#16: Melissa Perri on Product Management in the Age of AI, the New Build Trap, and Opening A Restaurant

In this episode of the UX Fika podcast, I sit down with Melissa Perri, strategic adviser, author of Escaping the Build Trap, CEO of Produx Labs, and faculty member at Harvard Business School.We talk about why product management is more critical than ever as AI accelerates how we build, test, and ship ideas, and why the difference between great product managers and average ones is about to become starkly clear.Melissa shares why strategy, vision, and leadership can’t be automated, and how teams risk creating waste at scale if they don’t keep their focus on outcomes, and why companies still struggle to escape the build trap, even a decade after she first named it.We also explore what it means to take risks, how writing and teaching sharpens her thinking, and why renovations, side projects, and even opening a restaurant with her sister keeps her balanced and inspired.It’s a really lovely conversation about what it takes to build, whether that’s great products, a business, an actual restaurant, or a life in some place new.Plus:☕️ Why cold brew, and sometimes a flat white, is Melissa’s go-to fika⭐ Why don’t listen to people who have never done it tell you it won’t work is her adviceWhat we cover: 02:12 Reconnecting and Reflecting on the Past06:45 Starting Product Institute10:10 The Impact of AI on Product Management13:49 The Role of UX in Product Development19:53 Understanding the Build Trap and Its Implications28:57 Escaping the Build Trap: Insights and Updates35:50 Self-Publishing: The Journey of Writing a Book38:56 Self-publishing Compared to Having a Publisher41:48 Iterative Learning: Feedback and Improvement43:30 The Skillset of Writing51:27 The Balance of Projects and Focus56:34 Navigating Life Decisions and Business Ventures01:02:48 Embracing Change and Community Connections01:08:19 Advice on Overcoming NaysayersWhere you’ll find Melissa:Product InstituteProduct Thinking PodcastEscaping The Build Trap (book)Product Operations (book)Where you’ll find Anna & UX Fika:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UX Fika website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