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Agentic AI Execution

Leena Agarwal

The podcast for TPMs, product managers, and builders shipping real AI systems. No hype, no frameworks — just honest conversations about what it actually takes to move from model to production.
Topics include agentic AI, AI program execution, stakeholder alignment, technical roadmaps, and building trust in AI-driven orgs. Hosted by Leena Agarwal, 18-year TPM veteran from Amazon and Meta.
New episodes every week. Built for tech leaders who ship.

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  • 35 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 27 min
  • English

Episodes 35

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  • S1 · E36
    Saturday · 22 min

    The AI System Design Interview Trap (And How to Ace It) with ‪Tanishq @aloo_explains ​

    Are you walking straight into the AI system design interview trap? Tanishq Singh joins Leena on the Agentic AI Execution Podcast to reveal how to scale RAG architectures and ace your tech interviews.Discover how to move past surface-level buzzwords and think in individual system components like chunking strategies, vector databases, and indexing algorithms. Whether you are a technical program manager (TPM) or an engineer, this episode breaks down how to balance cost, latency, time-to-first-token, and practical problem-solving to build reliable, production-ready AI systems. **Timestamps:*** **00:00** – Introduction & Guest Welcome * **02:22** – Why AI System Design Matters * **04:05** – Thinking in Components & Scaling * **13:50** – Key Interview Terms for PMs & TPMs * **17:15** – Final Takeaways & Steering AI Tools🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: • Connect with Tanishq: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanishq25/ • Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ Sign up to cohort: https://aiengg.dev/ #llmsecurity #AI #InterviewReady #AgenticAIExecution

  • S1 · E35
    October 31 · 16 min

    Can AI Grade Itself? The Reality of Production-Ready Agents w/ Angie Jones | Ep. 35

    Are your AI agents ready for production, or are they about to go rogue? In this episode, Leena sits down with Angie Jones, VP of the Agentic AI Foundation, at AGNTCon to discuss the massive shift happening in Agentic AI. They dive deep into real-world production challenges, including why token maxing is out, how guardrails and evals keep systems secure, and what standards like MCP (Model Context Protocol) and A2A mean for multi-agent workflows. Plus, they explore how software engineering is evolving from "vibe coding" into rigorous systems thinking. ⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics: 00:00 — Introduction: Welcome to AGNTCon & MCPCon with Angie Jones 01:10 — AGNTCon Scale: Highlights from the 4,200+ attendee event and MCP/A2A maintainer homecoming 02:20 — Enterprise Shift: Moving from learning agents to governance, security, and cross-department sharing 03:40 — Guardrails & Observability: Addressing wrong answers and using Agent Gateway & Router 04:50 — Permission Chaos: Examining news stories of agents tweaking permissions and opening gates 05:55 — Model Assumptions & Risks: Goal-driven models versus human morals, judgment, and safety risks 07:00 — Proactive Testing: Using Hugging Face's OpenEnv playground to simulate scenarios 08:00 — The Power of Evals: Best practices for testing non-deterministic systems without letting models write their own evals 09:45 — The Death of Token Maxing: The financial wake-up call and the pivot back to efficient engineering principles 11:15 — Vibe Coding vs. Systems Thinking: How software engineering is evolving and why systems thinking is critical 13:00 — Solving Multi-Agent Chaos: Moving away from "YOLO" loops toward Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication protocols 14:15 — Monday Morning Advice: What engineers should start building and thinking about next 15:00 — What's Next: Angie's upcoming agent course (MCP & A2A) and the MCP Dev Summit in Nairobi 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: • Connect with Angie : https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiejones/ • Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ #AgenticAI #AGNTCON #MCPCON

  • S1 · E34
    October 26 · 31 min

    Stop Applying Cold: How to Stand Out & Get Hired in the AI Era | Jason P. Yoong | Ep. 34

