How LinkedIn became interesting: The inside story | Tomer Cohen (CPO at LinkedIn)

Tomer Cohen is the chief product officer at LinkedIn, responsible for setting the company’s product strategy, leading product development, user experience design, business development, content creation, and customer operations. He also hosts the Building One podcast, where he interviews exceptional builders across various disciplines. In our conversation, we discuss:
• How LinkedIn transformed its feed into an engaging content and social platform
• Tomer’s famous “We might be wrong, but we are not confused” mantra
• The importance of conviction and passion in product leadership
• LinkedIn’s approach to experimenting with and implementing AI features
• Lessons from Tomer’s rapid career progression at LinkedIn
• Strategies for embracing AI in product development

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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linkedin-became-interesting-tomer-cohen

Where to find Tomer Cohen:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomercohen/
• Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-one-with-tomer-cohen/id1726672498

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) Introduction to Tomer Cohen and his role at LinkedIn
(02:28) The mantra “We might be wrong, but we are not confused”
(06:45) Clarity of thought and focus
(13:03) Setting ambitious goals and overdelivering
(16:18) Transforming LinkedIn’s feed: strategy and execution
(22:03) Running experiments at scale
(26:24) Goal setting and identifying opportunities
(30:58) AI’s role in LinkedIn’s evolution
(35:38) The AI-first mindset at LinkedIn
(35:38) Developing an AI-first mindset
(44:49) Letting go of your roadmaps and allowing room for exploration
(49:12) Career growth and personal insights
(55:01) Takeaways
(56:39) Lightning round and final thoughts

Referenced:
• Joff Redfern on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mejoff/
• Airbnb’s Vlad Loktev on embracing chaos, inquiry over advocacy, poking the bear, and “impact, impact, impact” (Partner at Index Ventures, Airbnb GM/VP Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/impact-impact-impact-vlad-loktev
• Vlad Loktev on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirloktev/
• Jeff Weiner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffweiner08/
• LinkedIn AI Academy: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/linkedin-ai-academy-ai-100-3-scaling-ai-at-linkedin
• Shira Gasarch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiragasarch/
• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach
• Deep Nishar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepnishar/
• Steve Jobs: https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jobs-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1451648537
• Ed Catmull on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwincatmull/
• Canva: https://www.canva.com/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/
• Roblox: https://www.roblox.com/
• Dan Barber on X: https://x.com/DanBarber
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322
• Thinking Fast and Slow: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/
• High Output Management: https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884/
• Bluey on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/series/bluey/1xy9TAOQ0M3r
• Spark amp: https://www.positivegrid.com/products/spark
• Pink Floyd’s website: https://www.pinkfloyd.com/
• Metallica’s website: https://www.metallica.com/
• Nirvana’s website: https://www.nirvana.com/#/
• David Bowie’s website: https://www.davidbowie.com/
• Carol Dweck’s quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7017039-becoming-is-better-than-being-the-fixed-mindset-does-not
• Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Search-Alone-Seekers-Playbook/dp/B0B9Q9YDQ5
• Nomophobia: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/nomophobia
• Friend.com: https://www.friend.com/
• Becoming an AI-First Product Leader course on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/becoming-an-ai-first-product-leader

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.