Who’s Gib?
I was VP of Product at Netflix, starting in 2005. In 2010, I became Chief Product Officer of Chegg, a textbook rental and homework help company that went public in 2014. Today, I host talks, workshops, and exec events all around the world. I’m also a guest lecturer at both Stanford and INSEAD.
What is the “Ask Gib” Newsletter?
I answer product questions a few times each month. (You can ask and upvote questions here.) There are more than five hundred questions and some have as many as one hundred upvotes. “Ask Gib” has 17,000 subscribers and 2,000 new product leaders join each month. The newsletter is free to all.
What product leaders say about the “Ask Gib” newsletter
"The key to a great newsletter is delivering value to your readers, consistently. I can't think of a better example of this in action than Gibs' newsletter. I honestly don't know how he does this."
Lenny Rachitsky, author of “Lenny’s Newsletter,” former Airbnb Growth PM, SF
“I am an avid reader of Gib’s newsletter. His no-nonsense advice ensures that Product Managers can overcome and thrive through the challenges they face. If you are a builder in tech, his column is a must-read.”
Deb Liu, CEO Ancestry, co-founder of Women in Product
“As a leader, you never arrive with field notes from a person with such vast experience. Gib’s essays are incredibly valuable. One of the mailing lists I'm always looking forward to and consistently recommend to my peers.”
Natalia Segnitz, Process Manager at CLARK, Berlin, Germany
“I’m constantly impressed by the openness and thoughtfulness Gib shows in sharing his experiences and frameworks. “Ask Gib” is an amazing resource filled with incredible examples to help product leaders to do their jobs better.”
Jackie Bavaro, co-author of Cracking the PM Interview & Career, former Asana head of PM, San Francisco
“Helping makers is an important task and Gibson is doing it with his stories and know-how.”
Garry Tan, Managing Partner at Initialized Capital
“Every read makes me think and tweak a bit of my approach to improve and get better.”
Barry O’Reilly, Business Advisor, Entrepreneur and Author of Unlearn and Lean Enterprise
“Gib is an amazing product leader and overall inspiration for me. He has been very generous in sharing his time and advice. “Ask Gib” is can’t miss content if you’re a product manager or anyone building products.”
Peter Yang, Product Lead at Reddit
“Gib’s newsletter is one of my favorite PM newsletters. It’s full of valuable, actionable advice for anyone building products - from leaders to PMs just starting their careers. It has been such a great resource for me and my team.”
Ami Murthy, VP of Product at New Relic, Portland, Oregon
“Gib’s newsletters are like gems in your inbox. He offers insights for product leaders at every stage of their careers. He tackles difficult subjects that most are unwilling to address. I recommend “Ask Gib” to every product leader I know.”
Flori Fischetti, Head of Product at EarnUp, San Francisco
“Gib’s essays are full of real-life examples that are humble, open, and deeply practical. Gib’s human touch with product topics is inspiring, whether you’re just starting your career or are a grizzled veteran.”
Eric Bin, Director of Product at Article.com, Vancouver, BC, Canada
“Gib’s newsletter answers tough questions that every PM struggles with. Gib provides clear frameworks and his experience as a guide. As PMs, we all are learning by doing. Gib’s wisdom lets you stand on the shoulder of giants. “
Karen Hsieh, Principal PM at Polydice, Taipei, Taiwan
"Gibson’s ability to distill his experience into culturally relevant and actionable tidbits of goodness is second to none. As a continuous learner of all things product, I look forward to every essay in his “Ask Gib” newsletter. I can’t recommend it enough!"
Dan Wu, Global Product Manager at JLL, Chicago
“Gibson’s newsletter is an amazing way to connect to what other product leaders are facing, and it helps me to see we are not alone in the battle. It’s great to see how Gib’s career progressed -- it paves a lane for me to follow where before the path was largely unknown. I highly recommend this newsletter.”
Cristal Rodríguez, PM Director at Walmart Mexico eCommerce, Mexico City
“Gib has a wealth of knowledge on building products, teams, and culture, and the value I gain from reading his newsletters is nearly unmatched. He delivers insight with every essay and digs into the topics I only wish other thought leaders would open up about.”