    In Episode 34 of the Agentic AI Execution Podcast, host Leena Agarwal is joined by Jason P. Yoong (co-founder of Level Up and former Amazon leader) to explore how professionals can navigate market anxiety, AI wash, and the modern job search.Stop sending blind cold applications. Instead, Jason breaks down the tactical mindset shifts required to build real career leverage, become "email forwardable," and use AI as a strategic thought partner rather than a shortcut. ⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics: 00:01 — Introduction: Navigating career uncertainty and change in the AI era 00:47 — Defining success, life tenets, and balancing parenthood as a "100x dad" 03:08 — Time management, energy management, and being fully present while building05:56 — How to use AI tools (like Claude/Codex) as a rigorous thought partner for first drafts and deep work 08:36 — Real productivity gains vs. corporate chaos: What CXOs and AI-native founders are getting right 12:21 — Stop Applying Cold: Why proof of results is table stakes and how to become "email forwardable" 16:45 — The relationship-building playbook: How Jason built a deep professional partnership with Ethan Evans through high-standards networking 24:21 — The book recommendation strategy and how to genuinely connect with leaders 27:44 — A 5-year outlook on AI, education, human connection, and the rise of anti-AI business playbooks (live sports and community) 🔗 Connect • Connect with Jason P. Yoong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonyoong/ • Connect with Leena Agarwal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ #AgenticAI #CareerAdvice #TechLeadership #JobSearch #Networking

  • S1 · E33
    October 18 · 22 min

    Developer GTM in Agentic Era | Ep 33

    In this episode, Ankit—former engineer, award-winning AI researcher, and DevRel leader at Rime— break down the harsh realities of scaling Agentic AI We cover why AI models excel inside constraints but struggle with enterprise edge cases, how developers should position themselves in the age of LLMs, and why transparently admitting your product’s weaknesses builds ultimate customer trust --- 🎯 KEY TOPICS COVERED :00:00 - Introduction & Ankit's Career Journey 00:36 - From Full-Stack Developer to AI Researcher to DevRel04:55 - How Budding Developers Can Thrive in the Agentic AI Era 05:55 - Will AI Ever Replace Human DevRel? 08:20 - Combating "AI Slop" & Creating Genuine High-Quality Content 09:28 - Behind the Scenes: Lessons from a Financial AI Hackathon 11:12 - The Gap Between AI Demos vs. Real Production Systems 15:13 - First 90 Days: How B2B AI Startups Can Scale Product-Market Fit 18:43 - Why B2B Founders Must Embrace Product Weaknesses to Build Trust

  • S1 · E33
    October 17 · 22 min

    Why AI Demos Work, But Production Systems Fail | Ep 33

    In this episode, Ankit—former engineer, award-winning AI researcher, and DevRel leader at Rime— break down the harsh realities of scaling Agentic AI We cover why AI models excel inside constraints but struggle with enterprise edge cases, how developers should position themselves in the age of LLMs, and why transparently admitting your product’s weaknesses builds ultimate customer trust --- 🎯 KEY TOPICS COVERED: 00:00 - Introduction & Ankit's Career Journey 00:36 - From Full-Stack Developer to AI Researcher to DevRel 04:55 - How Budding Developers Can Thrive in the Agentic AI Era 05:55 - Will AI Ever Replace Human DevRel? 08:20 - Combating "AI Slop" & Creating Genuine High-Quality Content 09:28 - Behind the Scenes: Lessons from a Financial AI Hackathon 11:12 - The Gap Between AI Demos vs. Real Production Systems 15:13 - First 90 Days: How B2B AI Startups Can Scale Product-Market Fit 18:43 - Why B2B Founders Must Embrace Product Weaknesses to Build Trust

  • S1 · E32
    October 10 · 25 min

    Let an AI Trade My Money (And It Beat The S&P 500): Evolution in Agentic Commerce | Ep 32

