Supra Insider

Hosted by Marc Baselga, Ben Erez

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134

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Oct 2026

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Conversations about hiring, interviews, and careers for product leaders. Hosted by Marc Baselga and Ben Erez (co-founders of Insider Loops). suprainsider.substack.com

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October 26, 20261 hr 12 min

#133: Why you should transcribe your job interviews | Dan Wolchonok (Founder @ Work Coach, ex-Reforge, HubSpot)

What separates the job seekers who land great roles from the ones who stay stuck? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Dan Wolchonok , founder of Work Coach and former Reforge and HubSpot operator, to unpack how the most intentional candidates run their job search. Dan explains why the savviest people are ruthless about their process. He covers how smart candidates get in their own way through analysis paralysis and doom scrolling, and why talking to people is the fastest way to get unstuck. They explore candidate-market fit and running your search in “seasons.” They also get into why clear positioning gets you referrals you never asked for, and why AI-reviewed resumes keep coming out generic. Dan makes the case that job seekers face a feedback epidemic: he wants candidates to transcribe everything, listen to how they actually sound, and even ask permission to record real interviews. Marc and Ben push back on how far AI feedback can take you compared with a calibrated expert. If you’re in the middle of a job search that isn’t converting, struggling to explain why you’re the right fit for a role, or wondering how to use AI to get better feedback on your interviews- this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:20) What separates the savviest job seekers: being ruthless about their goal and every step of the process * (03:59) How smart people get in their own way, from analysis paralysis to doom scrolling instead of practicing * (09:31) Getting unstuck by talking to people, and Ben on candidate-market fit and running your search in “seasons” * (15:50) Why you don’t need a network, just conversations with people who have one * (19:01) Why clear positioning makes you easy to refer, from Marc’s Asana elevator test to Ben’s unprompted intro * (21:58) Why asking for help makes people like you more, and why self-awareness beats stretching for a fit * (30:39) Why AI-reviewed resumes come out generic, and Dan’s sequence for positioning yourself around what the company needs * (37:15) Why people struggle to sell themselves, and why storytelling is the universal skill for interviews and the job * (47:57) The “feedback epidemic”: transcribing everything and asking permission to record real interviews * (57:02) Why your voice matters, and why “I hate listening to myself” isn’t an excuse * (01:04:54) AI feedback vs. expert feedback: Marc’s warning about the average and Dan’s case for starting with AI * (01:08:47) Where to find Dan and how Work Coach helps beyond interviewing * (01:10:04) Gratitude Corner: Dan thanks three people: * Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot’s co-founder and CTO, the reason he sold his company to HubSpot. * Brian Balfour, who helped turn his career around at HubSpot and worked with him for seven years at Reforge. * Buford Taylor, Reforge’s first engineer, who saved him after he deleted a production database table. * And more! Links: * Josh Herzig-Marx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaherzigmarx/ * Lenny’s Podcast: Land your dream job in today’s market (Phyl Terry): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/land-your-dream-job-phyl-terry * Ben’s AI Practice Copilot: https://www.benerez.com/copilot * Dharmesh Shah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharmesh/ * Brian Balfour: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/ * Supra Insider #84: How Reforge launched 5 AI products in 9 months (Brian Balfour): https://suprainsider.substack.com/p/84-how-reforge-launched-5-ai-products * Buford Taylor: https:// www.linkedin.com/in/bufordtaylor/ * Work Coach: https://work.coach * Dan Wolchonok: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielwolchonok/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

October 19, 20261 hr 7 min

#132: Inside the new breed of behavioral interviews at Anthropic and OpenAI | Austen McDonald (Behavioral Interview Coach, ex-Meta)

