Product and Cake

How do you make a role reliable in an uncertain world? Minerva Tantoco has been answering that question her entire career — starting with her first AI startup in 1985, through a dozen years in financial services, running Asia Pacific as a regional CTO, and finally landing the call she almost dismissed as a prank: becoming the first-ever Chief Technology Officer of the City of New York in 2014. In...

In this special live recording from the Vention Unplugged event in Berlin, Paul Lunow takes the stage to tackle one of the most polarizing questions in tech today: Is AI just a tool we trigger, or is it a teammate that can actually surprise us?. To get past the standard "it depends" industry fluff, we forced our panel of experts into a high-stakes game. Armed with green microphones for "pro" argum...

In the season opener, Ghonche and Paul sit down with Catalina Turlea, Founder and CTO of Lovelace, to demystify the "black box" of AI integration. We explore why engineering shouldn't gatekeep prompts, how to use experimentation to avoid the "average" results of generic LLM wrappers, and why your domain expertise—not just your technical skill—is the secret to building AI that actually resonates wi...

Former Fox/DreamWorks exec turned founder Steven Puri shares how Sukha helps remote workers flip into deep focus, finish faster, and feel healthier.    We dig into body-doubling and community mechanics that measurably boost retention, the Hollywood idea of “delights” and how to engineer them in product, plus how tiny teams can leverage AI without losing soul—and the one founder habit that compo...

UX has changed more in the last 10 years than in the 30 before — and it’s not slowing down. In this episode Paul and Ghonche talk with Nick Cawthon, veteran designer, educator, and founder of Gauge, about how product and tech leaders can adapt without burning out. We cover: • Why curiosity is the most underrated skill in product • How AI is reshaping design and collaboration • The myths and miscon...

What does it really take to bring clarity, speed, and structure to a complex product organization? In this episode, Dr. Thomas Gigant, Head of Product at Lingoda, shares what he’s learned leading product at companies like Blinkist, Go1, and Adevinta. We explore: • How to rebuild product velocity when things slow down • The underrated power of structure and simplification • What AI can—and cannot—r...

Nesrine has built products used by millions — at Google, Spotify, Microsoft, and Skype. But her focus isn’t scale. It’s emotion. In this episode, she shares how features like background blur and emoji reactions came from empathy, not roadmaps. We talk about “Product Delight,” why B2H matters more than B2B, and how great teams listen deeply before they build. https://nesrine-changuel.com/product-de...

From consultant to product director, Ghazal shares the personal shifts that shaped her leadership style — and how trust, change, and vulnerability became core tools, not just soft skills. A powerful story about growing into your voice and making space for others to grow too.

How do you keep focus when your product and team are scaling fast? Mariano shares how he stays close to users, manages chaos without over-optimizing, and why great PMs need taste, not just process.

Are you at a turning point in your product career? Shobhit Chugh a former PM at Google and now a product career coach, shares how to navigate transitions with more clarity, less ego, and a stronger sense of self. From job titles to personal growth, this episode is a calm and thoughtful reminder that your role isn’t your identity.

Friederike Gaigl left her secure job as a UX designer at SAP to build something entirely her own. Now co-founder and Head of Product and Tech at Nyord, she shares how she’s building a real, scalable product—without a tech team. We talk about the power of Bubble, using AI as a co-creator, learning through doing, and the messy reality of early-stage decision-making.

Chakameh Shafii leads Product Management for Data & AI at Zalando Lounge, where she helps turn AI from a buzzword into real value. We talk about the real job of an AI product manager, the danger of chasing point solutions, how to balance experimentation with responsibility, and why solving the right problem is the most important skill of all.

What if your next big idea came to life with just six pages—starting with a press release? In this episode of Product&Cake, Paul and Ghonche are joined by Marcelo, founder and author of PRFAQ Labs and former Director of Product & Tech at Amazon, to unpack the power of Amazon’s PRFAQ framework, why traditional product tools often miss the mark, and how AI is reshaping the art (and science) of produ...