    In Episode 32 of the Agentic AI Execution Podcast, Mitesh breaks down what actually happens when AI touches real money. From connecting Claude to Robinhood's MCP server and building decision journals to beat the S&P 500, to the massive battles in agentic commerce, merchant risk profiles, and session-level fraud—we cover what is breaking and what needs to be solved 📌 TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction & Mitesh’s Background 00:25 - Building an Autonomous Trading Agent with Robinhood MCP 01:30 - Setting Up Guardrails, Mandates & Stock Selection Rules 02:45 - The Breakthrough: Prompting AI to Keep a "Decision Journal" 04:00 - Daily Monitoring vs. Weekly Rebalancing Agents 04:30 - Beating the S&P 500 & The Real Risks of Agentic Trading 06:15 - Why Enterprises Are Cautious About AI Guardrails 07:45 - The Evolution of Agentic Commerce & Browser Checkouts 09:30 - Merchant Risk Profiles & Session-Level Fraud Scores 11:15 - How Agentic Traffic Will Change E-Commerce Funnels & KPIs 13:30 - Key Skills for PMs: Mastering AI Evals & End-to-End Tracing 15:45 - The Future of Tech Roles: Problem-Solving Over Job Titles --------------------------------------------------- 💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS: • Decision Journals for AI: Forcing LLMs to document their reasoning prevents context loss and random flip-flopping across sessions. • Sandbox First: Never expose your primary trading account to autonomous agents—use dedicated sub-accounts or MCP sandboxes. • Agentic Commerce Shift: Browsers are enabling AI agents to shop directly on merchant websites without waiting for custom API integrations. • Crucial PM Skills: Understanding agent tracing, evaluation metrics, and session-level risk controls is vital for building production-ready AI. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: • Connect with Mitesh Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitesh-shah-19673039/ • Connect with Leena Agarwal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ #AgenticAI #AI #FinTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Claude #ProductManagement #AITrading #Robinhood #TechPodcast

  • S1 · E31
    October 4 · 35 min

    AI vs. Human: How to Find Your True Purpose Without Losing Yourself | Ep 31

    In Episode 31 of the show, Leena sits down with Christina, a London-based purpose and career coach, TEDx speaker, and host of the *Eudaimonia Life Show*.With the massive surge of AI and automation, it’s easy to feel lost in the short-term rush. In this powerful conversation, Christina dives deep into what it truly means to find your purpose at a soul level, blending ancient Greek and Japanese philosophies to help us navigate modern career pressures.*Timestamps:* * **00:00** - Introduction: Meet Christina (Purpose & Career Coach and TEDx Speaker) * **00:36** - Redefining Purpose: Why the Corporate Ideal of Purpose is Flawed * **03:40** - Peer Pressure vs. Soul-Level Purpose: How to Make Aligned Choices * **05:35** - The "Mid-Sprint" Trap: Escaping Short-Term Urgency and Shiny Penny Syndrome * **09:47** - Activating Hope and Optimism Through Discipline and Integrity * **12:00** - A Decision-Making Framework: Choosing Who You Need to Be * **14:26** - Accountability as an Act of Love and Constructive Feedback * **17:15** - Knowing When to Walk Away: Preserving Your Mental Peace * **19:07** - What is Eudaimonia? Ancient Philosophy on Human Flourishing * **26:06** - AI vs. Human Authenticity: Why AI Can Never Replace Being Witnessed * **29:56** - Mentorship & Connection: Why Wisdom Requires Heart, Not Just Data * **33:04** - Final Key Takeaways and Where to Find Christina 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: * Connect with Christina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinagaridi/ * Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal

  • S1 · E30
    September 25 · 28 min

    You Got Wings, Now What? Navigating the Agentic AI Wave with Shylaja | Ep 30

    In this episode of Agentic AI Execution, host Leena Agarwal sits down with tech leader Shylaja (ex-Anthropic, Airbnb, Amazon, Meta, Netflix) to explore how artificial intelligence and agentic workflows are reshaping Technical Program Management (TPM) and software development life cycles. **Timestamps:*** **00:00** - Introduction & Shylaja’s Background across Meta, Airbnb, and Amazon * **00:48** - The TPM Spectrum: 0-to-1 Products vs. 1-to-N Scaling * **02:18** - How the Agentic AI Wave is Transforming TPM Workflows * **03:45** - Automating Work vs. Refining Critical Judgment Calls * **05:15** - Setting Up Agents, MCP Connectors, and Model Selection * **06:12** - Defining "Done" & Forcing Functions for Production Readiness * **07:05** - Human-in-the-Loop: Prototypes, Security, and Edge Cases * **08:15** - Managing Risk, Speed Trade-offs, and Evolving SDLC * **09:30** - Practical Steps to Start Using AI Assistants Today * **10:40** - Advice for Organizations Adopting Agentic AI * **11:30** - Mindset for the Future: Embracing Career Inflection Points 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: * Connect with Shylaja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shylajar/ * Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  • September 20 · 30 min

