6 Podcasts That Product Managers Love
I spent an hour driving three miles. Welcome to Los Angeles — that was my commute. I was working as a product manager at an e-commerce company on the west side. Some call the area “Silicon Beach.” Most days it felt more like “Silicon Gridlock.” But there was something that eased the frustration.
Listening to podcasts helped me make the best of my commute. Instead of wasted hours, I could use the time to learn something new.
Fortunately, I no longer have to deal with a daily commute. Being part of a fully distributed team at Aha! means I get to enjoy the freedom of remote work. I lost the long drive but I kept the podcasts. Now I can listen to them anytime I choose — while working out, taking a lunch break, or running errands with my kids.
I am always looking for new podcasts to add to my roster — ones that will help me grow in product management and in life. So I turned to some of my Aha! teammates (all former product managers themselves) to share a few of their go-tos.
See our picks below, starting with one of my all-time favorites listed first:
“I love this podcast because it helps me think about business in new ways. Leading thinkers in business and management come on each week to share their unique perspectives — covering everything from best practices and risky decision-making to the state of the marketplace. You hear from some big names too. I recently tuned in to hear Nike founder Phil Knight talking about the company’s innovative culture.” — Ron Yang
“I think every product manager is at least a little bit of an entrepreneur at heart. I love this podcast because I get to hear from passionate company builders. They give the inside scoop on how they built their business — how they took their product to market, decided to (or not to) finance it, learned to become a manager, and ultimately persevered to find success. Their stories are all different but they are all incredibly passionate about what they are doing. I find it inspiring.” — Nicole Wosje
The Infinite Monkey Cage “This one provides some light-hearted educational listening. And believe it or not, it is actually about science. Two scientists and one comedian go on air each week to answer some big questions, such as: What is the science of sleep? Will insects inherit the earth? I love opening my mind up to the world around me. It is like going back to school — only this time the teacher is irreverently witty.” — Tom Bailey
“At Aha!, we talk a lot about the importance of staying curious. This is especially true for product managers. And TED Talks are perfect for this pursuit. Each podcast keeps me totally engaged — whether I am hearing Elon Musk discuss his roadmap to Mars or a company founder talking about all of us owning ‘robot dogs’ in the future.” — Matt Case
“If you work in software, you will find this podcast fascinating. It is ‘inside baseball’ for the tech crowd. The podcast features SaaS founders talking about the important details of the business — their best tactics and strategies for success. They also do not shy away from hard data. A recent episode discussed what one CEO considered to be the most important metric in SaaS.” — Austin Merritt
“I love hearing how new products came to be or why small design decisions were made. These are the kinds of things that shape our culture and the way we perceive the world. A lot of the topics on this podcast are architecture-related, but it is interesting no matter your background. You get to hear how someone identified a problem and then created an innovative solution to solve it.” — Dru Clegg
Even if I only have 10 minutes to spare, I can quickly tune in to gain new perspectives on business, technology, and life in general.
For me, these podcasts can spark new ideas that I bring to my work. But sometimes they are simply a nice mental break — a chance to think beyond my daily To-do list. And the best part? I no longer have to listen to them in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
What podcasts do you listen to regularly?
