John Cutler
Product coach and writer; author of The Beautiful Mess newsletter on product development and how companies work, formerly at Amplitude.
John Cutler did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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Their wordsFirst, you ARE working in a feature factory. So you don’t need any signs. SOMEONE in your company thinks about product in terms of what features you’ve shipped.
↗TBM 445: The Feature Factory: A 10-Year Retrospectivecutlefish.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsThe projects → products thing caused a lot of companies to name everything/anything a “product,” over-hire product management, set design/UX back
↗TBM 445: The Feature Factory: A 10-Year Retrospectivecutlefish.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsEspecially in this dynamic climate, it is better to think in multi-quarter bets with a real business case than imagine every team will last forever in its current form
↗TBM 445: The Feature Factory: A 10-Year Retrospectivecutlefish.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 3 weeks earlier
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Our reading
The friction of pre-AI product workflows was valuable "positive friction" that forced judgement.
Their wordsYes, this was a pain in the ass, but it was also “positive friction.”
↗TBM 441: AI, the Loss of Positive Friction, and What to Do About Itcutlefish.substack.com
- 5 weeks earlier
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Their wordsAI introduces some genuinely new twists, but in the end, it still hinges on a theory of value.
↗TBM 437: Tokens, Hours, Points, and Other Curious Proxiescutlefish.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsThe relationship between time and outcomes is non-linear. 2x-ing where you spend time doesn’t 2x the outcomes.
↗TBM 437: Tokens, Hours, Points, and Other Curious Proxiescutlefish.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece
- 9 days earlier
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Our reading
The North Star Framework is most valuable as a teaching tool, not as a practice to install.
Their wordsNorth Star Framework is an interesting idea, but it is probably most valuable as a teaching tool, not as a practical practice.
↗TBM 435: 20 Unfiltered Operating Takescutlefish.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsNext, this might sound heretical, but I don’t recommend “pyramids” that build a tree starting with vision, strategy, tactics, etc. I know they are super common, but I find that they often end up distracting people.
↗TBM 435: 20 Unfiltered Operating Takescutlefish.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsReal strategy is messy, non-hierarchical, might span days or years, and doesn’t fit into neat boxes
↗TBM 435: 20 Unfiltered Operating Takescutlefish.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece