I have always wondered about the product team behind Google Maps. When I was a “young” PM working at Kroger, we were experimenting with a 30 minute grocery delivery SLA for our customers. One of the features we felt really strongly about what the “Uber” concept of being able to track the delivery of your order from the store to your location. Since we were a scrappy (not crappy) lean team we knew that we could not build the mapping technology from scratch. Enter Google Maps API.
Personally this one product has completely changed my life. I may be dating myself but I am of the generation that used a paper map. I graduated into MapQuest where I would print the directions before I left. So having a guided tour really rocked my world. I would say even more so for my lovely but completely directionally illiterate Mom. Gone are the phone calls of “I am at this intersection…which way do I go?” While we have found other topics for me to train my Mom on the relief she and I both feel when she is using Google Maps is immense!
I often wonder what life would be like without mapping technology. I am not sure any of us truly understands how many products are using this. I am glad that we do not really ever need to know because Manik and his team built this amazing product for us. This is why I am so hooked to product. Hopefully I will look back one day and say I changed the entire trajectory of technology with a feature or product. Manik should be proud of his life’s work. Best part is…he was not finished! He has gone on to do amazing work.
This was a really good listen. Really good. So many more tidbits but obviously I got googly eyed and stuck on Google Maps!
Where to Listen: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/manik-gupta-ex-cpo-uber-google-maps
Where to find Manik:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manikg/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/manikgupta
Lenny's Links