Krista Gambrel, Founder at Ende Collective & Co-Founder, NFT Printer, NYC
“Gib is inspiring and down to earth! His stories inspire the best of product leaders to be better. He’s able to break down tough product challenges in ways that are both understandable and overcome-able. I always learn something new when I read Gib’s essays.”
Heather Samarin, Co-Founder Product Rebels, co-author Groundwork: Get Better at Making Better Products, Portland, Oregon
"Gib is a master at engaging his audience through storytelling. Rich examples from his years of experience not only teach valuable lessons but inspire his audience to step up their game. Gib's newsletter is a great resource for everyone to share in these learnings."
John Dawes, Product Lead at Square, San Francisco
“There is a lot of noise out there when it comes to learning the craft of product management and leadership. Gib’s newsletter (like everything he does) provides a clear signal through its authentic, incisive, and accessible approach to thorny topics. This is a must-subscribe for anyone looking to learn from the best.”
Nonso Maduka, Director of Product at Glassdoor
“I spent years with Gib in the battle trenches at Netflix. Time and again, he took the chaotic swirl of everything happening, and boiled it down to the three things that actually mattered. This gave us the clarity to figure out how to move forward. He has taken his insights to a new level with his newsletter, drawing from his experiences across many different companies. I highly recommend anyone in tech become a subscriber and avid reader.”
John Ciancutti, VP/GM Amazon.com
“As I have navigated my product career, Gib is someone I’ve always looked up to for advice. He knows the hard work of leading product teams isn’t just pitching a great vision (though that matters a lot), but wallowing in every single detail, and making the hard decisions when they are as clear as mud. I admire his ability to articulate these tough situations we all experience every day. His words are worth subscribing to, printing out, and reading over and over.”
Josh Elman, former VP Product Robinhood, Board of Directors, Discord, Medium, San Francisco
“Gib loves learning and mastering new things every day. It's no surprise that his success building some of the most novel digital products of our age can be broken down into digestible nuggets of insights for product leaders in his newsletter. Gib’s generosity and willingness to teach and inspire people is something everyone in the product community should leverage for their career.”
Sarah Bernard, COO, Customer Success, Greenhouse Software, San Francisco
“If there were a product school, Gib would be its principal. His writing is incredibly useful for leaders at any stage of their journey. His newsletter helps leaders to take charge in building their product careers— it’s is a must-read for any PM, Designer, or Engineer.”
Sayan Maiti, Group Product Manager Sixt (Ex - Swiggy, Freecharge, Snapdeal, Oracle), India
“Product management can be a lonely, confusing, high-stress career. Gib’s advice, fused with his optimism and empathy, breaks down the hard work of product management in easy-to-digest ways while helping folks rediscover how to make building products fun and exciting again. Gib’s content is not just full of practical wisdom, it’s food for the product manager soul.”
Tatyana Mamut, CPO/GM (ex - Nextdoor, Amazon, Salesforce, IDEO)
“I really look forward to reading Gib’s content. He has an authenticity and vulnerability that I can really relate to. When I feel unsure, or a bout of imposter syndrome rears its ugly head, boom! There he is in my inbox with the exact insight I needed to move forward with confidence. I have implemented his tactics, strategies, and advice many times over, which has completely transformed my team, company, and my career.”
Deedee Olsen, VP Product - IdeaCloud, Salt Lake City, Utah
“Gib’s workshops and talks on product strategy and culture have been incredibly well-received by our portfolio companies over the years. Gib’s newsletter builds on the same themes he touches on in those live events. His responses are concise, well-written, and, in Gib fashion, packed with gems of insights. They’re valuable quick-reads.”
Jennifer Wu, Venture Partner, Reach Capital, San Francisco
“Gib’s newsletters are like eating your vegetables but having them taste like candy. He distills years of experience into easy-to-understand & apply nuggets of timely wisdom. I highly recommend anything Gib does to anyone who will listen-- or reads!”
Tom Willerer, Chief Product Officer, Opendoor
“Within an hour of meeting Gib, I realized one of his super-powers is creating a high impact in a short amount of time. From one-on-one coffees to workshops, he is a value creation machine with a generosity of spirit. It is no surprise to me that his newsletter is likewise both compact and high impact for the product management profession.”
