Can you share about a time when a product launch didn't go as expected, and what you learned from it that still influences your product launches today?

I've 100% found the failed launches in my career to be more impactful towards my learning and development as any successful launch.

Two jump out at me as ones that didnt go according to plan.

The first, more recently, was that I launched image generation in Gemini. We had some really strong usage, but we also ran into a scenario where our product wasn't delivering on the product principles we have as a responsible AI company. So we paused the usage of specific components of the product. What I learned here is that when you're building a consumer product, you need to proactively seek out the opinions of users who may not be your target or your hero user. Because in a consumer product, every voice is important.

The other, which is a foundational case study in how i think about product marketing to this day, was the HP TouchPad launch. I worked at a reseller, and we were very strong at selling iPads, we knew what customers wanted in tablets, and we knew the market needed a second player. (mind you, this was many years ago and Android tablets hadnt taken off yet). So we were very bullish in our projections with HP, and they had a strategy that also wanted to ensure the market didnt see the TouchPad as inferior to the iPad, so it was priced similar to the iPad with similar features. However, what we all overlooked was that the iPad was already out as a market incumbent. The TouchPad was slated to come out when the iPad 2 was coming out, so the comparison wasnt to the iPad 1 at its launch (where TouchPad had favorable comps), it was compared to the iPad 2 at that time (where TouchPad had negative comps). And so it was a really really strong lesson in not drinking the kool-aid. You need to approach launches with a healthy dose of optimism for the launch potential, but also a realistic view of how the end-user will react to your positioning/pricing/product strategy based on present market dynamics.

I had to read this book in college called Dissent, Injustice and the Meanings of America and one of the main takeaways I had from that book is that dissent is a good thing. Not blind disagreement, but healthy debate about the topic at hand and bringing a "devils advocate" point of view that forces you to see past the hype engine and look at true product market fit. The TouchPad experience proved that lesson and I still think about the learnings from that launch, probably monthly at this point, and that original launch was in 2011.

A product launch I worked on in 2022 didn't go as expected due to rapidly changing market conditions. We initially developed aspirational messaging, but realized it wouldn't resonate in this new environment where "doing more with less" was very top of mind for our target audience. We quickly needed to pivot our messaging across channels without delaying the launch.

This experience taught me two lessons that still influence my product launches today:

1. Stay acutely aware of market dynamics:

   • Continuously monitor market trends

   • Keep a pulse on competitive activities

   • Regularly reassess your target customers' mindsets

2. Maintain flexibility and agility:

   • Be prepared to pivot if necessary

   • Have contingency plans in place

   • Prioritize launch timing over perfection

For me, this experience reinforced the importance of balancing long-term planning with short-term responsiveness. It's crucial to have a solid launch strategy, but equally important to remain nimble and ready to adjust when the market shifts unexpectedly.