№ 2 · Building Products
What is it about the top tech product companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Netflix and Tesla that enables their record of consistent innovation? Most people think it’s because these companies are somehow able to find and attract a level of talent that makes this innovation possible. But the real advantage these companies have is not so much who they hire, but rather how they enable their people to work together to solve hard problems and create extraordinary products. As legendary Silicon Valley coach--and coach to the founders of several of today’s leading tech companies--Bill Campbell said, “Leadership is about recognizing that there's a greatness in everyone, and your job is to create an environment where that greatness can emerge.” The goal of EMPOWERED is to provide you, as a leader of product management, product design, or engineering, with everything you’ll need to create just such an environment. As partners at The Silicon Valley Product Group, Marty Cagan and Chris Jones have long worked to reveal the best practices of the most consistently innovative companies in the world. A natural companion to the bestseller INSPIRED, EMPOWERED tackles head-on the reason why most companies fail to truly leverage the potential of their people to innovate: product leadership. The book covers: what it means to be an empowered product team, and how this is different from the “feature teams” used by most companies to build technology products recruiting and coaching the members of product teams, first to competence, and then to reach their potential creating an inspiring product vision along with an insights-driven product strategy translating that strategy into action by empowering teams with specific objectives—problems to solve—rather than features to build redefining the relationship of the product teams to the rest of the company detailing the changes necessary to effectively and successfully transform your organization to truly empowered product teams EMPOWERED puts decades of lessons learned from the best leaders of the top technology companies in your hand as a guide. It shows you how to become the leader your team and company needs to not only survive but thrive.
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Building Products
2 books in catalog
Modern software product management and product discovery frameworks rely heavily on methodologies that bridge executive strategy with engineering execution. Marty Cagan established foundational principles for tech product development through influential works such as Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, providing practical frameworks for building products that solve real user problems while achieving business viability.
Marty Cagan began his technology career with a ten-year tenure as a software developer and engineering manager at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, conducting research on software technology and building tools for software developers. He subsequently joined Netscape Communications Corporation, serving as Vice President of Platform and Vice President of E-Commerce while working directly alongside co-founder Marc Andreessen. Following his executive roles at Netscape and Continuus, Cagan served as Senior Vice President of Product and Design at eBay. Across his career, he has managed diverse operational functions within modern technology organizations, including product management, software engineering, product marketing, user experience design, software testing, and general management. In 2001, Cagan founded the Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) to advise, coach, and train technology companies and product leaders across the globe.
Cagan writes with an emphasis on practical, operational frameworks, focusing on the distinction between feature-driven delivery and outcome-oriented product discovery. His work repeatedly explores themes of team empowerment, cross-functional collaboration between engineering, design, and product management, and the structural transition from traditional project management to modern product operating models. By drawing directly on his hands-on executive leadership in high-growth technology companies, Cagan articulates clear guidelines on product strategy, risk mitigation, and creating organizational culture where product teams can solve complex customer problems effectively.