What if your job in a behavioral interview isn’t to answer the question at all? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Austen McDonald , former engineering manager and hiring committee chair at Meta and author of Mastering Behavioral Interviews . Austen explains why character is what predicts long-term performance. He covers why ownership and adaptability have become the signals companies care about most in the age of AI. And he argues that your real job as a candidate is to guide the interviewer toward the parts of your career that best predict how you’ll do the role. They explore every flavor of behavioral interview, from hiring manager screens and project deep dives to Anthropic’s culture round. Austen explains how to handle an inexperienced interviewer using his “decode, select, deliver” loop. He then walks through building a bank of core stories, structuring long stories so the takeaways are obvious, and matching the clock speed of your stories to the company you’re targeting. Marc and Ben share what they’re seeing on the PM side, from take-homes as the real test of AI fluency to Meta’s product sense with prototyping round. The three also debate whether conflict resolution matters more or less as teams flatten. If you’re a senior engineer or product leader with interviews coming up, haven’t interviewed in a few years and want to know what’s changed, or keep telling strong stories that don’t seem to land- this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (02:09) Why Austen chose behavioral interviews after Meta, and why ownership and adaptability now matter most * (08:38) Mapping every type of behavioral interview, from recruiter screens to team match and project deep dives * (13:23) How Anthropic’s culture round changes the rules, and why Austen never let junior interviewers run behavioral rounds * (19:23) “Your job is not to answer the questions”: the decode, select, deliver loop and how to handle an inexperienced interviewer * (25:01) Ben’s story of a candidate who flipped the question, and why past behavior is more predictive than hypotheticals * (29:23) How to prepare: know yourself, build a bank of core stories, and structure them so the takeaways are obvious * (36:38) Matching the clock speed of your stories to the company, from big tech to the frontier labs * (40:00) When to start preparing, why most people start too late, and keeping a “yay me” file off company servers * (44:55) What’s changing: project deep dives at more levels, automated screens, and questions about how you use AI * (48:59) Marc and Ben’s PM take: take-homes as the real AI fluency test and Meta’s product sense with prototyping round * (56:57) Do conflict resolution skills matter more or less as teams flatten and building gets cheaper? * (01:04:56) Where to find Austen: his book, his Substack, and coaching for senior candidates * (01:05:19) Gratitude Corner: Austen thanks his wife Kokeb, a six-time author and coach for occupational therapists, for showing him the path to entrepreneurship. He also thanks Henry Cheung, a design leader he worked with at Meta, for encouraging him to write the book. * And more! Links: * Mastering Behavioral Interviews (book): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G6CM9T87 * Mastering Behavioral Interviews (Substack): https://thebehavioral.substack.com * Supra Insider #119: How I landed a director role in six weeks (Eric Posen): https://suprainsider.substack.com/p/119-how-i-landed-a-director-role * Kokeb McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kokeb-mcdonald-328a1311/ * Henry Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henryhycheung/ * Austen McDonald (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@thebehavioral * Austen McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austenmc/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

October 12, 20261 hr 25 min

#131: Inside comp negotiation for PM roles at top companies like OpenAI and Anthropic | Colin Lernell (Co-founder @ Valued)

