Thinking like a gardener, slime mold, the adjacent possible: Product advice from Alex Komoroske

Alex Komoroske is a strategic leader who merges the practice, theory, and mindset necessary to tackle complex problems. He spent 13 years at Google, where he worked on Search and DoubleClick and led Chrome’s Open Web Platform. He also spearheaded Augmented Reality in Google Maps and developed toolkits to align companywide strategy from the ground up. After serving as Head of Corporate Strategy at Stripe, he is now co-founding a startup aimed at reimagining the web for the AI era. Alex created the popular “Slime Molds” deck, which offers fresh insights into organizational dynamics. He is also the author of the widely read “Bits and Bobs,” a collection of thought-provoking reflections.In our conversation, we delve into:
• “Organizational kayfabe”
• “Gardening” vs. “building”
• How AI will soon change how we build product
• How and why to embrace the adjacent possible
• The power of reflection and how to build it into your workflow
• How to create emergent properties in organizations
• How to run effective “strategy salons” or “nerd clubs”
• Much more

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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction to Alex
(01:53) Alex’s Bits and Bobs document
(06:20) The Compendium and note-taking process
(10:10) The impact of AI and LLMs on product development
(14:24) Skills to lean into as a product manager
(19:02) How AI makes us better as individuals
(23:04) Organizational kayfabe
(31:48) Gardening vs. building
(34:46) Emergence-oriented thinking
(41:55) Slime molds and organizational structure
(45:15) Identifying resonant ideas
(47:05) The power of metaphors
(48:02) Strategy salons and nerd clubs
(52:30) Building and sustaining communities
(55:59) Productivity hacks and self-control
(01:01:04) Life philosophy and personal insights
(01:07:52) The adjacent possible
(01:15:56) Lightning round

Referenced:

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

[armaanshahanshah]

Met Alex a couple of months ago when I came across his deck on "Gardening Platforms", was one of the most succinct (even with a 100+ slides) descriptions of how one could think about Platforms. Saving this video to watch it soon!

[Liam-Kirby]

Didn't have Dejavu between a Vince McMahon documentary & a Lenny interview on my bingo card, but here we are; "kayfabe".

[Yinedene]

Amazing content! Imagine there will be an AI bot of Lenny’s podcast and you as PM will be bouncing ideas with it. 🤩

[chaochaozuo]

what a funny guy, he can be a stand-up comedian.

[splitlease]

This is exactly how we build, informed by mistakes in the building of 1.5 million lines of C++ code in hedge funds