at Mutiny. He also makes ice cream and teaches for fun. In our conversation, we discuss:

• Why aspiring PMs should start in engineering, design, or sales
• The importance of writing skills, and how to become a better writer
• How to automate user research
• Kevin’s “unsell email” technique for hiring
• The value of keeping a decision log
• Insights on AI and its impact on future generations
• Lessons from failure

— Brought to you by:

• BuildBetter—AI for product teams: https://buildbetter.ai/lenny
• OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster: https://oneschema.co/lenny
• Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments: https://www.geteppo.com/

Find the show notes and transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unorthodox-pm-wisdom-kevin-yien Where to find Kevin Yien:

• X: https://x.com/kevinyien
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinyien/
• Website: https://kevinyien.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) Kevin’s background (02:00) The story behind Kevin’s profile picture (08:41) The role of a product manager (10:48) Getting started in product management (12:47) The importance of writing skills (15:06) Becoming a better writer (19:10) The PM’s role with engineering and design (28:41) Drawing the perimeter for your team (31:37) Feedback tips (35:13) Decision logs and product sense (45:36) Unorthodox hiring strategies (47:01) The unsell email strategy (54:01) Automating user research (01:02:27) AI in everyday life (01:06:05) Lessons from failure (01:14:34) Lightning round 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

• Kevin Yien

  guest

• Lenny Rachitsky

  host

• Christina (OneSchema)

  guest

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lenny's Podcast, featuring Kevin Yien and Lenny Rachitsky, Kevin Yien: How decision logs build product sense fast explores unorthodox PM tactics: decision logs, unsell emails, automated research, more Stripe product leader Kevin Yien shares unconventional but highly practical approaches to product management, hiring, and personal growth. He argues aspiring PMs should first build foundational experience in adjacent roles (engineering, design, sales), and insists great PMs must be great writers who create clarity at scale for both teams and customers. Yien details tactics like keeping a personal decision log, sending "unsell" emails to candidates, and automating user research via sales tools and workflows. He also discusses failure, AI’s impact on younger generations, and how to build healthier perspectives on career setbacks.

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