In this episode, I speak with Simon Cross, Chief Product Officer - now Chief Product & Technology Officer (congrats, Simon!) - at Native Instruments, a company at the heart of global music production. Music lover Simon's journey spans broadcast engineering at Global Radio, product roles at the BBC, product leadership at Meta, and now, shaping the future of audio tools for creators worldwide.
We cover a lot, including:
- What Native Instruments actually does: From DJ hardware to post-production tools for Netflix and the BBC, plus powering other companies' products via their platform.
- The intersection of creativity and technology: How Native Instruments empowers artists with tactile, high-fidelity tools, and why they're a side-gig for superstar DJs on staff.
- AI in music creation: Where it fits, where it doesn't, and the ethical principles Native Instruments uses to ensure artists retain full creative control.
- Product in a hybrid model: Balancing perpetual licences and growing subscription models, and how business models shape product release strategies.
- Pragmatism over idealism: Why product managers must adapt frameworks to the business "physics" of their company, especially in an era of tighter budgets.
- A unique form of product management: Building physical hardware, mission-critical desktop software, and cloud services... all under one roof.
- Team structure and specialisms: How PMs, designers, engineers, QA, and unique "sound designers" collaborate to shape sonic outcomes.
- Why legacy is both a strength and a constraint: Navigating customer expectations, technical debt, and platform longevity.
- Why big-shot product leaders from established big tech companies need to take a pause and not just try to install something that worked before in a company with a very different context.
Check out Native Instruments
Check out Native Instruments' website: https://www.native-instruments.com/, or their careers page: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/careers/.
Connect with Simon
You can connect with Simon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sicross/.