Best of the Pod: She Built an AI Product Manager Bringing in Six Figures—As A Side Hustle

Overview

This episode explores how Claire Vo, Chief Product Officer at LaunchDarkly, built ChatPRD, an AI-powered product management tool, as a side hustle. The conversation delves into how she leveraged AI to create a six-figure business in her spare time, the evolving role of product managers in an AI-driven world, and how she integrates AI into her professional and personal life.

Notable Quotes

- I built Notion-style editing in a day by myself while my kids were watching Aladdin. - Claire Vo, on the ease of building with modern tools.

- You're saving me 10 hours of work in 15 minutes. Use those 10 hours to do something awesome for the company. - Claire Vo, on the efficiency gains from AI.

- The ratio of PMs to builders is going to shift dramatically. One PM could soon lead 20 engineers. - Claire Vo, on AI's impact on product management.

🚀 Building ChatPRD: From Idea to Execution

- Claire created ChatPRD, an AI-powered tool for writing and improving product requirement documents (PRDs), over Thanksgiving weekend using tools like Next.js, Tailwind, and TipTap Editor.

- Initially built as a personal productivity tool, it now has over 10,000 users and generates six figures in annual revenue.

- Claire emphasized the role of AI in accelerating development, allowing her to build complex features like document editors and collaborative tools solo.

🤖 The Future of Product Management in an AI World

- Claire predicts a shift in the PM-to-engineer ratio, with one PM potentially managing up to 20 engineers due to AI efficiencies.

- Junior PMs can now ramp up faster with AI acting as an on-demand coach, enabling them to deliver higher-impact work earlier in their careers.

- Strategic thinking, once a hallmark of senior PMs, is increasingly being augmented by AI, which excels at applying frameworks and synthesizing data.

🏡 AI in Personal Life: Parenting and Productivity Hacks

- Claire uses AI to automate responses to recruiter emails and summarize daily school communications for her kids, saving hours of time.

- She has built creative projects with her children, like AI-generated Pokémon-style Greek mythology cards and a kid-friendly recipe website with step-by-step instructions and illustrations.

- AI tools also help her answer her children’s curious questions, like identifying historical events they vaguely recall.

💡 Lessons on Building and Scaling AI Products

- Distribution is key: Claire leveraged her existing audience to promote ChatPRD, creating a virtuous cycle of word-of-mouth growth.

- She releases updates every weekend, demonstrating the low cost and high speed of building in an AI-native environment.

- Claire is exploring whether traditional venture funding is necessary for AI products like ChatPRD, which can scale profitably with minimal resources.

🌟 The Role of Inspiration and Leadership in an AI-Driven Future

- While AI excels at execution and synthesis, Claire believes human PMs will remain essential for inspiring teams, aligning stakeholders, and setting visionary goals.

- The concept of proto-managers may emerge, where PMs are expected to create prototypes rather than just specs, blending product and technical skills.

- Claire emphasizes the importance of staying ahead by experimenting with AI tools to understand their potential and limitations.