    Voice AI: Demos vs. Production with Google Developer Expert Akshay | Ep 29

    Welcome to episode 29 of the Agentic AI Execution podcast! In this episode, Leena sits down with Akshay, a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Android, Developer Advocate, and founder of the Android Engineers Community in India. Akshay shares his journey of building with Agentic AI, starting with a unique digital Ganesh Pandal powered by voice AI and GPT Live 1. The conversation dives deep into the realities of developer relations (DevRel), how to effectively use Gemini inside Android Studio, and the critical differences between a flashy AI demo and a resilient model that survives real-world production edge cases. **Key Topics Covered:** * **00:00** – Introduction and exploring the real gap between a flashy AI demo and one that survives production. * **01:01** – Demo: Building a digital Ganesh Pandal with voice AI so anyone can join the festival virtually. * **03:15** – The path to becoming a GDE and the importance of advocating for developers. * **08:00** – Leveraging Gemini AI in Android Studio for faster coding and documentation. * **10:30** – Protecting developer trust and providing quick-start AI templates via Agora .* **12:50** – Real-world lessons: What to do when your live tech demo breaks. * **22:14** – Navigating latency, background noise, and creating natural human-like voice agents . * **24:45** – Demos vs. Production: Why handling edge cases like low lighting and choppy video matters. * **27:10** – The massive untapped opportunity for Voice AI in children's toys across India. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: * Connect with Akshay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandwana001/ * Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  • S1 · E28
    September 13 · 36 min

    People Over AI: The Scarce Skills TPMs Need in the Agentic AI Era | Ep 28

    In Episode 28 of Agentic AI Execution, host Leena Agarwal sits down with James (Senior PM, former Staff TPM, and author of The TPM Craft newsletter) to unpack how agentic workflows are reshaping technical leadership roles across startups, mid-sized companies, and large enterprises.James breaks down why human relationships matter more than ever, where trust still breaks down in agentic code generation (security, compliance, quality), and the exact skills TPMs must double down on to stay indispensable. Plus, he shares real-world projects he built using AI—including a short-form content blocker and a virtual bank app for kids! ⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 – Intro: Setting the Stage for the Agentic AI Era 0:45 – Roles, Trust, & The Secret Sauce for Using AI Well 21:13 – Scarce Skills TPMs Need as Execution Gets Cheaper 35:41 – Closing Thoughts 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS: Subscribe to James’s Newsletter (The TPM Craft): https://thetpmcraft.substack.com/ Connect with James on LinkedIn: / jamzdayhuff Connect with Leena on LinkedIn: / leenaagarwal

  • S1 · E1
    September 7 · 37 min

    The dark side of AI productivity: burnout, bot-sitting, and survival in tech. | Ep 27

    In Episode 27 of the Agentic AI Execution podcast, host Leena sits down with Technical Program Manager and coach Liudmila to uncover how AI is doubling expected workloads in the tech industry. They dive into the reality of "bot-sitting" (spending hours fixing AI-generated mistakes), practical neuroscience-backed tools to stay grounded under pressure, and how to build sustainable execution systems without sacrificing your mental health. Key Topics Covered: * 00:00 – The hidden reality of AI expectations and tech worker fears * 01:36 – Liudmila’s career journey from test engineer to TPM * 16:45 – Real-time grounding exercises to manage pressure and anxiety * 24:30 – Is AI boosting productivity or creating 6.4 extra hours of "bot-sitting"? * 31:10 – Managing up and reframing career value in the era of AI agents * 35:38– Final advice on prioritizing life outside of work and avoiding burnout Links: * Connect with Liudmila: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liudmila-gishman/ * Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  • S1 · E26
    August 30 · 19 min

    Stop AI Slop From Ruining Your Codebase | Ep 26

    In this episode AWS Community Peter break down a holistic framework for AI adoption. Discover why top-down AI mandates fail, how engineering and product teams must adapt their specifications, and why standard ROI metrics are measuring the wrong things.If your team is trying to figure out how to successfully roll out agentic AI workflows without sacrificing software reliability, this conversation is a must-watch. **What You'll Learn in This Episode:*** Why AI adoption is a holistic culture and process transformation, not just a tooling problem * Practical guardrails and linting rules to prevent AI-generated "code slop" * The real truth about measuring AI ROI and developer productivity metrics * The single biggest change engineering leaders should make on Monday morning **Episode Timestamps:*** **00:00** – Introduction: Meet Peter and the Agentic AI Execution Podcast* **01:10** – The People, Process, and Technology Framework for AI Adoption* **05:30** – Best Practices for Deploying Quality AI Agents* **08:40** – How to Prevent AI Slop and Handle Tech Debt* **13:00** – Measuring True AI Return on Investment (ROI)* **16:00** – Production-Ready Agentic AI: Startups vs. Enterprise Realities* **17:50** – One Thing Engineering Leaders Must Change This Monday Morning* **18:52** – Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts 🔗 Links: Connect with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersankauskas/ Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  • S1 · E25
    August 24 · 35 min

