We had a blast at ProductCon San Francisco last week! Product School hosted 1,500  product professionals in person and another 10,000 signed up to watch the event online. The energy in the room was off the charts—check out what people say on Linkedin using #ProductCon !

It was an honor to host this event and share the stage with so many brilliant minds in the product community. I  loved hearing from inspiring product leaders and chatting with awesome Product people during my book signing. 

A HUGE thank you to all the attendees and volunteers who made the day extra memorable with their enthusiasm! Honestly, ProductCon by Product Schools feels like a huge family reunion that we get to do 4x per year with a few thousand of the best and brightest.

For those who couldn’t make it, we’ve got you covered! You can catch all the sessions from product leaders at Walmart, Grammarly, Amplitude, Cisco, and more here .

The Future of Retail: Walmart's Strategic Embrace of AI 

Jon Alferness, EVP & CPO at Walmart U.S.

Jon Alferness kicked off the day with an eye-opening talk about Walmart's forward-thinking approach to AI. He explained how Walmart is harnessing machine learning not just to improve customer experiences but to empower its employees—making everyday operations more efficient. From enhancing search functionalities to developing a groundbreaking enterprise data platform, Jon highlighted how AI is truly transforming the retail giant's operations. It was fascinating to hear about Walmart’s vision for a people-led, tech-powered future in retail.

"We believe that technology augments what we're doing. It doesn't replace humans. Technology, and in particular AI, gives us the power to deliver what customers want, when they want it, and how they want it."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

How to Build AI Products Millions of People Actually Use 

Noam Lovinsky, Chief Product Officer at Grammarly

Next, Noam Lovinsky took the stage to share how Grammarly has stayed ahead in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. He emphasized that understanding customer anxiety is critical to building AI products that stand the test of time and showed how a focus on simplicity and UX design can drive product adoption. His insights into solving customer problems really resonated with the audience.

"The fact that users don’t have to pull value from Grammarly but instead receive it in real time, seamlessly, is a huge reason for our success. Every click matters, and making it easy for users to engage drives adoption."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

Ditch the Framework and Rethink Innovation 

Spenser Skates, CEO & Co-Founder at Amplitude

Spenser Skates brought a fresh perspective by challenging the traditional frameworks many product teams rely on. He urged us all to rethink how we approach innovation, arguing that breaking free from rigid frameworks is essential to truly solving customer problems. Spenser shared examples of how Amplitude stays flexible in its product development, reminding us that real innovation often requires a different approach. His talk really made me think about how important it is to question the status quo, especially in today’s AI-driven world.

"The moment you stop innovating, you're going to be disrupted. The best companies out there disrupt themselves before someone else does. It's about out-innovating yourself to stay ahead."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

Product Leadership for Driving Turnaround Success 

Donna Boyer, CPO at WeightWatchers

Donna Boyer ’s talk was packed with practical advice on how to lead product teams through tough times. Drawing on her experience at WeightWatchers, Donna discussed the importance of having a clear vision during a turnaround and how to ruthlessly prioritize to focus on growth. One thing that stood out was her emphasis on fostering psychological safety in teams to ensure open, honest communication. Her leadership insights are invaluable, especially for product leaders navigating headwinds.

"If you can create a culture where people are comfortable asking ‘spicy’, career-limiting questions—they’ll tell you the truth, and that truth is invaluable."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

How to Build a Suite of Products That Scale and Connect Seamlessly 

Mike Cieri, CPO at Gusto

Michael Cieri shared his expertise on scaling a single product into an entire suite of interconnected offerings. He talked about leveraging customer awareness, integrating data, and evolving company culture to support a growing multi-product ecosystem. It was inspiring to hear how Mike has successfully driven Gusto’s growth by making sure every new product seamlessly connects with the others, creating more value for customers at scale.

