What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)

2022-11-20 · 65 min · 37 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ references askgib.substack.com website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://askgib.substack.com/
→ references ianmcallister.substack.com website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://ianmcallister.substack.com/
→ references What Distinguishes The Top 1 Of Product website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://ianmcallister.substack.com/p/what-distinguishes-the-top-1-of-product
→ references Getting Real Smarter Successful Application book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Getting-Real-Smarter-Successful-Application/dp/0578012812
→ references Wool Trilogy Howey 25 Apr 2013 Paperback book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Wool-Trilogy-Howey-25-Apr-2013-Paperback/dp/B011T7ACU0
→ references Energy Civilization History MIT Press book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Energy-Civilization-History-MIT-Press/dp/0262035774
→ hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person

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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
→ discusses Technology company

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
→ discusses Business concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
→ discusses Entrepreneurship concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
→ references penname.co website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://penname.co/
→ references Startups website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://mixpanel.com/startups
→ references Yellowstone website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://peacocktv.com/stream-tv/yellowstone
→ references assemblyai.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://assemblyai.com/
→ references Everything Everywhere All At Once person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://sho.com/titles/3493875/everything-everywhere-all-at-once
→ references Working Backward Amazon Method person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://productplan.com/glossary/working-backward-amazon-method
→ references evnewsdaily.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://evnewsdaily.com/
→ references gibsonbiddle.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://gibsonbiddle.com/

Entities found in this episode

websites 18

mentioned askgib.substack.com website

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://askgib.substack.com/
mentioned ianmcallister.substack.com website

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://ianmcallister.substack.com/
mentioned What Distinguishes The Top 1 Of Product website

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://ianmcallister.substack.com/p/what-distinguishes-the-top-1-of-product
references askgib.substack.com website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://askgib.substack.com/
references ianmcallister.substack.com website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://ianmcallister.substack.com/
references What Distinguishes The Top 1 Of Product website

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://ianmcallister.substack.com/p/what-distinguishes-the-top-1-of-product
mentioned penname.co website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://penname.co/
mentioned Startups website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://mixpanel.com/startups
mentioned Yellowstone website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://peacocktv.com/stream-tv/yellowstone
mentioned assemblyai.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://assemblyai.com/
mentioned evnewsdaily.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://evnewsdaily.com/
mentioned gibsonbiddle.com website

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://gibsonbiddle.com/
references penname.co website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://penname.co/
references Startups website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://mixpanel.com/startups
references Yellowstone website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://peacocktv.com/stream-tv/yellowstone
references assemblyai.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://assemblyai.com/
references evnewsdaily.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://evnewsdaily.com/
references gibsonbiddle.com website

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://gibsonbiddle.com/

books 6

mentioned Getting Real Smarter Successful Application book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Getting-Real-Smarter-Successful-Application/dp/0578012812
mentioned Wool Trilogy Howey 25 Apr 2013 Paperback book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Wool-Trilogy-Howey-25-Apr-2013-Paperback/dp/B011T7ACU0
mentioned Energy Civilization History MIT Press book

0.90

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Energy-Civilization-History-MIT-Press/dp/0262035774
references Getting Real Smarter Successful Application book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Getting-Real-Smarter-Successful-Application/dp/0578012812
references Wool Trilogy Howey 25 Apr 2013 Paperback book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Wool-Trilogy-Howey-25-Apr-2013-Paperback/dp/B011T7ACU0
references Energy Civilization History MIT Press book

0.77

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://amazon.com/Energy-Civilization-History-MIT-Press/dp/0262035774

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 Everything Everywhere All At Once person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://sho.com/titles/3493875/everything-everywhere-all-at-once
mentioned Working Backward Amazon Method person

0.45

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://productplan.com/glossary/working-backward-amazon-method
references Everything Everywhere All At Once person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://sho.com/titles/3493875/everything-everywhere-all-at-once
references Working Backward Amazon Method person

0.38

evidence rules-v4
Link in episode "What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)": https://productplan.com/glossary/working-backward-amazon-method

concepts 5

mentioned Business concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
mentioned Entrepreneurship concept

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship
mentioned Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb concept

0.42

evidence rules-v4
What it takes to become a top 1% PM | Ian McAllister (Uber, Amazon, Airbnb)
discusses Business concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
discusses Entrepreneurship concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Entrepreneurship

companys 2

mentioned Technology company

0.50

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
discusses Technology company

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology

Episode description as stored

Ian McAllister is the Senior Director of Product for Vehicles at Uber. Before moving to Uber, Ian spent over a decade directing teams at Amazon, where he created and led Amazon Smile. He was also Director of Product Management at Airbnb, where I was lucky enough to have worked alongside him. In today’s episode, we discuss Ian’s famous document about the essential attributes of the top 1% of product managers. Ian outlines the most important skills to focus on for entry-level PMs and how to broaden your experience and diversify skills as you move up the ladder. He also shares what he learned working with Jeff Wilke, Jeff Bezos, and other leaders at Amazon, and goes in depth on Amazon’s working-backwards framework. — Where to find Ian McAllister: • Newsletter: https://ianmcallister.substack.com/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/ianmcall • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianmcallister/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for making this episode possible: • Mixpanel: https://mixpanel.com/startups • Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lenny • AssemblyAI: https://www.assemblyai.com/?utm_source=lennyspodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=nov20 — Referenced: • What distinguishes the top 1% of product managers from the top 10%, on Substack: https://ianmcallister.substack.com/p/what-distinguishes-the-top-1-of-product • What distinguishes the top 1% of product managers from the top 10%, on Quora: https://www.quora.com/What-distinguishes-the-Top-1-of-product-managers-from-the-Top-10 • Amazon’s working-backwards method: https://www.productplan.com/glossary/working-backward-amazon-method/ • Jeff Wilke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffawilke • Getting Real: The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Successful Web Application : https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Real-Smarter-Successful-Application/dp/0578012812 • Wool (Wool trilogy #1): https://www.amazon.com/Wool-Trilogy-Howey-25-Apr-2013-Paperback/dp/B011T7ACU0/ • Energy and Civilization: A History : https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Civilization-History-MIT-Press/dp/0262035774 • How I Built This podcast: https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this • EV News Daily podcast: https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ • Yellowstone on Peacock: https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/yellowstone • Everything Everywhere All at Once on Showtime: https://www.sho.com/titles/3493875/everything-everywhere-all-at-once • Gibson Biddle’s website: https://www.gibsonbiddle.com/ • Gibson Biddle on Lenny’s Podcast : https://www.lennyspodcast.com/gibson-biddle-on-his-dhm-product-strategy-framework-gem-roadmap-prioritization-framework-5-netflix-strategy-mini-case-studies-building-a-personal-board-of-directors-and-much-more/ • Gibson Biddle’s Ask Gib newsletter: https://askgib.substack.com/ — In this episode, we cover: (03:54) What Ian expected from his initial post on product management (05:30) How the post impacted Ian’s career (07:06) How writing can help you crystallize your thoughts (08:26) Ian’s background (10:57) Attributes of the top 1% of PMs (14:32) The top three skills for new PMs to perfect (20:32) Tips on strengthening communication and prioritization (23:06) How to level up as a PM (26:37) What kind of impact should new PMs expect to make? (29:36) How to broaden your view and think big (33:06) How to earn the trust of others (34:30) How Ian could have done more to earn trust at Airbnb (37:27) Why people tend to stick around Amazon for a while (39:53) What Ian learned from Bezos and Wilke (46:38) How teams get working backwards wrong (53:51) The two parts of working backwards and how Ian utilizes it at Uber (58:57) Lightning round — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/ . For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other sub