    Why AI Pilots Fail? | Ep 25

    If your team is still running Story Points and Fibonacci on AI projects, today's guest says that math is already broken.In this episode, from actionable frameworks to the hard truths about AI ROI, Shivam argues that before you implement the technology, you absolutely must fix your broken processes first. We also dive into why we need "human in the *line*" instead of just "human in the *loop*," and exactly what a 30-60-90 day AI integration plan looks like for a mid-sized company.If you are navigating the chaos of AI, this is a must-listen episode!---### ⏱️ **Chapter Timestamps*** **3:31** - The Biggest Bottlenecks: Why agents fail to reach production* **5:45** - Surviving the Chaos: How the TPM role must evolve* **10:03** - The AI Truth: Balancing cost savings, productivity, and employee experience* **12:24** - The #1 reason Agentic AI pilots die (and why you need a charter)* **14:28** - "Human in the Line": Why you need to fix your processes before deploying AI* **19:22** - The Ultimate 30-60-90 Day AI Action Plan for mid-sized companies* **24:50** - Why traditional capacity tracking and methodologies belong out the door* **25:58** - Rethinking AI Security & handing over the keys to the kingdom* **28:20** - Essential skills PMs need for the Agentic AI era* **31:15** - 18 Months Out: Preparing for your new "L3" AI Co-worker* **33:00** - Finding our "uniquely human" purpose in the age of AI* **35:04** - Outro & Final Thoughts🔗 Links:* Connect with Shivam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivamkhullar/* Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/#AgenticAI #AgenticAIExecution

  • S1 · E24
    August 20 · 31 min

    Real AI vs. AI Wrappers: How VCs Spot Fake Agentic Startups (Ep. 24)

    She's evaluated hundreds of AI pitch decks — and she can spot a real agentic AI company from a wrapper in two sentences. In Episode 24, I sit down with Sonia, Managing Partner at Zentara Ventures and founder of Dekode Health, to unpack what actually separates AI companies with real ROI from the ones wrapping a chatbot around a spreadsheet and calling it a platform.Sonia isn't theorizing from the sidelines. She's an engineer by training who moved through product and marketing before landing on the venture side — and she's personally built and launched her own AI healthcare product, now in private pilot. Four exits, one IPO, and more than half a billion dollars raised as a C-level executive — she's built a due-diligence lens most investors don't have. ⏱️ Chapters:0:00 Intro 0:32 Sonia's Path: Engineer to Product to Marketing to VC 2:37 What "AI-Powered" Really Buys You in a Pitch5:09 Real AI vs. Wrapper: The VC Due Diligence Test 6:12 Why She Went Deep Before Going Wide 8:23 The 91% Problem: Marketers Faking Agentic Work10:45 The Two-Sentence Test for Fake Agentic A I13:06 Legal Exposure: Where Founders Overstate AI14:04 What Should Never Get Handed to an Agent 15:36 Agentic AI in Marketing: Why Humans Still Win 17:34 The Line Healthcare AI Should Never Cross 19:42 The ROI Paradox: 84% Positive vs. "It's All Hype" 22:10 AI Layoffs: Real Capability or Convenient Cover? 25:35 The Solopreneur Era (and Why You Still Need Humans) 27:04 Redefining Execution in 2026 29:42 What Changes by 2027 32:15 Where to Find Sonia + Dekode Health "Founders who treat AI as a marketing layer instead of an infrastructure layer — wrapping a ChatGPT or Claude API around a spreadsheet and calling it a platform — that's not a company. It's a feature at best." — Sonia 🔗 Links:* Connect with Sonia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniahunt/ * Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/ Subscribe for new episodes of Agentic AI Execution, where we go past the pitch deck to how AI actually gets built, funded, and used. #AgenticAI #AgenticAIExecution #VentureCapital #AIStartups #HealthcareAI

