Herman Ye

Let's talk about Apple's iCar, or rather, the ghost of it. A decade. Ten billion dollars. Poof. Gone. Like a puff of smoke from a dream that never quite woke up. They wanted to launch a revolution, a fully-formed, flawless chariot. But revolutions aren't born in secret labs; they're forged in the messy, chaotic crucible of the real world. You don't build a movement by hiding in the shadows. You don't create a product people love by ignoring them. You don't change the world by waiting for perfection. It's about the minimum viable. It's about shipping early, shipping often, and listening—really listening—to the people you're trying to serve. Apple built a cathedral of secrecy. A monument to what might have been. And then, they tore it down.  They spent billions on a dream, while ignoring the simple truth: the market doesn't care about your dreams. It cares about solutions. It cares about things that work. So, here's the lesson: stop chasing...

You champion a project, fight for an idea, and then...reality sets in. That churning in your stomach isn't butterflies, it's the realization you've missed the mark.  Pride will puff up your chest, and kick in the "defend at all costs" instinct. But arguing with the umpire never changed a call. Admitting you're wrong isn't a sign of weakness. It can strengthen your professional standing. In a world obsessed with the illusion of infallibility, the courage to adjust course is a breath of fresh air. It shows you're confident enough to be wrong, and adaptable enough to learn from it. Do your research, think critically, and stand behind your decisions. But when the data whispers (or screams) otherwise, don't be afraid to swallow that slice of humble pie. Be the first to acknowledge. Don't wait for someone to point out your mistake. Be open, take responsibility, and most importantly, focus on what you're going to do to address it. Don't dwell ...

Ambiguity. That fuzzy monster that chases us down darkened hallways, whispering doubts about our roadmap and feature sets. You know the feeling. You constantly wrestle with unknowns: Will users like this? Is this the right direction? Frankly, if you had a nickel for every time the answer wasn't crystal clear, well, you might actually want to chase that ambiguity down the hall. But here's the thing: ambiguity isn't your enemy. It's your dance partner. Innovation rarely happens in a land of perfect clarity. Sure, there's a time for well-defined processes. But when you're creating something new, there are bound to be more questions than answers. The key is to learn to waltz with the unknown .  Embrace the experiment. Don't be afraid to throw some spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.  Focus on outcomes, not outputs. Don't get hung up on features. What problem are you trying to solve? How will you measure success? Get comfortable with "go...

Product is a constant tug-of-war. On one side, stakeholders demand quick wins : features that deliver immediate value and keep the momentum going. On the other, innovation beckons with big bets : ambitious projects that could revolutionize the product but carry higher risk. As product managers, we walk a tightrope between these two forces. Here's how to find balance: The Power of the Small Win: Keeps users engaged: Small improvements, like a redesigned onboarding flow, can significantly improve user experience and keep them coming back for more. Provides low-risk validation: Quick wins are a great way to test assumptions and gather real-world data before diving into complex features. Builds momentum: Small wins act as stepping stones, demonstrating progress and keeping the team motivated. The Allure of the Big Bet: Disruption potential: Big bets can fundamentally change the landscape, attracting new users and propelling your product ahead of the competition. Long-ter...

In the battle against plastic bags, a five-cent tax was shown to be much more successful at deterring usage than a five-cent credit for bringing your own bags. Carrots satisfy but sticks sting, and they sting hard. So we default to the less painful choice of avoiding loss. Loss aversion impacts the way we process information. A 2019 study  invited participants to learn through a series of multiple choice questions. Each question only had two options to choose from. Whether guessing correctly or not, they would still learn the right answer.  Despite the identical learning opportunity, participants were much more successful at recalling the answers they guessed correctly than those they got wrong.  "You're right!" feels good. We savour the moment, analyzing every detail.  "You're wrong!" stings. We want to quickly forget, dismiss, and move on.  When we succumb to loss aversion, we miss opportunities to learn. Failure is part of the process. We'll experie...

In school, we listen to our teachers. At home, our parents. Throughout our childhood, following instructions is praised and rewarded. When we're young, there's value in this. We don't understand how the world works quite yet, so guidance can be lifesaving.  The bias to just accept obviously has drawbacks. Insert old jumping off a bridge adage .  This conditioning is especially strong for kids from lower income households. Their parents are more likely in working class jobs involving strict order-taking. Parents of middle-class households tend to be knowledge workers where influence is essential.  Studies have shown kids from middle-income households are more willing to negotiable with their teachers. They learn from their parents that things are not set in stone. This leads to better grades and learning outcomes when compared to their lower income counterparts who don't negotiable.  In business, if we simply accept things as they are, we would never innovate. In work...