Jacob Bank left a director role at Google to build something faster, simpler, and more human: Relay, an AI agent platform for real businesses. In this episode, we talk about what happens when you stop chasing PRDs, why small teams often move faster than giants, and how action—not analysis—creates real information. A conversation about product, growth, AI, and the stories we tell ourselves along th...

Kurtis Morrison has worked across startups like Bunch, Babbel, and Prematch—leading growth with a hands-on, data-driven, and refreshingly honest approach. In this episode, he shares how to find real leverage in early-stage teams, how AI is changing his day-to-day work, and what growth really means beyond marketing or sales. Plus: shipping fast, generalist struggles, and YAY/NAY hot takes on MVPs a...

Jacob Clark has seen it all—from legacy government platforms to bleeding-edge AI products. In this episode, he shares why most technical problems are already solved, what engineers really bring to the table, and how focusing on people over productivity leads to better teams and better software. A conversation about architecture, ethics, human connection—and the real cost of chasing the AI hype.

What happens when you’re the first Product Ops in a company of 40+ PMs—and no one really knows what your job is? In this episode, Jonas Kniel shares how he builds trust, creates clarity in ambiguity, and uses AI as a sparring partner to support product teams at scale. A calm, reflective conversation on product culture, operational impact, and why “being useful” beats being loud.

Luis didn’t follow a typical PM path—and that’s what makes this episode so fun. From selling books and aquarium plants online to becoming a Senior PM at Finanzguru, his story is all about experimentation, risk-taking, and building with curiosity. We talk about: – Why product teams need less documentation and more bold moves – How he uses AI in a surprisingly practical way – What PMs can learn from...

Great product leaders don’t just manage features—they solve problems at scale. In this episode, Nitin Maslekar, VP of Product & Tech at Miles Mobility, shares how his engineering background, PhD in AI, and love for problem-solving shaped his career. We dive into: 🔹 Why he still codes 20% of his time as a VP 🔹 The biggest misconceptions about product & tech teams 🔹 How AI is actually changing mo...

Most product teams focus on delivery, but what about discovery? In this episode, John Fontenot, VP of Product at Terlumina (https://terlumina.com) and Co-Founder of Path2Product (https://path2product.io), shares why discovery is often ignored, why that’s a huge mistake, and how he learned to push past roadblocks—even when leadership had a different vision.

Some people plan their way into product management. Others stumble into it—and thrive. Annika Grunewaldt’s career path started in marketing, took a detour through business development, and somehow landed her in product management at ImmoScout. In this episode, she shares how she navigated the transition, the biggest misconceptions about product management, and why curiosity and efficiency are a PM...

Dysfunctional teams don’t just happen—they’re built through misalignment, poor communication, and resistance to change. Gustavo Avila has spent years coaching teams across industries, helping them break silos, embrace agile thinking, and actually deliver impact. In this episode, he shares what makes teams thrive, why leadership buy-in is the ultimate game-changer, and how small shifts can turn fru...

Deep dives into the world of product and tech, exploring the roles, challenges, and strategies that shape great products. Each week, we bring candid conversations, expert insights, and real-world experiences from product managers, engineers, designers, and industry leaders. Whether you’re navigating product development, tackling team dynamics, or scaling innovation, this podcast is your go-to guid...

Ghonche and Paul explore the inevitable conflicts that arise in product development—whether between engineers and product managers or designers and developers. They discuss root causes, the power of early involvement, and practical tools like Nonviolent Communication to foster better collaboration. Wrapping up Season 3, they also tease the exciting theme for Season 4: All About People in Product &...

Collaboration between product managers and engineers isn’t always smooth sailing, but it’s the backbone of successful product development. In this episode, Ghonche Tavoosi and Paul Lunow discuss how to foster strong partnerships between product and tech teams. They share actionable strategies for aligning workflows, balancing tech debt with new features, and creating a shared vision that keeps eve...