Yuhki Yamashita is the Chief Product Officer at Figma, leading the product and design teams. Previously, he was a product and design leader at Uber, where he orchestrated the redesign of the rider and driver apps. Yuhki was also a product manager at Google (YouTube iOS app) and Microsoft (Hotmail). Additionally, he has taught introductory computer science at Harvard University.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
How Figma approaches new products, prioritization, and storytelling
Product culture at Uber, Microsoft, Google
The difference between “good” and “extraordinary” PMs
Tactical advice for storytelling
The “un-learning” required in new jobs and industries
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Referenced:
Figjam:
https://www.figma.com/figjam/
Figma:
https://www.figma.com/
Figma Dev Mode:
https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
Figma Slides:
https://www.figma.com/slides/
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Where to find Yuhki:
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/
Twitter/X:
https://x.com/yuhkiyam
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Where to find Brett:
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/
Twitter/X:
https://twitter.com/brettberson
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Where to find First Round Capital:
Website:
https://firstround.com/
First Round Review:
https://review.firstround.com/
Twitter/X:
https://twitter.com/firstround
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital
This podcast on all platforms:
https://review.firstround.com/podcast
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(00:00) Introduction
(02:50) Figma's early days
(09:11) Product culture across companies
(13:42) Knowing when to change things
(17:40) How business goals impact product expansion
(21:00) Advice for going multi-product
(24:30) The skills of a “0 to 1” PM
(27:36) Identifying entrepreneurial talent
(29:06) Why aren't there more designer founders?
(35:22) How Figma launches new products
(41:19) “0 to 1” versus “1 to 10” talent
(46:01) The role of storytelling at Figma
(49:22) How Figma prioritizes product
(55:11) Advice for product storytelling
(59:02) “Good” vs “extraordinary” product managers
(61:21) Why product simplicity matters
(63:52) The importance of taste in product and design
(67:56) The biggest influence on Yuhki’s product thinking
