Thoughts on software engineering, product management, mid-life career changes, Silicon Valley, women in tech, adoptive families, big issues, my kids and more.
Bet you're dying to know what the formerly Cranky Product Manager thinks of this whole Google memo situation, right? No? Well, the whole situation has made me so cranky, it's brought me out of blogging retirement. I'm going to tell you my take on it anyway. But never fear, I'll…
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. But for…
My answer, originally published on Quora. My Answer The most obvious answer: Fewer and fewer girls are studying math and computer science in college, and Of those women who do graduate in those fields, and who even become programmers, they are likely to leave the field after a few years.…
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…
My answer to a question about adoption on Quora: Q: Why is having biological children usually a couple's first choice, rather than adopting a newborn? My Answer: Because the adoption process is: Potentially very long & uncertain. You might not…
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 looks to fundamentally disrupt…
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,…
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, charming, funny, naturally positive,…