Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma)
Mihika Kapoor is a design-engineer-PM hybrid at Figma, where she was an early PM on FigJam and is now spearheading development on a new product at the company that’s coming out this June. She’s known as the go-to person at Figma for leading new 0-to-1 products, and, as you’ll hear in our conversation, beloved by everyone she works with. Her background includes founding Design Nation, a national nonprofit focused on democratizing design education for undergraduates; spearheading product launches at Meta; and community building within the NYC AI startup scene. In our conversation, we discuss: • How to effectively take ideas from 0 to 1 at larger companies • How to craft a compelling vision • The importance of vulnerability and feedback • The role of intuition and product sense in making decisions • How to practically communicate your vision • How to balance collaboration and strong opinions • Advice for building a strong team culture • Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm • The current AI revolution and its impact on PM — Brought to you by: • Paragon—Ship every SaaS integration your customers want • Lenny’s Talent Team—Hire the best product people. Find the best product gigs • Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security — Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vision-conviction-hype-mihika-kapoor — Where to find Mihika Kapoor: • X: https://twitter.com/mihikapoor • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mihikakapoor/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Mihika’s background (04:29) Core attributes of great product managers (07:34) Crafting a compelling vision (12:12) The vision behind FigJam (18:25) Delivering a vision without design or engineering skills (21:52) Creating momentum (26:36) The importance of strong conviction (27:45) Direct communication (32:48) Building hype (42:20) Immersing yourself in user insights (47:16) Operationalizing user insights (50:33) Caring deeply about what you build (54:01) Finding passion in your work (57:00) Building a strong culture (01:07:07) Pivoting with grace and enthusiasm (01:11:48) Design Nation (01:13:15) Mihika’s weaknesses (01:16:07) Building new products at larger companies (01:20:50) Coming up with a great idea (01:22:49) The key to going from 0 to 1 (01:26:47) Spreading the idea across the company (01:29:15) Closing thoughts (01:32:11) Lightning round — Referenced: • Figma: https://www.figma.com/ • Sho Kuwamoto on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shokuwamoto/ • The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation: https://www.amazon.com/Medici-Effect-Preface-Discussion-Guide/dp/1633692949 • FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/ • Cognition: https://www.cognition-labs.com/ • Devin: https://www.cognition-labs.com/introducing-devin • David Hoang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhoang2/ • Replit: https://replit.com/ • The Making of Maker Week at Figma: https://www.figma.com/blog/the-making-of-maker-week/ • Yuhki Yamashita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/ • Jeff Bezos’ Simple Decision-Making Framework Will Give You Clarity, Conviction, and Courage: https://medium.com/illumination/jeff-bezos-simple-decision-making-framework-will-give-you-clarity-conviction-and-courage-adf8d0183625 • Alice Ching on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceching/ • Karl Jiang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-jiang-4a07424/ • Kris Rasmussen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopherrasmussen/ • Config: https://config.figma.com/ • Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/ • Asana: https://asana.com/ • Julie Zhuo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-zhuo/ • StrengthsFinder test: https://www.gyfted.me/personality-quiz/strengthsfinder-test-free • Dylan Field on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield/ • Vishal Shah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishalnshah/ • Design Disruptors: https://www.invisionapp.com/films/design-disruptors • Daniel Burka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dburka/ • Jamie Myrold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemyrold/ • Design Nation: https://dn.businesstoday.org/ • Stuart Weitzman on X: https://twitter.com/StuartWeitzman • Joe Gebbia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgebbia/ • Building a long and meaningful career | Nikhyl Singhal (Meta, Google): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/building-a-long-and-meaningful-career-nikhyl-singhal-meta-google/ • Jambot: https://www.figma.com/community/widget/1274481464484630971/jambot • Hestia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hestia • Harry Potter series: https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Paperback-Box-Books/dp/0545162076 • Pachinko: https://www.amazon.com/Pachinko-National-Book-Award-Finalist/dp/1455563927/ • Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649 • The Overstory: https://www.amazon.com/Overstory-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/039335668X • Severance on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/umc.cmc.1srk2goyh2q2zdxcx605w8vtx • Dune on Max: https://www.max.com/movies/dune/e7dc7b3a-a494-4ef1-8107-f4308aa6bbf7 • Dune: Part 2: https://www.dunemovie.com/ • Arc browser: https://arc.net/ • Pika: https://pika.art/home • The power of recognition: Why you should celebrate your employees | Josh Miller: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/videos/the-power-of-recognition-why-you-should-celebrate-your-employees-josh-miller/ — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. 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