Investor Spotlight: Gokul Rajaram – The Prolific Angel Investor on Speed, Small Teams, Product Management, and Decision Making

“The best product leaders coach people across the company, not just in their team, and help develop them into the future leaders of the company.” – Gokul Rajaram

Gokul Rajaram (@gokulr) is an angel investor and Product and Business Helper at DoorDash. He started his career as a Technical Lead at Juno, and has since led product development at Google, Facebook, and Square. He is an investor and advisor in many companies, and is an active member of several Boards, including Coinbase, Pinterest, and The Trade Desk.

For more, explore the transcript of this episode.

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Topics discussed with Gokul Rajaram

• 00:02:26 – Gokul’s background in product management
• 00:06:58 – Applying a computer science background to product management
• 00:10:26 – What great product vision looks like
• 00:16:32 – The product analyst role
• 00:23:11 – Focusing on controllable inputs
• 00:26:07 – Experiment design
• 00:34:54 – Editing vs. managing a product
• 00:42:50 – SPADE decision making
• 00:55:18 – Speed in product creation

Gokul Rajaram Resources

• Connect with Gokul Rajaram: Twitter |LinkedIn
• Juno
• Google
• Facebook
• Square
• DoorDash
• Coinbase
• The Trade Desk
• Pinterest
• Adam Mosseri
• Instagram
• Fidji Simo
• Instacart
• eBay
• Jeff Iacono
• Jeff Bezos
• Jack Dorsey
• Twitter
• Cash App
• SPADE
• Gokul’s S.P.A.D.E. Toolkit
• Eric Schmidt
• RACI matrix

Books Mentioned in This Episode

• Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity by Frank Slootman

Learn More About This Topic

What Is Product Management?

This is a great starter guide to the product management role in software development.

What It Takes to Become a Great Product Manager

This article from Harvard Business Review outlines the traits needed to excel at the product management role.

10 Powerful TED Talks To Make You a Better Product Manager

Check out these great talks from leaders like Simon Sinek and Guy Kawasaki that are recommended for product managers.

Are You Ready to Serve on a Board?

Gokul and Daniel discuss being a great board member; HBR outlines the first steps to take in that direction.

The Complete Guide to Board Member Responsibilities & Roles

This extensive guide explains the responsibilities of a board member and what to expect from the role.