Earlier in the year, I had the privilege of attending the Women In Product Conference in Santa Clara. It was a full day of insights on the future of AI, leadership, and what it means to build with courage. The speakers came from across industries startups, big tech, consumer brands yet their lessons echoed a common theme: the era of building is here, and we rise together through community, clarity, and craft.
The conference opened with Tekedra Mawakana, Co-CEO of Waymo, in conversation with Cassie Campbell. Tekedra spoke about leading with vision, integrity, and boldness while standing at the edge of transformative technology. Her reminder: leadership is not just about managing change, but about embodying courage when the path forward isn't obvious.
Cassie Campbell and Tekedra MawakanaClaire Vo, previous CPO of LaunchDarkly, delivered one of the most urgent calls to action of the day. She described AI as a generational economic opportunity - one that women can't afford to sit out. Her words stuck with me: "This is the era of hard skills. The era of building." It was a powerful reminder that as product managers, we can't just observe the AI wave; we have to learn, adapt, and build with it.
Claire VoAparna Chennapragada, CPO at Microsoft, added a striking perspective: "Prompt sets are the new PRDs. Natural Language Interfaces are the new UX." For PMs, this shifts the foundation of how we write requirements, design experiences, and deliver value.
Panel with Julie Wenah, Aparna Chennapragada, Sun Choe, Tiffany ToSuba Vasudevan, COO of Mozilla, emphasized that AI isn't just about speed or scale - it's about building responsibly. She encouraged PMs to flip the funnel: don't start with technology, start with the problem and the value. Only then bring in AI capabilities that serve those needs. This framing was refreshing. In an industry where hype often outpaces substance, Suba grounded us in trust, responsibility, and human impact.
Suba Vasudevan, COO of MozillaThe "From Features to Futures" panel featured leaders who had navigated unconventional career paths. Yana Welinder, CEO of Kraftful, urged us not to wait until everything is perfect - just start. Opportunities rarely arrive gift-wrapped.
Deboshree Dutta spoke vulnerably about the burnout she experienced as a founder, and how resilience has been her greatest asset.
Debbie Soo, CEO of OpenTable, shared how gratitude and self-awareness anchor her leadership. The theme that tied it all together? Treat pivots like experiments. Test, learn, adapt - in products and in careers.
Panel with Debbie Soo, Yana Welinder, Deb Dutta, Renee DavisOne of my favorite sessions was with Charlotte Narvaez and Vidya Srinivasan from Meta. Their advice was practical, simple, and empowering: don't let knowledge gaps linger - ask AI. Read widely, especially trusted AI newsletters like The Information.
Remember that the PM's job is not to fine-tune models, but to define success and use cases. Their vision for the future of product management? AI taking the busywork off our plates - things like meeting notes and summaries - so that humans can spend more time on impact, creativity, and family.
Charlotte Narvaez and Vidya Srinivasan from MetaChloe Shih and Ami Vora closed the loop by reframing brand as "reputation goals." It's not about flashy visibility, but about intentionally defining how you want to show up. They encouraged us to evolve our professional brand by blending presence, influence, and authenticity. This was a reminder that while AI may reshape products, our personal leadership presence remains a key differentiator.
Ami Vora, ex CPO of Faire and VP at Meta & Chloe Shih, ex PM @ DiscordAcross all the sessions, three threads emerged for me: craft matters, courage is required, and community is our anchor. Craft is about intentionality, whether in a product, a pivot, or a personal brand. Courage is about stepping into AI, taking risks, and embracing pivots before we feel ready. And community is about recognizing that growth doesn't happen alone, but through learning from and supporting each other.
A huge thank you to Women In Product for organizing such a powerful event and for supporting my attendance through the Empowerment Fund. I left Santa Clara energized, challenged, and committed to leading with vision in this new era of AI.
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