What if the biggest mistake senior product leaders make in negotiation is countering too soon? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Colin Lernell , co-founder and CEO of Valued, a comp negotiation firm, and a former senior product leader. Colin explains why he coaches every client to hold off on the instant counter. Instead, they run due diligence and role alignment calls with the hiring manager and skip-level. Colin walks through how recency bias and loss aversion turn a candidate into a colleague the company is afraid to lose. He also explains why so many top performers undervalue themselves in a market where pay for elite talent has surged. They explore how OpenAI and Anthropic handle their no-negotiation stance and which competing offers actually move them. They get into when a lower level beats a bigger title, and whether sharing a number early helps or hurts. Colin shares his “ask for advice, get a job” tactic for building leverage overnight and the doc he has clients bring to every alignment call. Marc and Ben also debate whether negotiation belongs at the very start of interview prep. If you’re a product leader expecting an offer in the next few weeks, weighing a move into big tech or an AI lab, or unsure how to push for more without damaging the relationship—this episode is for you. Have or expect an offer? Book a free strategy call at feelvalued.co and tell them “INSIDER LOOPS” sent you for $500 off. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:43) Why a skeptical product leader called Valued “the best money I’ll spend” within days of signing * (07:39) Colin’s own mistake: losing his cool on an offer call while holding a $2M competing offer * (11:45) The executive playbook Colin reverse-engineered at Udacity: due diligence before any counter * (14:57) How recency bias and loss aversion turn you from a candidate into a colleague the company can’t afford to lose * (21:08) Why top-talent comp has surged and why even the most senior candidates still under-ask * (31:42) Marc’s devil’s advocate question: does negotiating a big offer put you under a microscope? * (34:40) When a lower level is the smarter move, from Meta’s freeze on external director hires to the L7-to-L8 trap * (38:12) How to negotiate with OpenAI and Anthropic despite their no-negotiation policies * (48:48) Should you share a number on the first recruiter call? A listener’s doubled offer vs. Colin’s counterpoint * (57:09) When to bring in a negotiator, and how five LinkedIn messages created three Mag 7 processes overnight * (01:01:39) Marc and Ben debate whether salary negotiation should be step zero of interview prep * (01:14:28) What goes in the role alignment doc, and how an Apple candidate unlocked double equity * (01:20:48) Where to find Colin: free workshops, guides, and consult calls at feelvalued.co * (01:22:37) Gratitude Corner: Colin thanks his first manager in Silicon Valley for showing him how to be warm and politically savvy at once, and his wife, a longtime PM, for teaching him the balance behind a long career * And more! Links: * Supra Insider #8: The Product Leadership Job Search with Aakash Gupta: https://suprainsider.substack.com/p/8-the-product-leadership-job-search * “How to Land a Product Leadership Job” (Aakash Gupta & Colin Lernell): https://www.news.aakashg.com/p/product-leadership-job-search * Valued: https://www.feelvalued.co * Have or expect an offer? Book a free strategy call at feelvalued.co and tell them “INSIDER LOOPS” sent you for $500 off. * Colin’s first manager in Silicon Valley, Christian Plagemann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/plagemann * Colin’s wife, Robin Lernell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-marie-miller * Colin Lernell YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ColinLate * Colin Lernell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinlernell/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

October 5, 20261 hr 12 min

#130: Inside the current executive recruiting market | Nolan Church (Founder @ Mafia Talent, ex-Carta, DoorDash)

What changes about hiring an executive when the best candidates suddenly have fifteen generational companies to choose from and no reason to pick up the phone? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Nolan Church , who was the first head of talent at DoorDash, then chief people officer at Carta, and who now runs executive searches for a small number of companies at a time. Ben worked for him directly at Continuum, and the two of them walk through what has actually shifted in the executive market: why the clearing price for a great hire is no longer about compensation, why the executive who talks a lot and does nothing has seen demand for their services collapse, and what founders are really buying when they bring in an outside recruiter. They explore the framework Nolan builds every search around, how he gets almost anyone on the phone cold, why he treats relationship building and assessment as separate modes that companies routinely collapse too early, and what he thinks great executive assessment looks like given that structured interviews are only so predictive. If you’re hiring your first executives, thinking about your own next move at that level, or curious how the top of the talent market actually works, this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:30) Why Nolan calls this the craziest moment in tech history for executive hiring * (03:14) The clearing price isn’t just comp, it’s life design * (07:16) “I don’t believe in work-life balance, I just believe in life,” and where 996 actually fits * (09:55) The three things an executive is really hired to do * (10:52) The empty suit, and why demand for that kind of executive has gone to zero * (19:14) Why Elon never pays for an outside recruiter, and what VCs now have to offer instead * (28:44) What counts as a successful executive hire, and hiring for the next nine to twelve months * (30:45) Why the best executive search is about removing asymmetry * (35:49) The MOC framework: mission, outcome, competency, and why it beats a job description * (42:15) Executives are like flowers in the spring, and why speed at all costs is a fail state * (46:09) His secret sauce: 98% of the people he talks to start as cold outreach * (52:02) Why he thinks really good recruiting is a moral good, and the tax that comes with it * (59:13) What executive assessment actually looks like, and why interviews give weaker signal than people assume * (1:09:55) Gratitude Corner: Nolan thanks his parents, his wife, and the people who bet on him early * And more! Links: * “The Empty Suit Executive” by Tyler Hogge: https://www.tylerhogge.com/blog/the-empty-suit-executive/ * Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4989687-who * Andreessen Horowitz executive hiring guide: https://a16z.com/executive-hiring/ * Andrew Munday: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-munday-51479612/ * Tony Xu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xutony/ * Henry Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heward/ * Jeff Clavier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffclavier/ * Chad Packard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-packard-2397022/ * Nolan Church: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolan-church/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

