BRIAN CHESKY’S PRODUCT CONCEPTS

If you haven’t watched Brian Chesky, the CEO and co-founder of Airbnb ramble in detail, it’s worth your time, I promise!  It is long, it’s an hour & 13 minutes, but loaded with incredible ideas, concepts and some game-changing philosophies on how marketing/engineering/product management should function.

He goes off on how in one of his keynote speeches, how 5,000 designers in the room cheered when they thought he said he was removing product managers from Airbnb, and addressed what he meant.

I just want to highlight 3 concepts he talked about which are  (1) the “add a zero” philosophy , (2) “passing v. running” when it comes to optimization and (3)  the “chefs & waiters” relationship between engineering and marketing.

“Add a Zero” Philosophy

The concept of “adding a zero” is a strategy used to encourage people to think bigger, riskier, out of the box, get more ambitious goals. It’s about imagining a 10X scale or 10X better or 10X faster version of what you’re trying to achieve. This can help you to break down problems into smaller components and think more creatively about solutions.
It helps you to understand problems more deeply. When you think about a problem on a 10X scale, you’re forced to consider all of the different factors that could affect it.  Also, encourages you to take action. When you have a clear vision of what you’re trying to achieve, you’re more likely to take action to make it happen. Adding a zero can help you to set actionable goals that will motivate you to move forward.
It helps you to reach your full potential by pushing yourself to think bigger.

80% passes, 20% running

Focus on big leaps (growth hacks) 80% of the time and conversion optimization 20% of the time. Most companies do the opposite, focusing on conversion optimization 80% of the time and big leaps 20% of the time. This is because conversion optimization is easier to measure and track, but it can only get you so far. Big leaps are harder to measure and track, but they can help you grow your business much faster.
This methodology can work for everyone, but you don’t have to be as ideological or have to go all the way to 100. You can still spend money on performance marketing and measure conversion. The key is to focus on big leaps more than conversion optimization.

Chefs & Waiters

* Silos between marketing and engineering can lead to ineffective marketing e efforts and products that don’t meet customer needs.
* Marketing and engineering should work together closely, like chefs and waiters, to create products that are both innovative and successful.
* Marketing can help engineers understand the market and customer needs, while engineers can provide marketing with the information they need to create effective campaigns.
* Breaking down silos between marketing and engineering is essential for creating products that customers love.