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What Is Google Labs' Almost Possible Framework? · Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

Why every company now needs to think and operate like a lab team | Josh Woodward (Google Labs, Gemini, AI Studio)

Josh Woodward is the head of Google Labs, the Gemini app, and AI Studio. He has spent over 17 years at Google and oversees its longest-running and largest labs team, whose products include NotebookLM (now Gemini Notebook), Project Genie, and Flow. His job is to find, experiment with, and scale new AI products, and he has built one of the most distinctive…

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Notes

  1. Where Do Google's Best Ideas Come From? at 5:44

    Josh Woodward says the best ideas to come out of labs, and out of Google more broadly, arrive from a variety of places. Full answer

  2. What Is Google Labs' Almost Possible Framework? at 8:05

    Josh Woodward says Google Labs keeps a list of what is almost possible and watches for the moment an experience crosses into something a team can build. Full answer

  3. How Do You Spot Product-market Fit Early? at 15:01

    Josh Woodward spots early product-market fit by watching people's eyes, because the early read is way more art than science. Full answer

  4. When Should You Kill a Product Idea? at 18:08

    Josh Woodward kills a product idea when the team already knows it is failing, usually before the leader does. Full answer

  5. What Skills Are Rising in Value in the AI Era? at 32:12

    Josh Woodward looks for mispriced signals in the people around him, past the usual talk of taste, judgment, and vibe coding. Full answer

  6. Should Every Employee Become a Builder? at 36:12

    Josh Woodward says people are overhyping the idea that everybody is a builder and that the new job is all the same. Full answer

  7. Why Does Every Company Need a Frontier Team? at 44:04

    Josh Woodward says every company needs a set of people whose job is the frontier. Full answer

  8. How Do You Set Up an Internal Labs Team? at 47:55

    Josh Woodward gives three tips for anyone setting up an internal labs team. Full answer

  9. Will Google Have 10,000 Products or Five? at 54:03

    Josh Woodward keeps switching his answer in a long-running debate with Logan Kilpatrick about whether Google will have 10,000 products or five in five years. Full answer

  10. Why Does Google Labs Hand Out Miniature Rakes? at 58:10

    Josh Woodward gives Google Labs teammates a little miniature rake and a cash reward when they do the grungy work of reclaiming TPUs. Full answer

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