September 28, 20261 hr 7 min

#129: The challenges of working with AI in single-player mode | Andrew Somervell (Co-founder @ Hamster)

When every individual on your team can suddenly move ten times faster, what stops them from moving ten times faster in ten different directions? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Andrew Somervell , co-founder of Hamster, an AI-native workspace for product teams. Andrew and his co-founder built Taskmaster, the open-source tool that shipped plan mode before the major coding tools had it, and the question that kept coming back from users was how to take it to work. He explains why that pointed at a team problem rather than a tooling problem, and why he doesn’t believe PMs want to live in a CLI. They explore the artifacts Andrew thinks a team actually needs, why he killed the PRD and what he ended up building in its place, the three meetings his team runs every week, and Ben’s repeated pressing on the harder question underneath all of it: what genuinely changes when AI becomes multiplayer rather than a set of people each working alone with it. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:33) How Taskmaster led to Hamster: solving context locally, then hearing “how do I take this to work?” * (05:55) The Cursor Cafe conversation, and why he let go of the open-source moat * (12:41) Marc and Ben walk through their own clunky brief workflow, and Andrew’s verdict * (15:35) The three artifacts: a brief for stakeholders, a spec for engineering, a plan for delivery * (21:52) Killing the PRD, and the graveyard of draft briefs that followed * (23:28) Their three meetings a week, and why discovery is the one he loves * (25:27) Treating ideas like pets, and what happens when anyone can ship a huge PR * (28:03) Direction setting: strategy on a page, tied to live metrics * (32:14) Ben presses on what’s actually different about multiplayer versus single-player * (35:33) Andrew’s answer: alignment first, then speed and cohesion * (40:35) The nine challenges that surfaced from 70-plus calls with product leaders * (55:43) Ben’s takeaway on why two co-founders stay aligned, and what breaks when you add people * (1:05:09) Gratitude Corner: Andrew thanks his co-founder Eyal and his Supra group * And more! Links: * Hamster: https://tryhamster.com/ * Hamster community Slack: https://tryhamster.com/slack * Eyal Toledano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eyaltoledano * Andrew Somervell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewsomervell/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

September 21, 20261 hr 20 min

#128: Inside the morning ritual that re-energized our podcast | Ben Erez & Marc Baselga (co-founders, Insider Loops)

