Bet you're dying to know what the formerly Cranky Product Manager thinks of this whole Google memo [https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/05/theres-an-anti-diversity-manifesto-circulating-around-google/] situation [https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/so-about-this-googlers-manifesto-1e3773ed1788] , right? No? Well, the whole situation has made me so cranky, it's brought me out of…
What is Product Management? (the core, the over-extended, and the totally dysfunctional)
Sometimes I help companies (usually startups) kickstart their Product Management function. These companies often know they WANT Product Management, even though they often don't have a clear idea of what Product Managers actually do. In another post, I speculate about why this widespread ignorance of Product Management exists…
Quora: Why aren't there more female programmers?
My answer, originally published on Quora [http://www.quora.com/Why-arent-there-more-female-programmers/answer/Sue-Raisty] . My Answer The most obvious answer: 1. Fewer and fewer girls are studying math and computer science in college, and 2. Of those women who do graduate in those fields, and who even become programmers, they are…
The New Assholes of the Tech Industry
I feel like the tech industry has gotten increasingly nasty since 2010 or so. Where there was once a community feel and a sense that we were all in this together, trying to do the right thing for our customers…
QUORA: Why is having biological children usually a couple's first choice, rather than adopting a newborn?
My answer to a question about adoption on Quora [https://www.quora.com/Why-is-having-biological-children-usually-a-couples-first-choice-rather-than-adopting-a-newborn/answer/Sue-Raisty] : Q: Why is having biological children usually a couple's first choice, rather than adopting a newborn? My Answer: Because the adoption process…
Yes, Product Manager, you too can (help) acquire companies
Let's say that you're a junior-ish Product Manager. Your product is NOT killing it (not yet, anyway). You have stiff competition. Your product is missing key capabilities that the market demands -- perhaps because this technology…
The (ahem) "Art" of Pricing
Originally published in 2010. Updated and republished in May, 2015. A reader asks: "Can you please enlighten me on the art of pricing?" At the risk of misinterpreting, I believe the reader is asking specifically about enterprise software,…
A Dangerous Combination: Sales People and the External Product Roadmap
This is my youngest son. He's 4 years old and is a total goober. Let's call him "J". J is probably going to be a sales person when he grows up. He is extroverted,…