Episode

This CPO regrets that product management exists | Tom Verrilli (CPO of Whatnot)

Tom Verrilli, chief product officer at Whatnot and former longtime CPO at Twitch, explains why Whatnot's product team was built on the premise that it regrets product management exists, arguing that fewer, more senior PMs mapped to problems rather than teams produce better outcomes than large specialized orgs. He discusses what he looks for when hiring, the shift toward PMs doing individual-contributor work, how AI accelerates decision-making, and lessons from working alongside founder-led leadership.