What Robby Stein thinks about product management

@robby-stein · 11 positions · 0 changes of mind

Vice President of Product for Google Search; previously head of product at Artifact, a top product executive at Instagram from 2016 to 2021, and co-founder and CEO of Stamped, which Yahoo acquired in 2012.

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Robby Stein 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.

5 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Robby Stein has said — not written or endorsed by them.

The shading behind a date shows how recently it was said: full within a month, empty after three years.

1. 10 Sept 2026

   Our readingWhen almost anything can get built, a product manager's true value lies in judgement and taste.

   taste

   Their wordsAnd I think in some cases that's still true, but really if in the world of today, almost anything you can think of can get built, it's more clear to me than ever that the actual true value of PM is actually around judging. It's around taste.

   ↗What it takes to be a top PM today | Robby Stein (Google Search) (Lenny & Friends Summit, San Francisco, 10 September 2026)youtube.com 1st of 11 in this recording

3. 10 Sept 2026

   Our readingAbove all else, the craft of product management is decision-making.

   Their wordsbut I think above all else actually the craft of PM is one simple thing that you should be the absolute best at. And that is decision making.

   ↗What it takes to be a top PM today | Robby Stein (Google Search) (Lenny & Friends Summit, San Francisco, 10 September 2026)youtube.com 2nd of 11 in this recording

5. 10 Sept 2026

   Our readingRanking a product's problems, fixing them and looping again is like running your own training process towards product-market fit.

   Their wordsby having a clear analytical view of the exact problems that are in your product space, ranking them in priority and understanding them deeply, and then actually fixing them and then asking it recursively again and really looping through, you basically are doing your own training process, kind of like an epoch of model training a little bit.

   ↗What it takes to be a top PM today | Robby Stein (Google Search) (Lenny & Friends Summit, San Francisco, 10 September 2026)youtube.com 5th of 11 in this recording

7. 10 Sept 2026

   Our readingThe product manager's playbook in the AI era is mostly the same work, made possible in a new light by AI.

   Their wordsAnd it's you have to still do all the same things. Like, a lot of this is not new, but it's it's possible in a totally new light with AI.

   ↗What it takes to be a top PM today | Robby Stein (Google Search) (Lenny & Friends Summit, San Francisco, 10 September 2026)youtube.com 9th of 11 in this recording

9. 10 Sept 2026

   Our readingIt has probably never been a more important time to be a product manager, and great decision-making has probably never mattered more.

   Their wordsI think it's never been more important time to be a PM and to do product and to be a builder. And I think the skill of making great decisions that can lead to great products has also never been, you know, more important.

   ↗What it takes to be a top PM today | Robby Stein (Google Search) (Lenny & Friends Summit, San Francisco, 10 September 2026)youtube.com 10th of 11 in this recording