What do you do when you’re putting in the same hours, running the same playbook, and the numbers stop moving? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez talk through the slowdown their business hit over the summer and how they worked their way out of it. They walk through the blockbuster April that became a false baseline, the moment in late June when the trend was undeniable, and what the analytics revealed once they finally looked properly: traffic was down, and the traffic they had wasn’t converting. They explore why Marc thinks burnout comes from inputs not matching outputs rather than from working hard, what momentum actually is and why losing it is so hard to shake, the content system they built that produced consistently bad posts, and the realization that no amount of good execution rescues a weak idea. They also lay out the protocol they’d use the next time one of them stops having fun. If you’re running a business through a flat stretch, building a content engine that isn’t landing, or working with a partner and wondering how to say the hard thing out loud, this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:32) Marc on the first signal: more hours going in, and the numbers refusing to move * (03:28) The blockbuster April they mistook for a new baseline * (05:51) What the analytics showed once they looked properly: traffic down, conversion worse * (08:56) Why Marc thinks burnout comes from inputs not matching outputs * (09:45) Naming it out loud, and why that gave them permission to change things * (12:50) Ben defines momentum, and why he couldn’t enjoy a beach vacation without it * (17:50) Why paid acquisition was premature, and how go-to-market became a content problem * (23:21) The system they built to draft posts end to end, and why the output was bad * (26:19) Spending zero time at the idea level, and executing ten out of ten on a two out of ten * (29:17) Morning writing blocks: using their most productive hours on the actual bottleneck * (33:56) How a LinkedIn post about rejection turned into an episode booked on the spot * (45:09) Why “why are you interested in this?” produced a post ten times better * (50:15) Working up the leverage ladder, and the co-founder benefits they didn’t expect * (1:12:12) The protocol for next time: name it, check in, find ground truth, scope a step * And more! Links: * Ben’s post about how he handles rejection: https://benerez.substack.com/p/how-i-handle-setbacks-and-coach-resilience * Episode about Rejection: https://suprainsider.substack.com/p/120-how-to-stop-taking-rejection * Insider Loops: https://www.insiderloops.com/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

September 11, 20261 hr 10 min

#127: What we learned from hiring dozens of people in this market | Jori Bell (VP, Core Experience @ Hampton)

What are hiring managers actually looking for right now, when everyone has a polished resume and nobody knows what the job will look like in a year? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez welcome back Jori Bell , VP of Core Experience at Hampton, where she runs the peer group experience for high-growth founders. Jori sits at an unusual intersection: she has spent the past year hiring for her own team while also coaching product leaders through the existential side of this market. She explains the mindset she screens for, borrowed from the drama triangle, and why she would rather hire someone adaptable than someone who has done the exact job before. They explore why a brand name on your resume opens doors but no longer closes them, the “why you” question most candidates never answer well, what actually makes an outreach message worth acting on, and what a year of hiring taught her about connections, in-person onsites, and treating a job posting like a marketing campaign. If you’re job searching and unsure what to lead with, hiring and rethinking your process, or a product leader trying to figure out what this moment asks of you, this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:28) Jori’s three vantage points: leading Core at Hampton, coaching product leaders, and her own path * (03:37) The drama triangle, and why she hires for a creator mindset over a victim one * (06:54) Why brand names open doors but no longer close them * (10:29) What to do when your company restricts your tools, including extending STAR with the hypothetical * (13:07) Why LinkedIn is now the first artifact she looks at, and the resume comes later * (14:49) Storytelling as marketing: the headline, and the “why you” most candidates fail to answer * (21:31) Specialization versus adaptability, and why having done the job can be a hindrance * (26:26) What actually stands out on LinkedIn, and it isn’t the profile * (31:39) If you need something from someone, do the work and make it dead simple * (37:13) Leaving people excited, and the mind-meld moment that earns a second conversation * (45:40) A year of hiring: connections, in-person onsites, and the clown car * (49:25) Where she lands on take-homes versus case study interviews * (58:14) Running a job posting like a marketing campaign, with a hit list for outreach * (1:09:48) Gratitude Corner: Jori thanks her coach, Mike Lewis * And more! Links: * Jori’s Substack, Product Therapy: https://www.joribell.com/ * Jori’s hiring for: https://joinhampton.com/careers/Moderator-Success-Lead * Mike Lewis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelewis/ * Jori’s first appearance on Supra Insider: https://suprainsider.substack.com/p/67-untangling-identity-from-job-title?r=486xld * Jori Bell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jori-bell/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

September 7, 202647 min

#126: How to approach PM takehomes for interviews | Ben Erez & Marc Baselga (co-founder, Insider Loops)