“Whereas the first product is typically more of a home run, subsequent products are often singles and doubles. But these products stack over time and contribute to the overall success of the company."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

Panel Discussion: Accelerating Revenue Growth through Product 

Moderator: Christine Itwaru, VP of Product at Beamer Userflow

One of the standout moments of the day was the dynamic panel discussion led by Christine Itwaru , featuring Adam Dille , SVP of Product and Engineering at Quantum Metric, Cecilia Liu , Head of Product at Sprig, and Andrew Jensen , SVP of Product at User Testing. The conversation centered on how product teams can accelerate revenue growth by focusing on customer needs. The panelists shared actionable strategies for aligning product development with business goals while using data to enhance user experiences. It was an engaging discussion filled with practical insights on driving growth through a user-first approach.

"Value is fundamentally what makes a product successful. But value is multidimensional and subjective—it's not just about the solution but also about users' perceptions, motivations, and even social and emotional factors." — Cecilia Liu, Head of Product at Sprig

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

Next-gen Cybersecurity in the AI Era 

The Product Podcast with Jeetu Patel, EVP & CPO at Cisco

I had the privilege of sitting down with Jeetu Patel from Cisco for a live recording of The Product Podcast . Together, we explored the future of cybersecurity in an AI-driven world. Jeetu explained how Cisco is leveraging AI to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats and why it’s just as important to secure AI systems themselves. We touched on Cisco’s recent $28B Splunk acquisition and how collaborating with competitors can actually strengthen defenses. Jeetu also had a lot to teach us about the art of communication. It was a fascinating conversation and a real highlight of the day for me.

"If you're spending 80% of your time aligning and only 20% building, something has gone terribly wrong. Somewhere along the line, the system got the better of you. You’ve lost touch with the front lines. You’ve become good at the math of the business but not necessarily at the soul of the business that made the company succeed in the first place.” 

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

Navigating the Unpredictable Path from Startup to Market Leader 

Vrushali Paunikar, CPO at Carta

Vrushali Paunikar kept the energy high with an inspiring talk about Carta’s journey from a startup to a leader in private capital management. She shared lessons on how to start small, dominate niche markets, and then scale up strategically. Vrushali also emphasized the importance of aligning the right talent with the right stage of growth—a takeaway that’s crucial for any product leader navigating a rapidly scaling business. Her insights were a powerful reminder of the value of adaptability in leadership.

"N of 1 companies are ones where winning equals dominating the market. These ideas seem very small, but once you capture them, the world changes around them, unlocking opportunities."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

Scaling Product Monetization 

Ajay Arora, SVP of Product at Disney

Ajay Arora brought the day to a close with a deep dive into scaling subscription-based businesses. Drawing on his experiences at Disney, Netflix, and Amazon, Ajay explained how emotional utility plays a critical role in building long-term customer loyalty. He emphasized the importance of balancing acquisition, retention, and monetization while also making it easy for customers to exit when necessary—a strategy that actually builds trust and enhances long-term relationships. His insights into product monetization strategies were a fantastic way to wrap up the event.

"Subscription is a business model—people pay for access. Membership is a relationship, something emotional. The best subscription services create what I call 'emotional utilities,' combining the utility of a product with the emotion of a strong membership."

Watch all the ProductCon San Francisco presentations on our events page !

The presentations were wrapped up, but ProductCon was far from over! We took all the excitement to the expo hall to network and connect with our sponsors: Productboard , Amplitude , Heap | by Contentsquare , MicroStrategy , LogRocket , Merge , Chisel , OneSchema , Mixpanel , SnapLogic , QuantumMetric, Glassbox , Pendo.io , UserTesting , Sprig .

And a shoutout to Tesla for bringing the excitement with two Cybertrucks on display! The raffle and free rides were an absolute hit with our attendees!

I’m thrilled that Product School continues to make space for the fascinating ideas shared at ProductCon San Francisco!

I’m already looking forward to the next ProductCon in London on February 19th — get your tickets now! And we’ll be returning to New York on May 21st, 2025 .