For the past 3 years, I’ve written about my favorite Product Podcasts and it’s already that magical time of year again! For a quick throwback, here are my past posts:
I’m still commuting to work to ICX Media on either the DC Metro or bike-share and still logging about 1 hour of podcast listening time each and every day.
Here is this year’s list of my favorites for Product Managers looking to level up in 2020.
Note: There are a few duplicates from 2017-2019, but that’s because they are still great!
Top 10 Tech Podcasts for Product Managers
Honorable Mention: The Modern Product Manager
Note: This podcast is produced by the writer of this blog post (Alex Mitchell)
The Modern Product Manager is your deep dive into important and relevant Product topics and questions:
How can you thrive as a Remote Product Manager?
What design skills do Product Managers need today?
My recommendation: “The 5 P’s of Product Management”
iTunes Link: The Modern Product Manager
Spotify Link: The Modern Product Manager
Honorable Mention #2: Robinhood Snacks
If you haven’t caught an episode of Snacks, the new-ish podcast from Robinhood, I highly recommend trying one on for size.
The highly entertaining and fast-paced Snacks features the always-entertaining back and forth banter of Jack Kramer and Nick Martell as they profile the most important 3 stories you need to know about in the world of financial news.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy the entertaining takes Nick and Jack have for these stories and in only 15 minutes, you’ll be smarter on what’s happening in the financial and tech world.
My recommendation: The newest episode of course! It’s always “The Best One Yet (TBOY)” → only listeners will get this one!
iTunes Link: Snacks Daily
Spotify Link: Snacks Daily
Honorable Mention #3: The Product Podcast
Now how could it be a post on the top podcasts for Product Managers without featuring The Product Podcast? The name (almost) makes it an automatic qualifier!
All joking aside, The Product Podcast has continued to crank out high-quality interviews with PMs about the down-and-dirty day-to-day of the role. I’m consistently impressed by the list of companies the Product School pulls from, including Facebook, Amazon, Okta, Disney, Google, Boxed, Walmart (just to name a few from their last 10 episodes).
You’ll really enjoy hearing how different (and often, how similar) the PM role can be at a wide variety of companies with The Product Podcast. Expand your Product horizons and subscribe to The Product Podcast, you won’t regret it.
My recommendation: “Going from Entry Level PM to VP of Product by Boxed VP”
iTunes Link: The Product Podcast
Spotify Link: The Product Podcast
10. Business Casual
Rapidly growing business/tech/retail newsletter Morning Brew broke into the Podcast game recently with Business Casual. Every Tuesday, Kinsey Grant steps back from the day-to-day and looks at the major trends happening in these key verticals.
Tune in for her solid guests (CEOs, experts, thought leaders) and entertaining conversation on one major trend or change, each and every episode. It was hard choosing my favorite episode below!
My recommendation: “A Different Beast: How TikTok’s Changing Social Media”
iTunes Link: Business Casual
Spotify Link: Business Casual
9. This Week in Tech (TWiT)
If you only have enough time each week for one podcast that summarizes the most important happenings in tech, This Week in Tech (TWiT) is for you.
Leo Laporte and gang cover the top ~5 stories that happened in the world of Tech that week, ranging from Tesla’s Cybertruck to Robot Lawyers to Google’s purchase of Fitbit.
My recommendation: “My Robot Lawyer”
iTunes Link: This Week in Tech
Spotify Link: This Week in Tech
8. This is Product Management
While many of the podcasts so far on the list will help you become a better Product Manager through exposure to macro changes in the industry, This is Product Management (TIPM) will get down into the nitty-gritty of Product and help you with day-to-day decisions.
Build vs. Buy?
How do you maximize outsourced developers?
How do you add to your learnings with consistent and purposeful experimentation?
You’ll learn all that and more with TIPM.
Listen to an episode or two and I guarantee you’ll come away with several tactics to test out at work the very next day.
My Recommendation: “221 Embedding Experimentation is Product Management”
iTunes Link: This is Product Management
Spotify Link: This is Product Management
7. Rocket
Rocket steps out of the narrow field of Product Management at Tech Startups and into the broader world of Technology and Geek-dom. If you’re looking for a podcast that effortlessly moves between Tik Tok speculation, MacBook Pro critiques, and Game/Device deep dives, Rocket is for you.
