Mihika Kapoor is a design-engineer-PM hybrid at Figma, where she was an early PM on FigJam and is now spearheading development on a new product at the company that’s coming out this June. She’s known as the go-to person at Figma for leading new 0-to-1 products, and, as you’ll hear in our conversation, beloved by everyone she works with. Her background includes founding Design Nation, a national nonprofit focused on democratizing design education for undergraduates; spearheading product launches at Meta; and community building within the NYC AI startup scene. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How to effectively take ideas from 0 to 1 at larger companies
• How to craft a compelling vision
• The importance of vulnerability and feedback
• The role of intuition and product sense in making decisions
• How to practically communicate your vision
• How to balance collaboration and strong opinions
• Advice for building a strong team culture
• Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm
• The current AI revolution and its impact on PM
—
Brought to you by:
• Paragon—Ship every SaaS integration your customers want
• Lenny’s Talent Team—Hire the best product people. Find the best product gigs
• Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security
—
Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor
—
Where to find Mihika Kapoor:
• X: https://twitter.com/mihikapoor
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mihikakapoor/
—
Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
—
In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Mihika’s background
(04:29) Core attributes of great product managers
(07:34) Crafting a compelling vision
(12:12) The vision behind FigJam
(18:25) Delivering a vision without design or engineering skills
(21:52) Creating momentum
(26:36) The importance of strong conviction
(27:45) Direct communication
(32:48) Building hype
(42:20) Immersing yourself in user insights
(47:16) Operationalizing user insights
(50:33) Caring deeply about what you build
(54:01) Finding passion in your work
(57:00) Building a strong culture
(01:07:07) Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm
(01:11:48) Design Nation
(01:13:15) Mihika’s weaknesses
(01:16:07) Building new products at larger companies
(01:20:50) Coming up with a great idea
(01:22:49) The key to going from 0 to 1
(01:26:47) Spreading the idea across the company
(01:29:15) Closing thoughts
(01:32:11) Lightning round
—
Referenced:
• Figma: https://www.figma.com/
• Sho Kuwamoto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shokuwamoto/
• The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation: https://www.amazon.com/Medici-Effect-Preface-Discussion-Guide/dp/1633692949
• FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
• Cognition: https://www.cognition-labs.com/
• Devin: https://www.cognition-labs.com/introducing-devin
• David Hoang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhoang2/
• Replit: https://replit.com/
• The Making of Maker Week at Figma: https://www.figma.com/blog/the-making-of-maker-week/
• Yuhki Yamashita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/
• Jeff Bezos’ Simple Decision-Making Framework Will Give You Clarity, Conviction, and Courage: https://medium.com/illumination/jeff-bezos-simple-decision-making-framework-will-give-you-clarity-conviction-and-courage-adf8d0183625
• Alice Ching on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceching/
• Karl Jiang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-jiang-4a07424/
• Kris Rasmussen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopherrasmussen/
• Config: https://config.figma.com/
• Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
• Asana: https://asana.com/
• Julie Zhuo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-zhuo/
• StrengthsFinder test: https://www.gyfted.me/personality-quiz/strengthsfinder-test-free
• Dylan Field on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield/
• Vishal Shah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishalnshah/
• Design Disruptors: https://www.invisionapp.com/films/design-disruptors
• Daniel Burka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dburka/
• Jamie Myrold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemyrold/
• Design Nation: https://dn.businesstoday.org/
• Stuart Weitzman on X: https://twitter.com/StuartWeitzman
• Joe Gebbia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgebbia/
• Building a long and meaningful career | Nikhyl Singhal (Meta, Google): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/building-a-long-and-meaningful-career-nikhyl-singhal-meta-google/
• Jambot: https://www.figma.com/community/widget/1274481464484630971/jambot
• Hestia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hestia
• Harry Potter series: https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Paperback-Box-Books/dp/0545162076
• Pachinko: https://www.amazon.com/Pachinko-National-Book-Award-Finalist/dp/1455563927/
• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
• The Overstory: https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/039335668X
• Severance on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/umc.cmc.1srk2goyh2q2zdxcx605w8vtx
• Dune on Max: https://www.max.com/movies/dune/e7dc7b3a-a494-4ef1-8107-f4308aa6bbf7
• Dune: Part 2: https://www.dunemovie.com/
• Arc browser: https://arc.net/
• Pika: https://pika.art/home
• The power of recognition: Why you should celebrate your employees | Josh Miller: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/videos/the-power-of-recognition-why-you-should-celebrate-your-employees-josh-miller/
—
Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
—
Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.