About me

Building connective tissue for scaling tech companies. Head of Product Operations at OpenAI. Formerly founded the function at Uber and Stripe, two of the most prolific scaling tech companies during their hyper growth phases. Product Ops accelerates a company's ability to deliver more value to more users, shortening the distance to product market fit, and systematizing for scale. This is accomplished by (1) streamlining core processes and systems that add leverage for a product org (planning, product/go-to-market alignment, beta/launch, user feedback), and (2) bringing specific new products/features into operation, with efficient cross-functional and user coordination. I’m passionate about supercharging collaboration across functions to accelerate technology business success. Nearly any tech company can benefit from stronger operations of their product org, a tighter connection with users, and a clearer alignment between product and go-to-market. I look forward to helping you on your journey. ************************ Things I can advise on: ************************ - Strengthening the Product/GTM connection - How you can leverage generative AI in your product development processes - Product org design and structure - Company and product org planning processes - Hiring & managing high-performing teams - Creating a shared product roadmap - Synthesizing and prioritizing user feedback to reach product market fit - Global product launch / scaling - Establishing roles, responsibilities and processes to allow cross-functional teams to do their best work - Creating a library of shared playbooks and templates - Fostering a writing/sharing culture that enables deeper thinking, async collaboration, and transparency - General lessons from Uber & Stripe ************************ More about my background: ************************ At Stripe, my team led or supported 200+ betas/launches every year, ensuring smooth experiences for users and user-facing employees. We managed Stripe-wide process and information rails including the company’s process for surfacing top asks from users, launch calendar, and the launch readiness process that is key for compliance and IPO readiness. I led bi-weekly C-Suite meetings for two+ years, designed to ensure awareness of all key upcoming product launches, delays and risks. At Uber, my team built the connective tissue between product teams and operations teams around the world. We were responsible for leveraging regional experts and 600+ city teams to surface and prioritize product insights, ensuring global viability of the products/features we were building, and managing the rollout and ongoing operations of those products. Prior to Product Ops, I led Uber’s driver devices program globally, managing across multiple functions with P&L ownership. I regularly presented to the CEO and Head of Operations, and the team’s projects saved the company millions, better positioning for sustainable scaling. Prior to Uber I led Product Management for a series C SaaS startup (acquired), and began my career in a leadership program with GE, accelerating my growth with stints in China and Europe. —————— "Product operations is IMO very essential for a fast-scaling product & business. One problem is that it's defined differently everywhere. Product operations leaders like Blake Samic know what they are doing, so I am very bullish on the product operations role over the long term.” - Shreyas Doshi, PM industry thought leader “The principal thing is following your users. No one really talks about how… We have a very high performing, scaled Product Ops team… aggregating the asks we get from all channels. The key part is closing the loop. In every product review we now have a top ten list of what users want, and we’re clear on what’s committed or uncommitted.” - CPO of Stripe “Product Ops is Uber’s secret aorta. We have built the world’s fastest growing company through a strategy of radical decentralization - and by investing in the entrepreneurial hustle of Ops teams in cities around the world. Product Ops is the connective tissue that allows this strategy to thrive while we also build out the highly scalable “heart” of our technology platform” - Sr Product Director, Uber. “Product Ops add a ton and make our whole org work better/faster” - VP Operations, Uber