Keep your world interesting with Brianna, Christina, and Simone. Download Rocket and catch an episode today!
My Recommendation: “Rocket 242: Disney Owns Our Culture”
iTunes Link: Rocket
Spotify Link: Rocket
6. Product Hunt Radio
Product Hunt Radio has been a perennial top 10 podcast on my list and it’s for one major reason: They continue to produce incredibly high-quality content with many of the most interesting names in tech today.
I’ve especially enjoyed their recent episodes on the Future of Seed Stage VC and the Future of Podcasting.
Interviews are down-to-earth and make you feel like you’re an insider in the room with Ryan and Abadesi.
My Recommendation: “How to Ship Work that Matters with Basecamp’s Ryan Singer”
iTunes Link: Product Hunt Radio
Spotify Link: Product Hunt Radio
5. This Week in Startups
Serial Angel investor Jason Calcanis has made my Top Podcasts 10 list before and he is back again this year thanks to his amazing ability to book tech startup insiders and dive deep into their businesses, their perspectives on the future, and what they have learned along the way.
Listen to how Calcanis explores what makes these startups so successful and you’ll learn a thing or two for when you found your first (or next) company.
My Recommendation: “E993: Superhuman CEO Rahul Vohra shares the formula for his Product-Market Fit Engine”
iTunes Link: This Week in Startups
Spotify Link: This Week in Startups
4. The Indicator
While The Indicator is certainly not designed as a podcast for Product Managers, I’ve put it so high on my list because it truly helps a Product Manager learn about different sectors of the economy that could someday be an opportunity for a company they start or even their existing company.
Listen to an episode or two of The Indicator and you’ll also become a fan of the two hosts: Stacey Vanek Smith and Cardiff Garcia. They have a great interplay of personalities and are genuinely fun to listen to!
My recommendation: “Saudi Arabia’s IPO Fail”
iTunes Link: The Indicator
Spotify Link: The Indicator
3. Acquired
Don’t you wish you knew what happened in the board room during the biggest acquisitions and IPOs of all time? Acquired takes you there with interviews of the insiders who lived it and the stories of how it all went down.
Each episode gives you unprecedented access and a level of detail that makes you feel like you were right in the room with them. Enjoy!
My recommendation: 6. The WeWork “Acquisition”
iTunes Link: Acquired
Spotify Link: Acquired
2. The TOP
Where does Nathan Latka get the time? Is he even human? Well, if you read his book, you’ll see how he automates just about everything he possibly can.
Latka is now close to 1,600 (!) episodes deep into his podcast journey with The Top. I’m still amazed by how much information he’s able to extract from today’s top SaaS CEOs and executives.
In fact, he extracts so much information that he’s been able to build a database of this information and sell access to investors and companies, generating an amazing amount of additional revenue.
Check it out here: https://getlatka.com/
Clearly, if you aren’t seeing it already, Latka is a hustler. You’ll enjoy his podcast, and just a warning: You’ll probably get addicted.
My recommendation: “1014 Zoom CEO on Killing His Old WebEx Baby With $150m+ in ARR”
iTunes Link: The TOP
Spotify Link: The TOP
1. Masters of Scale
Reid Hoffman is simply awesome to listen to. I legitimately get excited when new episodes of Masters of Scale drop every 4–5 days and it instantly becomes my top listen.
No one gets better guests than Hoffman.
From Ray Dalio to Bill Gates to will.i.am to Drew Houston to Stewart Butterfield to Gwyneth Paltrow, he simply cannot be topped. If you’re looking for a down-to-earth interviewing style, combined with witty insights and simple takeaways, Masters of Scale is for you.
In fact, I’d be surprised if you aren’t already listening to MoS! What are you waiting for? Go subscribe and start growing your brain!
My Recommendation: “Bill Gates — How to Accelerate History”
iTunes Link: Masters of Scale
Spotify Link: Masters of Scale
What Did I Miss?
What podcasts did I leave off of my list this year? Which episodes are your favorites? Let me know on Twitter: Alex Mitchell