  • S1 · E23
    August 17 · 22 min

    Agentic AI is Changing Marketing, Ads & Customer Acquisition | Episode 23

    Are you throwing money into a black hole with paid ads? Deepti, founder of Uplaud and former product lead for Meta's monetization engine, explains why the future of growth isn't more ad spend—it's customer trust.In this episode of Agentic AI Execution with Leena Agarwal, we dive into why customer referrals convert 5x better than paid media, how agentic AI is transforming the way businesses acquire users, and why the tech stack of the future relies on authentic voices, not just algorithms. ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 - Intro: Customer Trust is the New Gold 1:13 - Deepti's Journey: From Meta to Startup Founder 4:50 - The Problem with Modern Ad Platforms 8:15 - Why 5-6% is Still a "Good" Conversion Rate 11:30 - How Uplaud Amplifies Authentic Customer Voices 16:45 - Uplaud's AI Stack: Claude, OpenAI, and Gemini 18:20 - Career Advice for PMs & Engineers in the AI Era 🔗 Links: Check out Uplaud: https://www.uplaud.ai/ Connect with Deepthi: / deepthirao05 Connect with Leena: / leenaagarwal

  • S1 · E23
    August 16 · 22 min

    Agentic AI is Changing Marketing, Ads & Customer Acquisition | Episode 23

    Are you throwing money into a black hole with paid ads? Deepti, founder of Uplaud and former product lead for Meta's monetization engine, explains why the future of growth isn't more ad spend—it's customer trust.In this episode of Agentic AI Execution with Leena Agarwal, we dive into why customer referrals convert 5x better than paid media, how agentic AI is transforming the way businesses acquire users, and why the tech stack of the future relies on authentic voices, not just algorithms.⏱️ Chapters:0:00 - Intro: Customer Trust is the New Gold1:13 - Deepti's Journey: From Meta to Startup Founder4:50 - The Problem with Modern Ad Platforms8:15 - Why 5-6% is Still a "Good" Conversion Rate11:30 - How Uplaud Amplifies Authentic Customer Voices16:45 - Uplaud's AI Stack: Claude, OpenAI, and Gemini18:20 - Career Advice for PMs & Engineers in the AI Era🔗 Links:* Check out Uplaud: https://www.uplaud.ai/* Connect with Deepthi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepthirao05/* Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  • S1 · E22
    August 16 · 33 min

    Good Judgment Beats Good Context | Episode 22

    Aadil has spent 16 years as a TPM across Apple, Google, Nike, and Humane — and he's convinced the biggest risk in the AI era isn't using these tools too little. It's reaching for them before asking whether you even need to. 🕒 Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro & The Airtable Epiphany 00:53 - Why Good Judgment Beats Good Prompts 03:15 - Catching Dilemmas Early & Avoiding Agent Maintenance Overhead 05:10 - What to Delegate vs. What to Keep Control On 08:30 - TPMs Are Synthesizers, Not Producers 11:00 - How TPMs Stand Out in the AI Era 15:30 - What Hiring Managers Look For in Senior TPMs 19:00 - Startup Thinking vs. Big Tech Process Bloat 23:15 - Driving Velocity with Repeatable Systems 25:40 - Feedback Loops & Leadership Lessons from Apple 27:36 - When AI Agents Fail & Avoiding "Judgment Debt" 30:15 - Final Career Advice: Never Stop Learning 32:50 - Key Takeaways & Wrap-Up 🔗 Resources & Links:* * Aadil writes a newsletter on TPM leadership — https://artoftpm.substack.com/ * Connect with Aadil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aadilmaan/ * Connect with Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