Rosalee Gordon, Fractional CPO
“Gib has a special way of communicating that is down-to-earth, easy-to-understand, and accessible – but so full of insight and depth that you’re still thinking about it and talking to others about it days and weeks later. Damn, he’s good.”
Vidya Dinamani, Product Coach, co-Founder Product Rebels, co-author of Groundwork, San Diego
“Gib will help you build better and lead better. He draws from a wealth of experience in the trenches, and is driven by a genuine desire to teach and inspire.”
Mike Stern, CEO of Connected, Toronto.
“Without Gib’s wisdom, I would not have a product management career. Full stop. Regardless of the stage of your career, Gib’s newsletter presents bite-sized forms of a lifetime’s worth of earned PM experience that can be immediately executed and leveraged in your own PM journey.”
Jordan Smallwood, Amazon PM-T, San Francisco
“Gib is my favorite product expert because I can actually use the methods he teaches. You can tell he's been on the front lines and has done the work, not just talked about it. Product management is different at every company and the "flavor of the week" academic frameworks that everyone loves to talk about are hard to apply to your unique situation. It's much more rewarding to learn from someone who's been in the trenches!”
Phil Freund, RSA Security Senior PM (formerly H&R Block, Sprint)
“Gib’s newsletter is my only must-read newsletter. Period. His newsletter is not only insightful but also it’s a joy to read. I constantly bring his frameworks and advice into my product practice. If you want to level up your product skills, read Gib’s newsletter.”
Archie Abrams, VP Product @ Shopify
“Gib's newsletter is a treasure trove of answers to frequent product management questions. I know Gib IRL and his generous spirit and willingness to help really shine through in each essay he writes."
Nir Eyal, Bestselling author of "Hooked" and "Indistractable", Singapore
“Few publications so consistently deliver value as Gib’s newsletter. Like guidance from a trusted mentor, “Ask Gib” shares hard-earned lessons from decades in the field. After a career building culture-shaping products, Gib’s now helping to build the next generation of product leaders. Essential reading you’ll always look forward to receiving.”
Duncan Schouten, Product Manager, XWP, Vancouver, BC
“I subscribed to the "Ask Gib" newsletter after attending Gib's "Inventing the Future Is Hard" presentation. I bought into Gib's candid approach to product leadership, and how he embraced his mistakes. I was so pleased to see that approach translated into his "Ask Gib" newsletter. It is my current go-to resource for all things product leadership and, no doubt, will continue to help me improve my skills throughout my career.”
Greg Stait, Product Manager, GoCompare, United Kingdom
Gib is one of the most insightful Product gurus in Silicon Valley. For the last decade, I have relied on his advice and mentorship for every major career decision I have made. The “Ask Gib” newsletter, filled with real-life examples and insights, is a fantastic resource no matter where you are in your career journey.
Abhinav Agrawal, Founder/CEO of Rocket (formerly at Renzu - acquired by SurveyMonkey, Zynga, Amazon and McKinsey)
“Over the years I have listened to Gib's presentations and read his articles, finding lots valuable insights and pearls of wisdom. Gib is now generously making his wealth of knowledge available in convenient bite-size pieces through his 'Ask Gib' Newsletter - a wonderful gift and an incredible resource for the entire product community.”
Laura Marino - Chief Product Officer, TrueAccord; Guest Lecturer Stanford University; Board Member, LWT: Advancing Women in Leadership
“Amid a deluge of new Substacks and podcasts, Gib’s newsletter is one of the few that I read immediately when it arrives. His stories are always relevant, and they are told with a candor and humility that is refreshing. Essential reading!”
Chris Fargis, former Director of Product @ DraftKings
“I love reading Gib’s newsletter because it is so relatable and authentic. He reaches out directly to the product community to hear what is most top of mind and answers questions directly, along with clear actionable steps. Gib’s newsletter is filled with product insights— I love soaking up his wealth of knowledge. “Ask Gib” is a must-have in your inbox!”
