From Apple Engineer to Twilio Product Manager
About us: Andrew (AM) and Chandrika (CM) met during their MBA program at MIT Sloan and connected over their passion for product, growth and paying forward the help they got transitioning into product management. AM currently works as a Product Manager at Moveworks and CM works as a Product Manager at DocuSign.
In the 3rd series, we are covering our peers who made the transition into Product Management from a variety of different backgrounds so they can share insights and lessons learned. For this post, we spoke to our friend Miko who is currently a PM in the Internet of Things (“IoT”) business unit at Twilio. Prior to Twilio, Miko worked for over 4 years at Apple as a Software Engineer on Siri. He then went on to get an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
As an IoT Product Manager at Twilio, Miko has the unique opportunity to operate in a startup-like environment within the context of a large organization. His team’s flagship product, Super SIM, offers global cellular connectivity for IoT hardware, as well as infrastructure to securely build and manage millions of connected devices. Specifically, Miko is responsible for the Twilio Console, a web platform where customers can perform a slew of tasks that include managing SIM lifecycle, generating usage reports, and viewing analytics dashboards.
The use cases where this tech plays a role spans across multiple industries, ranging from home automation and micro-mobility to healthcare and industrial manufacturing.
Why did you want to become a PM?
In my previous role as a Software Engineer on the Siri team at Apple, the majority of my work day was spent writing code. However, my favorite parts of the job were the situations in which I had to wear multiple hats, placing myself in the intersection of the user and the product. For example, one of my favorite thought exercises was figuring out how to build an intuitive voice assistant experience -- training users to utilize Siri effectively without the need for explicit instructions. This type of customer-centric thinking is what initially got me interested in PM. It inspired me to pursue an MBA as a way to complement my engineering background, in the hopes of eventually transitioning careers.
As a student at MIT, I aimed to learn as much as possible from the school’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. During my time there, I co-founded a social impact tech startup, where I had an opportunity to lead a group of students through the process of developing software, traveling to Asia to run trials, and analyzing data and user feedback. I also learned how to effectively pitch our company, adapting my spiel to whether the audience was a potential investor or client. These experiences taught me persuasive communication and relationship-building skills. I realized that while engineers can typically get away with proving their points through data rather than charisma, as a founder or PM, you need to be strong in both. Although it was quite the challenge, I enjoyed how this startup experience stretched my comfort level in different directions. It bolstered my conviction that a career in product is the right one for me.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced transitioning from Engineering to PM?
One challenge I faced was having to adjust my perspective, changing my focus from the code to the customer. Personally, I’ve found the ability to place myself in the end user’s shoes to be a muscle that requires regular training for it to grow.
Twilio has a structured approach to product development that I’ve found particularly useful in bolstering this mindset. For instance, when storytelling a feature, the first artifact I have to write is the PR/FAQ, a document that places the user needs front and center. This framework, as well as the opportunities to interact with customers several times per day, have helped develop my ability to empathize with them.
What did you have to unlearn?
I’ve had to unlearn being engineering-focused and have had to practice my big picture thinking skills. As a programmer, you are wired to consider the methodology, thinking about the “how,” in order to architect a solution. As a PM, you have to act as the team’s visionary, thinking about the “what” and the “why.” With this shift in mindset, I’ve had to decouple myself from technical complexities. I try not to obsess over software architecture and instead, trust the ability of our engineers and challenge them to persevere through technical roadblocks.
I also needed to develop an appetite for understanding the business-level impact of the team’s day-to-day activities – how these roll up to the business unit’s yearly priorities and even the overall company’s mission statement.
What skills and experiences you found were transferable to PM?
Although it’s a double-edged sword, having a solid technical foundation is the first advantage that comes to mind. Understanding proper procedure for software development and agile methodology are skills that I developed during my time as an engineer.
Understanding tech debt is similarly important. A lot of PMs do not find value in investing in engineering infrastructure and are overly focused on shipping feature after feature. I find that a healthy balance must be struck among new features, existing bugs, infrastructure investments, and usability enhancements. Having been exposed to both sides of the coin helps me better understand the tradeoffs involved.
What was the one most important resource you had to make the transition? Why?
Apart from this newsletter (obviously!), another helpful resource was my network of friends already pursuing careers in product management. Chatting with them about their goals and PM life in general helped me develop a better understanding of how the PM responsibilities vary across companies and industries. This community and support system have played such an impactful role in my life, both personally and professionally.