World Model · podcast knowledge graph

Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)

2023-10-08 · 100 min · 32 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://amazon.com/Timeless-Way-Building-Christopher-Alexander/dp/0195024028
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0060839872
  • → hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person
    0.55
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
  • → works at Linear company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    CEO of Linear
  • → works at Linear company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    CEO of Linear
  • → discusses Technology company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Technology
  • → discusses Business concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • → discusses Entrepreneurship concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • → references penname.co website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://penname.co/
  • → references linear.app website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://linear.app/
  • → references En Us person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://philips-hue.com/en-us
  • → references vercel.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://vercel.com/
  • 0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://lennyspodcast.com/lessons-from-scaling-ramp-sri-batchu-ramp-instacart-opendoor
  • → references karrisaarinen.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://karrisaarinen.com/
  • → references Method website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://linear.app/method
  • → references Finnish Salmon Soup Lohikeitto person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/finnish-salmon-soup-lohikeitto

Entities found in this episode

websites 12

  • mentioned penname.co website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://penname.co/
  • mentioned linear.app website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://linear.app/
  • mentioned vercel.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://vercel.com/
  • 0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://lennyspodcast.com/lessons-from-scaling-ramp-sri-batchu-ramp-instacart-opendoor
  • mentioned karrisaarinen.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://karrisaarinen.com/
  • mentioned Method website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://linear.app/method
  • references penname.co website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://penname.co/
  • references linear.app website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://linear.app/
  • references vercel.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://vercel.com/
  • 0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://lennyspodcast.com/lessons-from-scaling-ramp-sri-batchu-ramp-instacart-opendoor
  • references karrisaarinen.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://karrisaarinen.com/
  • references Method website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://linear.app/method

persons 6

  • mentioned Lenny Rachitsky person
    0.70
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
  • hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person
    0.55
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
  • mentioned En Us person
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://philips-hue.com/en-us
  • 0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/finnish-salmon-soup-lohikeitto
  • references En Us person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://philips-hue.com/en-us
  • references Finnish Salmon Soup Lohikeitto person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/finnish-salmon-soup-lohikeitto

companys 5

  • mentioned Linear company
    0.62
    evidence rules-v4
    CEO of Linear
  • mentioned Technology company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Technology
  • works at Linear company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    CEO of Linear
  • works at Linear company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    CEO of Linear
  • discusses Technology company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Technology

concepts 5

  • mentioned Business concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • mentioned Entrepreneurship concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • discusses Business concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • discusses Entrepreneurship concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • mentioned CEO concept
    0.35
    evidence rules-v4
    CEO

books 4

  • 0.90
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://amazon.com/Timeless-Way-Building-Christopher-Alexander/dp/0195024028
  • 0.90
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0060839872
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://amazon.com/Timeless-Way-Building-Christopher-Alexander/dp/0195024028
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus | Karri Saarinen (co-founder, designer, CEO)": https://amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0060839872
Episode description as stored
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 | Composer —the AI-powered trading platform | Pendo —The all-in-one platform for product-led companies building breakthrough digital experiences — 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