Twitter, True Grit, and Giving Up On Your Dreams

Monthly Wrap from May

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. Here’s what you may have missed.

Product Thinking

Other Articles

Fake Pentagon attack hoax shows perils of Twitter’s paid verification (TechCrunch)

Continuing on a theme from a recent post on the failed Twitter features: What happens when you put AI generated images of explosions together with paid Twitter accounts?

Surprising literally no one, the combination of paid blue checks and generative AI makes it all too easy to spread misinformation. On Monday morning, a seemingly AI-generated image of an explosion at the Pentagon circulated around the internet, even though the event didn’t actually happen.

Why You Should Give Up On Your Dreams

I saw this headline in my inbox and it made me laugh a few times. But it’s worth a read. I especially feel seen with this part:

Previously a product manager, some of her early writing had gone viral, and she had decided to quit and throw herself completely into her writing. She had hoped to build an audience, maybe get a book deal, and find a way to make a living doing something she loved… but things didn’t quite pan out that way.

Dreams can be incredibly motivating. But can also cause incredible difficulty. We have to be able to recognize when a dream is driving us to a good spot or holding us back:

On some level, we need hopes and dreams for the future to motivate ourselves to take action. If we don’t expect our actions to have a positive result, we feel demotivated. Dreams, at their best, are winds in our sail, supporting us as we move forward into the future.

However, dreams can calcify, turning into ghosts of their most useful selves. Instead of inspiring us to take action, they become a source of pain and stagnation. At our worst, we can become so attached to our dreams that we fail to recognize when it's time to let go and move on.

Product Roadmaps vs. Product Plans

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth hearing it from other people as well: product roadmaps are not product plans.

Roadmaps are NOT Plans. They are an output of a Strategy process. It’s important to understand the distinction between Roadmaps and Plans, how they are defined and how they are used to maximize company focus and drive business and product outcomes.

Invisible Interfaces: the UI of the future doesn’t have a screen

A paradox in design lies in the fact that while we strive for invisibility, it’s unattainable. However, what steps should be taken when designing something meant to disappear? Technology needs to blend in with our natural behaviors for it to be truly intuitive. This undertaking demands a thorough comprehension of the nuances in human conduct and an understanding of their expectations.

Good Listens

Building Global Leading Brands with Ryan Margolin

Ryan shares his experience in sustainable product development across 15 different countries and his journey to building a stronger brand for his company. Ryan and I also discuss our love for music and how we encourage our kids to explore their creativity. Discover Ryan's insights on developing the right product and effective marketing strategies, as well as his decision to manufacture products in-house instead of outsourcing.

Sustainable Investments: Using AI and Data Analytics

Gopal and I discuss the increasing use of climate-related data and analytics in corporate reporting and risk management. We also dive into how Sust Global has developed an API and dashboarding products to help companies understand and prepare for climate risk. You'll learn about the importance of driving a shared understanding through data and how machine learning and AI can help with climate analytics.

Innovator's Insights: A Conversation with Hussein Almossawi

I interview the talented and accomplished product designer, VFX artist, and author, Hussain Almossawi. The conversation centers on Almossawi's recently released book, The Innovator's Handbook, which explores his personal stories and experiences in the industry, as well as his journey from a small island home in Bahrain to New York City.

Investing Basics

My friend runs a financial podcast that I’ve recently come across, which brings me back to my early life in asset management. But this is good information for any of us, since we all need to understand investing and growing wealth. So check this one out to build some understanding.

Books

True Grit

Last month I finished The Strange, which was True Grit meets The Martian Chronicles. And this month I finished True Grit itself. It was a great read. I’ve seen the modern movie, which is also exceptionally good and does the book justice IMO.

Interesting Finds

RSVPify

I’m coming up on a milestone high school reunion, so we’re planning a big event to bring everyone together. I offered to help the class officers, and found RSVPify, which is a great site builder for creating events. I built out an event website where we’ve been able to manage everything from ticket sales to emails to other information. It’s been great. So if you have an event you’re planning, it may be worth looking into rather than trying to collect money via Venmo etc.