How Figma taps into taste, simplicity, and storytelling | Yuhki Yamashita (CPO at Figma, ex-Uber, Google, Microsoft)

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