On your desk is one of the most intimidating sights known to man. A blank page. The prospect of filling it up with anything resembling decent seems insurmountable. Staring at the long road ahead fills you with anxiety and dread.  The first step is the most difficult. So we procrastinate. We " research ", we " prep ", we " plan ". We do everything except tackling the problem. We avoid the pain for as long as we can.  To make a blank page less intimidating. Tear it in half. There, half as scary, twice as easy. Still too much? Do it again. And again. Keep doing it until the task is so small that it's too easy not to do.  Getting starting is the hardest part. So make the hardest part as easy as possible. This doesn't guarantee amazing results, but it gets you in the game. You can't win if you don't play.  

Time flies when you're having fun...it also slows when you're not. Hours with friends zoom by in what feel like minutes. Minutes on a bad Zoom crawl by in what feel like hours. This is the relative nature of time.  When we're fearful (or dreading), our brain comes on full alert. Paying attention to every little detail to ensure our survival. We enter slow-motion mode. If you've ever slipped, you've enter this time warp.  Public speaking is notoriously fear-inducing. The judgement, the potential for failure, embarrassment. A five-minute presentation feels much longer. Everything slows down, including your perception of talking speed. This is why the best (and most common) piece of advice for new speakers is to slow down. We talk too fast. Appearing nervous and making it difficult for the audience to keep up.  The audience's experience is the opposite. There's no stress in watching. No nerves, no fear. Time moves faster for them. This creates an interesting de...

If you're about to take on a new role, congrats! You've made it through. Outshining the rest to come out on top. Celebrate, you earned it.  As your start date approaches, the descent from cloud nine begins and you're back down on earth (and maybe a tad nervous). It's showtime but where to start? We love ambition. Your bias for action is why you got hired. We want to hit the ground running and show our worth right away. However, rushing in and imposing yourself is a sure-fire way to become alienated. Burning bridges before they're raised.  Your experience and skills are invaluable, but to leverage them you need a strong foundation. Your first 30 days should be focused on building relationships and a knowledge base (learning all you can).  Work with your manager and get a list of folks to have 1-on-1s with. Identify the key stakeholders. Understand their background, their challenges, working style, and your relationship with them.  Learn as much as you can. Understand...

The alarm is ringing. A deadline is coming up. Or worse, has already passed. Gasp. We're out of time. We must act quickly and get things done, right? Not necessarily. 

I was painfully shy growing up. Unsure of my Myers Briggs, but will comfortably bet I live on the introvert end of the spectrum. In school, whenever a teacher would ask for volunteers, I would shrink, sit back and wait for others to jump in. "No big deal, someone else always answers the call." I was afraid to look bad. Getting an answer wrong, asking an obvious question. This was terrifying. I didn't want to be judged. Better to play it safe than risk the embarrassment, right? Funny thing is, I never thought less of anyone for being wrong. I always admired they had the courage to speak up. When done from a genuine place, folks will always welcome your voice. You're helping move the conversation forward. Playing a critical role. We stay quiet because we're afraid of maybe looking bad, but staying quiet pretty much guarantees you look bad. You appear uninterested, passive, afraid. The reverse is true when speaking up. It shows that you care and have the strength t...

Constructive feedback is an awkward affair. You don't want hurt feelings, but recognize the importance of honesty. You've tried the classic "hoping things will get better on its own" and unfortunately it hasn't played out. When giving feedback, here are a few things that I try to keep it mind. Start with empathy. Step into their shoes and understand their story. If you don't know, ask. Be genuinely curious. Feedback is a dynamic affair. Shared communication with a shared goal towards progress. Take the emotion out of it. Focus on the situation, not the person. Focusing on the person adds unnecessary weight to an already emotionally-bloated event.  Be specific. Give clear examples. Vague feedback equals dismissed feedback.  Doing above won't de-awkward things fully, but it will dampen it and increase the chance of better outcomes. 

Apple does it this way. Google does it that way. Microsoft would never do this . A few ultra-successful companies serves as a model for every company. To dominate our arena is something we all strive for. It's natural to copy the best in an attempt to be the best.  Every company is unique. Different cultures, products, goals. There's no one-size-fits-all way of doing things. Thinking so only creates a false sense of structure and certainty.  If we do X, we'll achieve Y. Oversimplification causes oversight. No prescription works for every patient. No playbook works for every team. Best practices are sharpened through individual trial and error. Copying another's ignores our unique goals and challenges.  Studying the best is a great starting point, but it's not the destination. They must be adapted.  Start small. Experiment. Work and rework. Eventually you'll develop the best practices that work best for you. 

Data is endless. Perfect information is not feasible. The pursuit will only lead to analysis paralysis. At the same time, you don't want to mindlessly act without facts.  Taking too long to act and acting without sufficient preparation, both lead to wasted time and resources. To decide whether to optimize for decision quality or speed, it's helpful to frame the situation.  Decisions can be one-way doors or two-way doors.  One-way doors are rare. These are entrance-only decisions where reversing course is very difficult. Given the commitment, you'll want to gather enough information to maximize your decision quality (pre-action learning).  Two-way doors are more common. They allow for easy entrance and exit. These decisions can be quickly undone if they turn out wrong. Optimize for speed (and post-action learning). It's much better to go through the door and see what's there than waiting at the doorstep. Don't like what's on the other side? Take your learnin...

