Building AMD with Mark Papermaster: How Bold Bets and Breakthroughs Reshaped the Semiconductor Industry
How do you revive a tech giant and reshape an entire industry? AMD Chief Technology Officer Mark Papermaster joins Tomer Cohen to share how making bold bets, exiting stagnant markets, and betting on modular chip design led to one of the most remarkable comebacks in tech. They also dig into the ways in which semiconductors are powering the AI era.
Mark Papermaster is the longtime CTO of AMD, where he helped lead a dramatic product and innovation strategy that changed the company’s future. Prior to working at AMD, his career spans leadership roles at IBM, Apple (where he was recruited by Steve Jobs himself), and Cisco.
Mark and Tomer discuss:
AMD’s comeback and product reinvention
The end of Moore’s Law and rise of modular chip design
Chiplets: How AMD bet on bold architecture and won
What Mark learned from IBM, Apple, and Steve Jobs
Why big bets need big exit strategies
Semiconductors and the AI revolution
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53:17
Building Chase with Rohan Amin: Designing for Trust
In this episode of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Rohan Amin, Chief Product Officer at Chase, to discuss the evolving world of financial products and the challenges of delivering seamless, secure experiences. From his background in cybersecurity to his current role in shaping Chase’s product strategy, Rohan shares valuable insights into building products that balance privacy, security, and user-centric design.
Tomer and Rohan discuss:
Why security and trust are foundational at Chase—and in financial products overall
The importance of designing for both happy and unhappy paths to ensure a smooth customer experience
The power of incrementalism in scaling product improvements
How Chase balances physical and digital products and services to create a more human-centered banking experience
The strategic value of maintaining a personal touch, even in the digital age
Follow Rohan Amin on LinkedIn.
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39:00
Building Hinge with Justin McLeod: Intentional Design for Meaningful Dating
Rebuilding a company is one of the hardest challenges any founder can face. But for Justin McLeod, founder and CEO of Hinge, it was the only way forward. In today’s episode of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Justin to dive into the journey of rebooting Hinge from a Tinder competitor to the fastest-growing dating app in the U.S., focused on helping people build meaningful, long-term relationships. Justin shares the lessons he learned from tearing down Hinge and starting over, emphasizing intentional product design, clear product principles, and how to avoid chasing engagement for engagement's sake.
As the dating app designed to be deleted, Hinge is built around one core goal: getting people into relationships and off the app. Justin's approach to onboarding, user interaction, and product design has created a platform that fosters genuine connections while avoiding the pitfalls of shallow dating apps.
In this episode, Justin reveals:
Why Hinge intentionally loses 20% of new users during onboarding to ensure better quality matches
How limiting user actions can improve the overall user experience and lead to more meaningful interactions
The importance of finding good proxies for key metrics, especially when your core goal is difficult to measure (like getting people into relationships)
The role of AI as a coach - not a replacement - for human-to-human interactions
How product principles can help companies make tough decisions and stay true to their mission
Follow Justin McLeod on LinkedIn.
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51:11
Building WHOOP with Will Ahmed: Fitness Wearable Redefined
WHOOP has made a name for themselves as the go-to wearable for those at the top of their game. You may have spotted elite athletes like LeBron James and Michael Phelps wearing the slim, screenless device. So what has made the device so successful?
In this week’s episode of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Will Ahmed, founder and CEO of WHOOP, to discuss how focusing on a narrow product vision and owning the entire user experience led to the brand’s success in the saturated fitness tracker market.
Before founding WHOOP, Will was a competitive athlete and quickly recognized the need for more precise, actionable health data. WHOOP’s simplicity and dedication to providing pro athletes and everyday users with the most meaningful insights are central to the company’s approach.
Tomer and Will discuss:
The virtues of building a product with a narrow and deep focus.
How avoiding product scope creep helped WHOOP create a best-in-class wearable.
Why building original hardware was key to WHOOP’s competitive advantage.
The role of restraint in showing users the data that truly matters.
How WHOOP’s design for professional athletes translates to better experiences for everyday consumers.
Follow Will Ahmed on LinkedIn.
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47:23
Building Glean with Arvind Jain: Scaling Enterprise Search with AI Innovation
In a world where finding information at work is often more of a headache than it should be, Arvind Jain’s innovative solution is transforming the way enterprises manage and access knowledge. In this week’s episode of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Arvind Jain, CEO and founder of Glean, to discuss how the AI-driven platform is reshaping the future of enterprise search.
Prior to founding Glean, Arvind was a Distinguished Engineer at Google, where he honed his deep technical expertise and understanding of search products. Passionate about building products that solve real-world problems, Arvind has been a key advocate for building with scalability in mind from day one.
Tomer and Arvind discuss:
Why Arvind Jain’s personal frustration with information search in the workplace led to the creation of Glean.
Why Glean’s team designed their product with large enterprises in mind from the very beginning.
How Glean uses both explicit and implicit data to measure success and improve its platform.
The challenges of staying true to your product roadmap while meeting the diverse needs of enterprise customers.
Why AI’s greatest potential lies in solving enterprise-level challenges and how Glean is leveraging this technology to improve workplace efficiency.
Follow Arvind Jain on LinkedIn.
Follow Tomer Cohen on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, Building LinkedIn.
Building One, a podcast hosted by Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's Chief Product Officer, is a series of engaging one-on-one conversations with accomplished product leaders. The series delves into the professional journeys of these diverse leaders, extracts insights into the intricacies of product development, and reveals the stories behind their most impactful products. Building One not only offers valuable insights into the world of product development but also serves as a source of motivation and inspiration for listeners pursuing their own careers in product development.
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