Lenny Rachitsky

Who is Lenny Rachitsky?

Lenny Rachitsky is a well-known face in the world of digital growth and product management. 

Best known for his time spent in the product team at Airbnb, Lenny’s career trajectory actually took flight back in 2011. At the time, he was the CEO of a small start-up called "Localmind" — a recommendation platform facilitating location-based questions and answers. In simple terms? Travelers used "Localmind" to get local intel from a city’s residents.

"Localmind" was growing well until an offer of acquisition came from — yep, you guessed it — Airbnb. After the acquisition in 2012, Lenny moved from engineering into the product team and the rest, as they say, is history.

Lenny now pens a regular newsletter, Lenny’s Newsletter, and spends his time writing, working with investments, and advising companies in the tech space. 

What is Lenny Rachitsky known for?

Lenny is arguably best known for the seven years he spent at Airbnb.

Lenny joined Airbnb in 2012 as product manager for guest conversion and host quality. In this role, Lenny’s work was focused on driving growth by improving the booking experience for guests and delivering more useful host tools.

In 2016, Lenny was promoted to product lead, supply growth at Airbnb. Here, Lenny led a team of five product managers and managed a team of over 80 other individuals, including engineers, data scientists, and designers.  

Since leaving Airbnb, Lenny has become known for his monthly (or weekly for paid subscribers) newsletter Lenny’s Newsletter, covering topics such as product growth and people management. 

What is Lenny Rachitsky's advice for other product managers?

Few people know product management like Lenny Rachitsky.

His experience and insight is just one reason that Lenny’s Newsletter is so popular. And it’s here that he shares some of his most valuable advice — especially for anyone looking to break into, or progress within, the world of product management. 

You can read Lenny’s complete guide on his website, but here are the highlights:

• Make sure you understand exactly what the role entails, and that it’s something you’re passionate about.

• Learn about the best routes in product management and how to plot your own path to get there. 

• Develop the seven core skills a PM needs to thrive: strategic problem-solving, execution, communication, leadership through influence, data-led decision-making, knowing what makes a great product (and how to build them!), and always being prepared.

Where can you learn more about Lenny Rachitsky?

If you like Lenny’s style, there are plenty of ways to keep up-to-date with him online. 

Of course, the best way to stay updated is by subscribing to Lenny’s Newsletter. It’s packed with expert insights delivered to your inbox once per month (or more frequently if you become a paid subscriber). 

Outside of his newsletter, you can also follow Lenny on Twitter and read some of his work via his Medium profile.