Your Strategy Deck Is a Highlight Reel: Tim Herbig on How Product Strategy Actually Gets Built
aakashgupta · x · 2026-10-20
Aakash Gupta shares his 7-step product strategy process (objective, users, superpowers, vision, pillars, impact, roadmap), used at Epic Games, Affirm and Apollo, alongside insights from a podcast conversation with product coach Tim Herbig on strategy in the AI era.
Core idea: frameworks like the business model canvas or pitch deck are just "windows into the work" — the polished deck is a curated snapshot of what is inherently messy, looping work, not a straight line.
Key points:
- You can start anywhere: why act/why now, who you solve for, how you win
- Real loops: marketing says you win on price, so you revisit the audience; the segment isn't big enough, so you expand from Germany to DACH; metrics don't move, so you course correct and begin again
- "Tokens used is not a value exchange for your customers. It's a value exchange for Anthropic." AI output volume ≠ customer value
- At Apollo, the CEO's strategy focused only on paid users — but a strategy doesn't have to cover everything you do
The litmus test: ask what a strategy lets your team say no to. If nobody can answer, you have a document, not a strategy.
Related event: Podcast Discusses Product Strategy in the AI Era: A Seven-Step Process(2 posts)→
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