Why do so many strong candidates make it deep into an interview process and then quietly lose it on the take-home? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez record one of the morning writing blocks they usually have off the record. Ben has been coaching people through take-homes and noticed almost everyone approaches them the same way: clear the calendar, disappear into a cave, submit. He walks through what he sees when people send him the assignments that didn’t pass, and the two distinct problems those submissions tend to have. They explore how much you can plan before the prompt even arrives, why you often have more say over the timeline than you realize, and the support system Ben now tells people to build in advance, with one person checking whether the story lands and another qualified to judge whether the ideas are any good. Marc pushes on when to act on which kind of feedback, and Ben makes the case that nobody can evaluate an idea they can’t find. If you have a take-home coming up, you’re coaching someone who does, or you’re a hiring manager wondering what separates the submissions that stand out, this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:25) Marc breaks down the different flavors of take-home assignment * (04:40) Why take-homes are the least predictable vector in an interview loop * (06:46) The default approach: treating it as a heads-down solo assignment * (09:20) Plan day by day, and use the agency you have over when the clock starts * (10:14) The spectrum of candidate calendars, and why everyone still gets the same five days * (14:04) The two reasons submissions fail: legibility and weak substance * (16:53) Why the bar has moved, and how AI raised both the floor and the ceiling * (21:24) Recruit one or two people to help before the prompt arrives * (22:08) The 30-minute session to chew on the prompt together * (25:42) The two reviewer roles: legibility and subject matter expertise * (34:28) Why none of this guarantees a pass, and why it’s still worth doing * (39:38) The story is the packaging, and why nobody can judge ideas they can’t find * (44:31) Why a strong artifact has the longest shelf life in any interview loop * And more! Links: * Insider Loops: https://www.insiderloops.com/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

August 31, 20261 hr 5 min

#125: How founders turn childhood wounds into superpowers | Dr. Gillian O'Shea Brown (Author & Psychotherapist)

What if part of the drive that built your company began as a childhood defense mechanism? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez sit down with Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown , a psychotherapist, complex trauma specialist, and NYU adjunct faculty member whose second book, Psyche’s Awakening, comes out in September. Founders started finding her without her ever setting out to work with them, and she explains what she has noticed in that rare window into a guarded mind: that success often functions as a thermostat for psychological safety, and that the goalpost tends to keep moving even after the exit. They explore whether healing your wounds costs you the edge that got you here, what a gut feeling actually is and how Gillian connects intuition with nervous-system regulation, and why some companies rely more on process and less on intuition as they scale. Gillian also walks through how she helps people find the patterns underneath their behavior, using questions Marc and Ben put to her about their own lives. If you’re a founder wondering what’s underneath your drive, an operator trying to build somewhere that feels psychologically safe, or anyone curious how childhood patterns show up at work, this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (01:49) How founders became Gillian’s clientele without her ever setting out to attract them * (05:19) Success as a thermostat of psychological safety, and what people chasing chips actually want * (10:33) What surfaces after the exit, when the goalpost moves and you’re finally alone with yourself * (12:14) Marc’s fear that healing costs you your edge, and sublimation from Phelps to Schwarzenegger * (14:25) Listening for your “I am” beliefs and mapping your psychological Achilles heel * (23:16) What a gut feeling actually is, and why intuition needs a regulated nervous system * (29:49) Why companies trade intuition for process as they scale * (39:43) Ben’s origin story, and how Gillian reframes the work he does now as a corrective experience * (43:04) Is a wound ever fully healed? The scar tissue metaphor and repetition compulsion * (48:37) Marc brings up their worst argument, and Gillian names it as an abreaction * (54:08) How to find your own wounds, plus the erotic-emotional map * (58:39) On choosing a partner: don’t mistake contention for passion * (1:04:11) Gratitude Corner: Gillian thanks her daughters Genevieve and Juliet, and her husband Grant * And more! Links: * Pre-order Psyche’s Awakening: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/psyches-awakening-dr-gillian-oshea-brown?variant=44639204999202 * Gillian’s website: https://www.drgillianosheabrown.com/ * Gillian’s Substack: https://drgillianosheabrown.substack.com/ * Gillian’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.gillianosheabrown/ * Gillian’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.gillianosheabrown * Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drgillianosheabrown/ * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