  • S1 · E21
    August 10 · 22 min

    Builders vs. Marketers with AI | Episode 21

    As Preethy highlights in the podcast, technical founders frequently fall into the trap of thinking "if I build a great product, it will sell itself". But as engineering and AI code generation become commoditized, building is no longer the bottleneck—customer validation and distribution are. Timestamps / Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Why Advanced AI Isn't Everything 00:19 - Preeti’s Journey: 25 Years in Silicon Valley 00:45 - Evaluating AI Claims: Privacy, Hallucinations, & Security 01:15 - Questions Founders Must Answer Before Shipping AI01:30 - Agentic AI Capabilities & B2B vs. B2C Dynamics 02:00 - 2026: Moving from AI Adoption to Enterprise Production 02:30 - Solve Unsolvable Problems: Guardrails & Build vs. Buy 03:00 - Blitzscaling Speed vs. Cost & Safety Trade-offs 03:30 - 10x Growth Strategies & Agentic AI in Marketing 04:00 - What Technical Founders Get Wrong About Marketing 04:30 - Human Connection & The 3S Formula for Success

  • S1 · E20
    August 5 · 34 min

    The Perception Gap: Why Great Work Gets Overlooked | Episode 20

    Are you doing the best work of your career, yet someone else keeps getting the credit? In this episode of Agentic AI Execution, host Leena sits down with Uma, a leadership coach and the author of Sought After Leader. After spending more than two decades at Microsoft, Uma realized a hard truth: simply being great at your job and executing flawlessly is no longer enough to get you noticed—especially as AI takes over the execution layer. Tune in to learn how to make your value undeniable and ensure your name is spoken in the rooms where decisions are made. 🕒 Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction: Why great work isn't enough 00:52 - Uma's journey from Microsoft to writing Sought After Leader 04:22 - The SOAR Framework explained 07:54 - The H.U.M.A.N. Edge: 5 skills to stand out in the AI era 13:05 - Real-world case study: Closing the perception gap 20:48 - Strategic visibility vs. bragging 23:42 - Finding "Level 10" opportunities in the white space 31:40 - Final thoughts and where to find Uma 33:57 - Episode recap and takeaways 🔗 Resources & Links:* Read the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Sought-After-Leader-Great-Enough-Above-ebook/dp/B0H7L5W4VM/* Connect with Uma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uma-subramanian-limitless/* Connect with Leena:

  • S1 · E19
    August 4 · 50 min

    Will AI Take Your TPM Job? | LinkedIn Senior Staff TPM Ankur Gupta| Ep 19

    Could your program survive two weeks without you? If the answer is no, you’re not running an operation—you’re a single point of failure with a job title.In this episode of Agentic AI Execution, host Leena sits down with Ankur Gupta, Senior Staff TPM leading AI Infrastructure at LinkedIn (and former tech leader at Walmart). They tackle the burning question: Will AI replace technical program managers?Ankur breaks down why AI isn't taking your job, why status reporting was never the core value of a TPM, and how to build a "TPM Operating System" that runs seamlessly with AI agents while keeping human judgment at the center.---📌 KEY TAKEAWAYS & HIGHLIGHTS:• The Two-Week Test: How to structure programs that don't depend on your memory.• Status vs. Judgment: Give agents the status updates, but keep judgment to yourself.• Information Centralization & Work Decentralization: Scaling execution across 200+ teams.• The TPM Operating System: Operational, Collaboration, and Technical lenses.• Guardrails Over Memos: How to build real AI governance directly into technical systems.• Deterministic vs. Non-Deterministic Reliability: Managing AI agents that take different paths to a goal.---⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - The Two-Week Test: Are You a Single Point of Failure?01:03 - Ankur Gupta's Career Journey to LinkedIn AI Infrastructure02:20 - What Agentic AI Execution Means in Practice03:30 - The Evolving Role of a TPM in the AI Era06:05 - Information Centralization vs. Work Decentralization08:45 - Moving from Coordination to Strategic Tech Leadership11:20 - The "TPM Operating System" Framework17:12 - Live Walkthrough: Set Once, Run Forever Checklist22:50 - What Should NEVER Be Handed Off to an AI Agent?25:10 - Lowering the "Cost of Yes" & Influencing Humans28:30 - Who Holds Accountability When AI Agents Ship Code?30:50 - AI Governance & System Guardrails34:10 - Reliability in Non-Deterministic AI Systems37:40 - What TPMs Need to Do in the Next 12 Months to Stay Relevant42:15 - Practical Hands-On AI Hacks for Daily Workflows46:10 - Overcoming AI Anxiety & Final Advice49:18 - Key Takeaways & Episode Wrap Up🔗 Connect on LinkedIn: Ankur : https://www.linkedin.com/in/agupta03/Leena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leenaagarwal/

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