Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, the collaborative design platform that has revolutionized how product teams work.
In my first-ever live podcast, recorded at Figma Config, Dylan and I dig into:
• How intuition and product taste drive Dylan’s decision-making
• The challenge of keeping things simple
• Dylan’s thoughts on the future of product management
• Lessons from Figma’s early days
• How Figma built their initial user base
• Dylan’s journey from intern to CEO of a 1,000+-person company
• The future of design tools and AI

—

Brought to you by:
• WorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lenny
• Anvil—The fastest way to build software for documents: https://www.useanvil.com/lenny
• User Testing—Human understanding. Human experiences: https://www.usertesting.com/lenny

Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/dy...

Where to find Dylan Field:
• X: https://x.com/zoink
• LinkedIn:   / dylanfield  

Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X:   / lennysan  
• LinkedIn:   / lennyrachitsky  

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:11) Welcoming Dylan Field
(02:36) Highlights and surprises from Config
(06:58) The philosophy of design
(08:01) Raccoon feet and muffin hands
(09:57) Building and refining intuition and product taste
(12:50) How to influence leadership
(16:14) The role of product managers
(21:12) The future of product management
(22:20) The importance of simplicity in design
(26:10) The long road to Figma’s launch
(27:44) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
(29:07) Knowing when it’s time to ship
(30:39) Early user acquisition strategies
(35:50) Spotting trends and future innovations
(39:20) Reflections on leadership and growth
(43:16) Lightning round

Referenced:
• Mihika Kapoor on LinkedIn:   / mihikakapoor  
• Rick Rubin on the Creative Act—60 Minutes:    • Rick Rubin on the Creative Act — 60 M...  
• Figma pages: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/artic...
• Leading through uncertainty: A design-led company—Brian Chesky (Config 2023):    • Leading through uncertainty: A design...  
• An inside look at how Figma builds product | Yuhki Yamashita (CPO of Figma): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/an...
• Vision, conviction, and hype: How to build 0 to 1 inside a company | Mihika Kapoor (Product at Figma): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/vi...
• An inside look at Figma’s unique GTM motion | Claire Butler (first GTM hire): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/an...
• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/le...
• Nadia Singer on LinkedIn:   / nadiasinger  
• Sho Kuwamoto on LinkedIn:   / shokuwamoto  
• FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/
• Tim Van Damme on LinkedIn:   / tim-van-damme-maxvoltar  
• Coda: https://coda.io/
• Shishir Mehrotra on LinkedIn:   / shishirmehrotra  
• Websim: https://websim.ai/
• eToys.com commercial (from Dylan’s childhood acting career):    • eToys.com Commercial (Recorded 11/05/...  

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.