Pain points, efficiencies, problems, desires. Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of what they look like or what we call them, it's our job to figure out the best ways to tackle them.  Brainstorming is common practice in the workplace. You get a group together and rapidly come up with ideas. In theory, this is a dynamic affair where folks are engaged and all voices are heard, tapping into everyone's unique perspectives and talents. A lot of ideas are generated, refined through debate, and the best ones bubble to the top.  In practice, this is a dull affair. The most vocal and the most senior dominate. The junior and the introverted passively nod along. And everyone else, simply coasts through. We wrap with a measly number of ideas, stemmed from a concentrated perspective, untested by challenge. To avoid this trap, turn brainstorming on its head. Start alone.  Instead of starting cold with everyone, warm up solo. Have each participate generate an individ...

No matter your title, your job is to solve problems. Before you can solve, you must understand. Preliminary data will be limited, so it's up to you to ask questions. Putting together the pieces, building a foundation to act from. Problems are often framed as either symptoms or requests. Symptoms are too broad.  "Customer wait times are too long." You'll need to ask "what?" to uncover the underlying condition you're facing, before you can prescribe the appropriate treatment. "What is the support process?"  "What evidence demonstrates this problem?" "What is the current wait time and what is the target time" Requests are the reverse. Too specific.  "We need you to build a new onboarding email with XYZ features." To move forward with purpose (or to uncover if the action is even needed), focus on "why?". "Why do we need a new experience?"  "Is it because of we're targeting a new customer ba...

"But" -  it's   something we hate to hear after receiving good news. "That presentation was great, but there are things you need to work on." "I want to give you a raise, but it's not in the budget right now."  "I love you, but there are some things you could be more considerate with." We lead with the pleasant and wrap with the not so pleasant. This is unfortunate because we're conditioned to disregard what comes before "but" , and place a higher value on what comes after -  "The But Eraser/Enhancer Effect" . Thus, we're constantly dampening our positive statements while enhancing the negative.  Being mindful of this phenomenal, we can leave a more emotionally encouraging footprint by merely flipping the positioning.  "There are things that you need to work on, but  the presentation was great ." "It's not in the budget right now, but  I want to give you a raise ".  "T here are some...

Be it stand up comedy, live music, or a presentation at work. Live performances are a dynamic affair featuring two parties, the performer and the audience. The spotlight is naturally on the performer with the audiences' role largely overlooked.  It doesn't appear so at first, but the audience is a co-lead. Having given my fair share of presentations, I've felt the impact of a well-timed question or comment. Whether affirmative or challenging, audience participation can drastically shift the way I feel and how I'll proceed.  Non-verbal actions are equally strong. Passive participation is anything but. A nod goes a long way in assuring me. A questioning look makes me pause. Checking your phone makes me second guess the interest. As audience members, we think we're invisible. We're not. We're in it together.  So much in the study of influence is on achieving what we don't have but it's important to be mindful of the influence we already do have. If we...

The grand reveal. Where the covers are dramatically pulled off and gasps ripples across the crowd. Sometimes a sound of joy. Other times, not so much. Whether good or bad, the unknown always adds a touch of drama to it all.     While the "Ta-Da" moment is great TV, it's not so great for the workplace. Quite the opposite, it's a sign of failed communication and a lack of teamwork.  When leading an initiative, its best to keep folks involved early and often. The cadence and level of detail will vary, but erring on the side of over-communication is a good starting point while you gauge what's appropriate.    Keeping folks in the loop reduces the risk of expectations diverging. Maintaining aim at the same target. Transparency opens the floor for constructive feedback. Unique skills and perspectives will remain untapped in a silo. In addition to the sense of ownership and accountability of others.  The need for perfection is a common culprit for the big rev...

Early into my career, I realized I was clueless about personal finance. My employer offered me options for a retirement plan and this paralyzed me with doubt. I was deeply intimidated by all the choices, acronyms and numbers. I didn't know where to start; despite going to school for accounting, which only added more egg to my face.  I dove into the space to build my confidence. Once I got going, I realized it wasn't that hard. I started to enjoy learning about taxes, planning, and investing. It was empowering. I felt ownership over my financial life. As a way to reinforce and share learnings, I began blogging. I figured learning in public was a good way to test ideas, get feedback, and help folks in similar shoes.  I was focused on writing, but soon it became clear that my blog looked pretty dull with just text. I needed cover art to give my content some pop, some character, some life.  I started with stock images from Unsplash , but soon this felt unoriginal and limiting...