Sara Zalowitz, Sr. Product Advisor/Coach, Prodify
“Gib talks about building your personal board of directors, and I’m glad he’s on mine. Although I consider myself a product veteran, I still learn about product excellence through Gib’s talks, by working with him on the Product Leader Summit, and now through his ‘Ask Gib’ newsletter. Gib is a wealth of product knowledge. Don’t miss the chance to learn from one of the best thought leaders in product”
Ha Nguyen, Chief Experience Officer, Swimply (SF Bay Area)
"Gib's newsletter is worth its weight in gold. Whether covering an expected topic, like how to manage a CEO’s pet projects, or an original subject, like how to form your personal board of directors, his breadth of writing has something for everyone that touches a product. A big plus is his light hearted tone that's both refreshing and approachable. I'm a stronger product person because of Gib."
John McMahon, Senior Director at Giving Assistant, San Francisco
“The two things I value most about Gib’s newsletters and podcast are that i) they always include a simple but valuable framework that can be applied to problems that every product leader encounters, and ii) he provides tangible examples of how he's used those frameworks to improve himself, his teams, and his products."
Danny Beck, Sr. Director of New Product Development, VW Group of America
“Sugar, Spice and everything Product? Yup! I always look forward to Gib’s golden nuggets of information (GibNuggets?). Check out his newsletter and pay close attention - this is as close as you’ll get to receiving A+ advice backed by real-life experience. Gib’s growing a special community of followers (Gibsters?) with his value-added approach.”
Sameer Nizamuddin, Manager, Deloitte Consulting (Proud Gibster)
“Gib’s newsletter is a window into the world of all the messy questions and obstacles product leaders face throughout their careers. The value is in the realness Gib brings and how applicable his lessons are to the actual work we’re all doing. It’s a must-read for every product leader.”
Michelle Henry, VP of Product, Robin (Boston, MA)
“Have you ever left a 1:1 with an “a-ha” insight that changes your perspective in an actionable way? With his newsletter, Gib delivers the “a-ha” every week. His frameworks are memorable and readily applicable, and he illustrates them with deeply personal lessons. All delivered with his trademark humor and candor. A must-subscribe for any aspiring product leader.”
Kyle Ramsay, Sr. Director of Product, NerdWallet (SF, CA)
“Point me to another newsletter where you can ask whatever burning question you have on product management, and an experienced product leader will answer it for you. This newsletter is absolute gold! Go on now, Ask Gib a question!”
Damon Nofar, Founder/Creative Director, Slides agency (Sevilla, Spain)
“Looking for advice and lessons that stick? Gib is a master storyteller with sage advice in every “Ask Gib” essay he writes. Each day, you will walk away with a memorable insight, and Gib’s stories compound and work off each other so make sure you subscribe —you don’t want to miss an essay!”
Andrew Nguyen, Head of Product, Mobile at Zappos (Amazon)
“Gib’s product leadership insights are so valuable because they are mined from his real world experience building products that hundreds of millions of people love. The “war stories” are the best part of his newsletter and really make the lessons sticky in the mind. If I could only subscribe to one PM newsletter, it would be Gib’s.”
Alex Le, VP of Product, Design, and Community at Reddit
"Gib’s newletter is incredible. The role of a product leader is often lonely. His newsletter provides well-tested and super actionable insights on how to navigate some of the trickiest product and people challenges, but even more, serves to remind you that there’s a huge community of other successful product leaders out there fighting the same fight. It’s game-changing — Gib enables you to be a better and more confident product person, full stop."
Jessica Chen Riolfi, Founder & CEO at Ontrail, ex-Earnin, TransferWise, Robinhood
“Gib's newsletter is a gold mine of knowledge and resources for Product Management and Leadership. It has become my daily read and I get better as a Product Leader every day through its amazing content and actionable takeaways. Every golden nugget is practical, engaging, and highly relevant in today's Product world.”
Tolulope Ayeni, Product Lead, Rexel
"Gib's newsletter stands alone – clear case studies, packed with actionable insights and advice, all wrapped in Gib's unique, inviting, and approachable voice. The ‘Ask Gib’ newsletter consistently provides an arsenal of helpful tools, models, and frameworks.
