Becoming a super IC: Lessons from 12 years as a PM individual contributor | Tal Raviv (Product Lead at Riverside)

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Tal Raviv is a product manager at Riverside, where he joined as its first PM. Over his 12-year career as an individual contributor, Tal has been an early PM at Patreon, AppsFlyer, and Wix, working in consumer growth, developer API platforms, and pricing. He started his career by co-founding a profitable SaaS company and also volunteers as a surf instructor for people with disabilities. In our conversation, Tal shares:

• Why he has chosen to stay an individual contributor rather than moving into management

• The rise of “super ICs” and how companies can support this career path

• Advice for succeeding as a long-term IC product manager

• How he uses AI to enhance his productivity

• How to build self-reliant teams and make yourself redundant

• Lessons from failures

• Much more

Some takeaways:

1. Tal has thrived as an IC for 12 years by focusing on hands-on work that he enjoys and finds fulfilling. Many companies now recognize and value experienced ICs who can drive substantial impact. If you find joy and effectiveness in your current role, leverage this to continue excelling and creating value.

2. Companies can support “super IC” career paths by:

   1. Creating clear levels and titles for senior IC roles (e.g. Principal PM, Distinguished PM)

   2. Developing comprehensive rubrics for IC career progression

   3. Ensuring that compensation is competitive with management tracks

   4. Recognizing and valuing the unique contributions of experienced ICs

3. Build self-reliant teams by:

   1. Encouraging public communication in channels rather than private messages

   2. Showing team members how to access data and make decisions independently

   3. Praising and reinforcing behaviors that reduce dependencies on the PM

   4. Cultivating a culture where product thinking is everyone’s responsibility, not just the PM’s

4. Balance book smarts with street smarts: When making decisions, don’t just rely on data and frameworks (the “book smarts”). Consider the customer’s perspective as much as you do the logic behind the decisions. For instance, before rolling out a major change, think about how it will be perceived, not just its technical benefits. Try to predict the emotional and perceptual impact on users. If you’re unsure, test smaller changes first to gauge reactions before a full rollout.

Where to find Tal Raviv:

• X: https://x.com/talraviv

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talsraviv/

• Maven course: https://maven.com/tal-raviv/product-manager-productivity-system/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Tal’s background

(02:24) Choosing to stay an IC product manager

(07:05) The value of IC roles

(08:31) Compensation and career path

(12:36) Advice for companies on creating space for ICs

(14:33) Leveraging AI for productivity

(22:44) Managing your time

(26:01) Product scrapbooking 

(27:52) Cultivating self-reliant teams

(36:32) Tal's Maven course: Build Your Personal PM Productivity System 

(37:39) Contrarian opinions and insights

(44:32) Book smart vs. street smart decision-making

(52:51) There's no right way to get things done

(57:03) Failure corner

(01:19:04) Lightning round

(01:26:50) Living through conflict

Referenced:

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805

• Product management theater | Marty Cagan (Silicon Valley Product Group): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/product-management-theater-marty

• Riverside: https://riverside.fm/

• iMovie: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id377298193

• Canva: https://www.canva.com/

• Lego Mindstorms: https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/mindstorms

• Building a long and meaningful career | Nikhyl Singhal (Meta, Google): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-a-long-and-meaningful-career

• Notion: https://www.notion.so/

• Gong: https://www.gong.io/

• Loom: https://www.loom.com/

• Mixpanel: https://mixpanel.com/

• Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/

• Calendly: https://calendly.com/

• Fullstory: https://www.fullstory.com/

• Scrum Master: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/scrum/scrum-master

• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira

• Whisper: https://openai.com/index/whisper/

• Crafting a compelling product vision | Ebi Atawodi (YouTube, Netflix, Uber): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/crafting-a-compelling-product-vision

• Reforge: https://www.reforge.com/

• Guy Peled on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peledg/

• Please, Please Don’t A/B Test That: https://medium.com/@talraviv/please-please-dont-a-b-test-that-980a9630e4fb

• The Secret to a Great Planning Process—Lessons from Airbnb and Eventbrite: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-secret-to-a-great-planning-process

• Inside the 6 Hypotheses That Doubled Patreon’s Activation Success: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/patreon-onboarding-growth

• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk: https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Kids-Will-Listen/dp/1451663889/

• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended on It: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805

• Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges: https://www.amazon.com/Listen-Simple-Everyday-Parenting-Challenges/dp/0997459301

• How embracing emotions will accelerate your career | Joe Hudson (executive coach, Art of Accomplishment): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/embracing-your-emotions-joe-hudson

• Ted Lasso on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso

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

• O’Neill Hyperfreak wetsuits: https://us.oneill.com/pages/mens-hyperfreak-series

• Venn diagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-QeXhPNPkx/

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.