Meta’s Head of Product (and 29th employee) on working with Mark Zuckerberg, early growth tactics, why PMs are like conductors, and more | Naomi Gleit

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Naomi Gleit is head of product at Meta, joined as employee #29, and is the longest-serving executive at Meta other than Mark Zuckerberg. She’s been at the center of some of the company’s most foundational products, including Facebook’s early growth team. In our conversation, we discuss:

• How she originally landed at Facebook

• The evolution of Facebook’s growth team and key metrics

• Lessons from working with Mark Zuckerberg

• Insights from Facebook’s activation metric and retention strategies

• Leadership lessons and “Naomiisms” for effective product management

• Tactics for creating extreme clarity in team communication

• Advice for running effective meetings

• More

Some takeaways:

1. Don’t outsource your critical thinking. Whether it’s a two-hour brainstorming session or a solitary quiet hour, prioritize time to think about your strategies and decisions.

2. Your activation metric doesn’t have to be perfect. Choose something your team can rally around, like “7 friends in 10 days.” What matters most is that it gives everyone a common goal to work toward.

3. Remember the mantra “Pressure is a privilege.” When faced with high-stakes situations, acknowledge the opportunity that comes with it. Use the pressure as a motivation to elevate your performance, and embrace the challenges as a chance for growth.

4. When hiring, prioritize hiring “disagreeable givers”—people who are committed to the organization’s success but aren’t afraid to voice differing opinions. This diversity of thought can drive innovation and improve decision-making.

5. Create a central, canonical document for each project that outlines key information: work streams, owners, processes, and meeting norms. This ensures that everyone has access to the same information and can reference it as needed, reducing confusion and miscommunication.

6. When running meetings:

   1. Send an agenda with pre-read materials 24 hours in advance

   2. Use visuals to anchor discussions

   3. Present three options with a recommendation for decisions

   4. Real-time edit decisions and next steps

   5. Send follow-up notes within 24 hours

Where to find Naomi Gleit:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naomigleit

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-gleit/

• Website: https://naomi.com/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction to Naomi Gleit

(01:53) Naomi’s journey at Meta

(06:18) Landing a job at Facebook

(10:40) Becoming a product manager

(13:40) Working as Head of Product at Meta

(14:55) Insights on working with Mark Zuckerberg

(20:04) Small Groups and “disagreeable givers”

(24:28) The legendary growth team

(33:45) Activation metrics and onboarding

(43:44) Naomi’s leadership and PM philosophy

(53:00) Canonical documents

(55:55) Simplifying complex projects

(01:00:33) Teen accounts: a case study

(01:06:37) Running effective meetings

(01:12:10) The importance of exercise

(01:16:36) The role of a product manager

(01:25:49) Lightning round

Referenced:

• Friendster: https://friendster.com/

• Myspace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace

• Sean Parker on X: https://x.com/sparker

• Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/

• Sheryl Sandberg quote: https://thevcfactory.com/if-youre-offered-a-seat-on-a-rocket-ship-dont-ask-what-seat-sheryl-sandberg

• Making Meta | Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth (CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-meta-andrew-boz-bosworth-cto

• Making an impact through authenticity and curiosity | Ami Vora (CPO at Faire, ex-WhatsApp, FB, IG): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/authenticity-and-curiosity-ami-vora

• Mark Zuckerberg on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@zuck

•Mark Zuckerberg interview on Acquired podcast: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/the-mark-zuckerberg-interview

• Adam Grant on X: https://x.com/AdamMGrant

• Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509

• Alex Schultz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexorig

• Javier Olivan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierolivan/

• Social impact at Meta: https://about.meta.com/social-impact/

• Adam Mosseri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosseri

• Instagram teen accounts: https://about.fb.com/news/2024/09/instagram-teen-accounts/

• Extreme Clarity: https://naomi.com/extreme-clarity-c977d38f56dc

• Canonical Everything: https://naomi.com/canonical-everything-c85441a84e70

• Charles Porch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesporch/

• Guy Rosen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guyro/

• How a Meta Executive Strong-Arms Workouts into Her Schedule: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fitness/how-a-meta-executive-strong-arms-workouts-into-her-schedule-57b9ab03

• Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/

• WAOAW sleep mask: https://www.amazon.com/WAOAW-Sleep-Sleeping-Blocking-Blindfold/dp/B09XV3Z484

• Tim Ferriss’s website: https://tim.blog/

• The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America: https://www.amazon.com/Devil-White-City-Madness-Changed/dp/0375725601/

• The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz: https://www.amazon.com/Splendid-Vile-Churchill-Family-Defiance/dp/0385348711/

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind: https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316117/

• Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind: https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Graphic-History-Birth-Humankind/dp/0063051338/

• Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World: https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Us-Humans-Took-World/dp/0593711556

• James Clear’s website: https://jamesclear.com/

• Shōgun on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/shogun-5422a5f9-e4f1-475e-9217-65e8249388d0

• Dune: Part Two on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/movies/dune-part-two

• Chris Cox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-cox-2896b841/

• Promix: https://promixnutrition.com/

• My Supplement Stack: https://www.kevinrose.com/p/my-supplement-stack-a-science-backed

• Fishwife: https://eatfishwife.com/

• Maui Nui venison meat sticks: https://mauinuivenison.com/collections/butcher-shop/products/all-natural-venison-stick-24-pack

• U.S. Open: https://www.usopen.org/index.html

• Pressure Is a Privilege: Lessons I’ve Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes: https://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Privilege-Lessons-Learned-Library/dp/0981636802

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.