Andrew Yu, Program Director, Product Management @ OnDeck, ex-LinkedIn, Biden Campaign
“Yes, please! That's what I told Gib when he asked what I thought about his starting a newsletter. And he nailed it! The “Ask Gib” format provides a natural way for Gib to share his experience and deep knowledge of what great product strategy and leadership look like.”
Damian McCabe, Co-Founder and EVP of Product and Technology at Connected, Toronto
"I've seen hundreds of presentations in my career and Gib is one of the best. He knows how to engage an audience while also ensuring that you come away with new knowledge and information. Whether it's his newsletter or a virtual workshop, I'd recommend anything Gib puts out."
Gagan Biyoni, Former Co-founder & President of Udemy
"Gib's easy-to-read newsletter and articles are the perfect resource for PMs. With topics spanning all aspects and levels of Product Management, from consumer science to product strategy to navigating one's career, they are both consistent sources of learning and useful guides I refer back to regularly."
John Liu, Product Manager @ Google
“Gib’s GLEe, GEM, and DHM models are a fantastic way to think about short & long-term strategies. “Ask Gib” is a must-read for anyone who wants to improve their product skills.”
Abhinaw Kumar | Head of Literacy Products, 3P Learning | Sydney, Australia
“Gib’s newsletter is such a treasure trove! His essays are insightful and well written, but what I like most is they’re extremely relatable. I’m already looking forward to his next essay!”
Karen Gutierrez | Senior Product Manager @ TrueLayer
“Gib has a way with words. I have been a product leader for over a decade, yet reframing & rethinking is critical and that’s what I get from reading “Ask Gib.” I really enjoy Gib’s earnest way of sharing knowledge and creating a community. AskGib is one of the best, most succinct product management sources there is! I love reading it, sharing it, learning from it, and engaging with it everyday.”
Sharada Iyer | Entrepreneur, Product Executive, Former Neiman Marcus Head of Product - Omni Commerce Experience & Platform
“Gib draws from years of hands-on experience to deliver practical and actionable insights, principles, and advice for product leaders at all stages of their careers. His example-driven content will help you put into practice what he so brilliantly teaches.”
Sarah Doody, Founder of The UX Portfolio Formula
Independent UX Researcher & Experience Designer
Gib's product and strategy insights are simply the best. I cherish every word of his wisdom— which is why I’m delighted by his newsletter! His ‘Ask Gib’ newsletter is product goodness, delivered right to your inbox. What else could you ask for?
Clémence Tiradon | Director, Product & Design, eBay
“ ‘Ask Gib’ helped me to understand the journey that I was going through in executive Product Management before I took my first step. The on-the-job mentorship Gib provides through his newsletter is topnotch-- I highly recommend it.”
Laura Teclemariam, Director of Product Innovation, Netflix
“Gib’s newsletter and talks are full of delightful insights. It has been especially helpful in shaping and refining product strategy. Highly recommend!”
Daniel Lu, Group Product Manager, Dropbox
Gib stands out in our noisy world. Yes, he gives us thought-provoking content, coherent writing, and memorable frameworks, but I think it’s the humility and good humor that puts it over the top. And he totally eats his own consumer science dog food. I don’t think he can help it, but it’s too late for an intervention.
Giff Constable, former CPO at Meetup, author, entrepreneur
Gib has a gift of making extremely dense product insights understandable to the masses. I’ve adopted his principles around product vision and NPS scores into my work as a product manager to great effect. This is a must read newsletter for those looking to understand the craft better.
Will Lawrence, Product Manager at Facebook, author of ProductLife.to
Why subscribe?
You’ll get free access to my newsletter and website, and you’ll never miss an essay. I make it easy to stay up to date on today’s product leadership issues.
I’m also working hard to create a virtuous network. The more subscribers the newsletter has, the more questions and upvotes we’ll have, leading to more relevant content and even more subscribers. The cycle repeats, but the intent is to deliver you increasingly relevant content focused on today’s product management and leadership challenges.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of people who share your interests.
To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
If you haven’t signed up yet, click here.
Thanks,
Gib
