Why Uber’s CPO delivers food on weekends | Sachin Kansal

Sachin Konsol, the Chief Product Officer at Uber, explains his intense commitment to 'dogfooding'—using Uber's services like a regular user to gather firsthand insights into the rider and driver experiences. Each month, he dedicates time to drive and deliver with Uber Eats, which he finds invaluable in understanding the product's effectiveness in real-life situations. This practice helps him document issues and suggest improvements, contributing to a culture of continuous product enhancement at Uber.

Konsol emphasizes the importance of a 'ship, ship, ship' mentality, asserting that the true measure of success is not just brainstorming ideas but actually shipping functional products. He shares his belief that great product management derives from thousands of micro-decisions rather than a few grand strategies, and encourages early career PMs to focus on practical shipping experiences to develop their judgment.

Throughout the conversation, he highlights how Uber adapts to market changes and customer needs, including the shift towards profitability and balancing operational efficiencies with user experience. Konsol advocates for a mix of quantitative data and qualitative experiences to create empathetic products, urging product teams to deeply understand users’ emotions and challenges.

Upscaling user experience is crucial; he discusses his approach to operationalizing empathy through structured dogfooding practices and competitive events among teams. The need for both quantitative analysis and emotional engagement leads to better product development and a genuine connection with users. Ultimately, Konsol's insights present a blueprint for cultivating a user-centered product culture that leverages firsthand experience to drive innovation and improvement.