August 24, 20261 hr 18 min

#124: Inside Anthropic's culture interview | Ben Erez & Marc Baselga (co-founders, Insider Loops)

What does it tell you about a company when every single person it hires, in every function, has to pass the same interview about culture? In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc Baselga and Ben Erez set the guest format aside for a conversation Marc started because he noticed something new. After two years of coaching people through interview loops, this was the first time he’d seen Ben genuinely fascinated by one specific interview at one specific company. Ben walks through what he’s pieced together about Anthropic’s culture interview: the no-exceptions policy, the rapid-fire format of ten or more questions in a single 45-minute slot, and the fact that anyone at the company, from marketing to IT, can be trained to run it. They explore the questions that actually get asked, what Ben believes is being evaluated underneath them, why “why Anthropic” demands more depth than the same question anywhere else, and whether the filter holds as the company gets hotter and more candidates learn to say the right things. Then they turn to the question Ben finds most interesting: why almost no other company does this, and what happens inside a company when employees are calibrated to evaluate culture. If you’re preparing for an interview at a frontier lab, thinking about how your own company screens for values, or just curious what a well-designed culture filter looks like from the outside, this episode is for you. All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify , Apple and YouTube . New to the pod? Subscribe below to get the next episode in your inbox 👇 Want company-specific interview intel? If you’re preparing for PM interviews at Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Stripe, DoorDash, Uber, or Figma… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops . You can read about it in Ben’s LI post , Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below. Supra Insider listeners get $50 off all interview guides with promo code SUPRAINSIDER50 In this episode, we covered the following topics: * (02:55) Anthropic’s no-exceptions policy: every candidate, every function, the same interview * (04:55) The format: ten to fifteen questions in 45 minutes, not two or three deep stories * (13:15) The two Dario Amodei essays candidates are pointed to, and the light and shade framing * (16:17) A sampling of the questions that actually get asked * (19:15) How Ben coaches the revenue versus safety question by first questioning the premise * (23:55) What he thinks they’re evaluating: communication, intellectual honesty, and authenticity * (26:59) Walking through Anthropic’s seven values and what each one signals * (31:39) Why “why Anthropic” demands more depth than the same question anywhere else * (39:40) The cult comparison, and why you mostly have to convince them you belong * (44:12) Missionaries versus mercenaries, and whether the filter holds as the company grows * (46:52) The bigger question: why doesn’t any other company do this? * (55:55) The flywheel: calibrating employees as interviewers reinforces culture internally * (1:13:49) Why the STAR method backfires here, and how to read the rapid-fire dynamic * And more! Links: * Two essays required for Anthropic’s Interview: * Machines of Loving Grace by Dario Amodei (2024): https://darioamodei.com/essay/machines-of-loving-grace * The Adolescence of Technology by Dario Amodei: https://darioamodei.com/essay/the-adolescence-of-technology * Anthropic’s values: https://www.anthropic.com/careers * Acquired on Sequoia Capital: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/sequoia-capital-part-1 * Insider Loops: https://www.insiderloops.com * Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/ * Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/ If you’re a new subscriber, we encourage you to check out some of the recent episodes you might have missed: To support the podcast, please check out the links below: * Check out Ben’s AI Practice Copilot and top-rated Maven course : Self-Paced PM Interview Bootcamp: Product Sense & Analytical Thinking (selected by Lenny Rachitsky as a top course 🔥). Get 25% off the course with promo code suprainsider ( auto-applied here ). * Supra has teamed up with Maven to bring you something special – courses that our own community members have personally curated. And because you’re part of the Supra family, you can get up to 35% off some of these handpicked selections with code SUPRAxMAVEN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit suprainsider.substack.com

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