An operator’s guide to product strategy | Chandra Janakiraman (CPO at VRChat, ex-Meta, Headspace, Zynga)

Chandra Janakiraman is the chief product officer, executive vice president, and a board member at VRChat. Previously, he was a product leader at Meta, where he led Facebook’s social experience interfaces and Reality Labs’ growth; served as CPO at Headspace, where he helped relaunch the platform, driving a 4x subscriber boost; and was a GM at Zynga, delivering massive hit games that reached hundreds of millions. In our conversation, Chandra shares:

• His playbook for developing a product strategy

• The difference between “small s” and “big S” strategy

• How to run strategy sprints

• Who should be involved in strategy work

• Common pitfalls in strategy development

• The role of AI in future strategy development

• More

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Find the transcript at: www.lennysnewsletter.com

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Where to find Chandra Janakiraman:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: twitter.com

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Chandra’s background

(04:47) The importance of strategy

(12:40) Defining product strategy

(15:42) Developing a winning strategy: an overview

(18:51) The preparation phase

(30:46) The strategy sprint process

(45:51) The design sprint

(51:19) Document writing

(57:39) Rolling out your strategy

(01:01:28) Resourcing and roadmapping

(01:04:42) Strategy lessons from Zynga

(01:11:34) Strategy lessons from Meta

(01:15:55) Big S strategy

(01:26:58) AI in strategy formulation

(01:38:12) Final thoughts and lightning round

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Referenced:

• Headspace: www.headspace.com

• Good Strategy, Bad Strategy | Richard Rumelt: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• 5 essential questions to craft a winning strategy | Roger Martin (author, advisor, speaker): www.lennysnewsletter.com

• VRChat: hello.vrchat.com

• Andrew Chen on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Template: Working Backwards PR FAQ: www.workingbackwards.com

• How LinkedIn became interesting: The inside story | Tomer Cohen (CPO at LinkedIn): www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Making time for what matters | Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky (authors of Sprint and Make Time, co-founders of Character Capital): www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Identify your bullseye customer in one day | Michael Margolis (UX Research Partner at Google Ventures): www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Chandra’s flow chart: docs.google.com

• Chandra’s strategy template: docs.google.com

• Zynga: www.zynga.com

• David Foster Wallace’s quote about water: www.goodreads.com

• Oculus: en.wikipedia.org

• Elon Musk’s quote: www.youtube.com

• Concept car: en.wikipedia.org

• Acquired podcast: The Mark Zuckerberg interview: www.acquired.fm

• Armand Ruiz on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• What is a multi-armed bandit? Full explanation: amplitude.com

• IF on Prime Video: www.amazon.com

• Dune: Part 2 on AppleTV+: tv.apple.com

• Dune Prophecy on Max: www.max.com

• Capybara Go on the App Store: apps.apple.com

• Bluesky: bsky.app

• Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview on Prime Video: www.amazon.com

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Recommended books:

• The Art of War: www.amazon.com

• Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors: www.amazon.com

• Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters: www.amazon.com

• Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works: www.amazon.com

• Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day: www.amazon.com

• Sprint: www.amazon.com

• Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination: www.amazon.com

• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: www.amazon.com

• The Ten Faces of Innovation: Strategies for Heightening Creativity: www.amazon.com

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Production and marketing by penname.co. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.