Brandon Chu on building product at Shopify, how writing changed the trajectory of his career, the habits that make you a great PM, pros and cons of being a platform PM, how Shopify got through Covid

Career Impact

Writing has been a transformative force in Brandon Chu's career, significantly enhancing his influence within Shopify. He shares how his writing pre-onboarded new team members, allowing them to understand his thought process and reducing the need for extensive onboarding 1. This external momentum also helped him gain internal recognition, with even Shopify's CEO acknowledging his posts. Brandon reflects on the immense ROI of writing, stating, "It accelerated my career probably a decade" 2.

   

Writing Strategies

Brandon emphasizes the importance of writing as a tool for clarity and personal growth. He describes how the writing process helped him solidify mental models and frameworks, allowing him to articulate complex ideas more clearly 3. The effort involved in producing quality content is substantial, often requiring up to 40 hours per post, but the benefits are profound. As Lenny Rachitsky notes, "I don't know what I think until I've written it down," highlighting writing's role in crystallizing thoughts 3.