How Figma taps into taste, simplicity, and storytelling | Yuhki Yamashita (CPO at Figma, ex-Uber, Google, Microsoft)
Yuhki Yamashita is the Chief Product Officer at Figma, leading the product and design teams. Previously, he was a product and design leader at Uber, where he orchestrated the redesign of the rider and driver apps. Yuhki was also a product manager at Google (YouTube iOS app) and Microsoft (Hotmail). Additionally, he has taught introductory computer science at Harvard University. In today’s episode, we discuss: How Figma approaches new products, prioritization, and storytelling Product culture at Uber, Microsoft, Google The difference between “good” and “extraordinary” PMs Tactical advice for storytelling The “un-learning” required in new jobs and industries – Referenced: Figjam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/ Figma: https://www.figma.com/ Figma Dev Mode: https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/ Figma Slides: https://www.figma.com/slides/ – Where to find Yuhki: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuhki/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/yuhkiyam – Where to find Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson – Where to find First Round Capital: Website: https://firstround.com/ First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast – (00:00) Introduction (02:50) Figma's early days (09:11) Product culture across companies (13:42) Knowing when to change things (17:40) How business goals impact product expansion (21:00) Advice for going multi-product (24:30) The skills of a “0 to 1” PM (27:36) Identifying entrepreneurial talent (29:06) Why aren't there more designer founders? (35:22) How Figma launches new products (41:19) “0 to 1” versus “1 to 10” talent (46:01) The role of storytelling at Figma (49:22) How Figma prioritizes product (55:11) Advice for product storytelling (59:02) “Good” vs “extraordinary” product managers (61:21) Why product simplicity matters (63:52) The importance of taste in product and design (67:56) The biggest influence on Yuhki’s product thinking