500,000 Professionals Have Used His Book To Crack Interviews at Big Companies

Product Growth Podcast

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500,000 Professionals Have Used His Book To Crack Interviews at Big Companies

If you're aiming for roles at big tech or high-growth startups, this episode is for you. We've got Lewis Lin, the author of Decode and Conquer, breaking down exactly how to crack interviews.

Aakash Gupta

Mar 28, 2025

Transcript

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Today’s Episode

If you’re serious about cracking PM interviews in 2025, this episode is for you.

When it comes to product management interviews, there’s no more authoritative voice than Lewis Lin (author of the legendary Decode and Conquer).

His books (over 500,000+ copies sold) have helped hundreds of thousands of PMs land jobs at top tech companies.

We cover:

The 6 critical types of metrics questions you’ll face in PM interviews — 00:14:15
How to approach system design interviews — 00:38:29
The most common behavioral questions PMs get asked — 00:42:27
Misconceptions candidates still have after reading his book — 00:50:58
What Lewis is focused on now — 00:58:54

Check It Out

Key Takeaways

Here were my favorite takeaways:

1. Interview Assignments Are the New Filter

Whether it’s a case study, a product work, or a product strategy duck, interview assignments are now standard.

And everyone’s using AI to polish theirs.

Lewis has seen it firsthand: near-perfect submissions followed by awkward in-person interviews that don’t match the caliber of the take-home.

So here’s the move: Use AI as your co-pilot, not your ghostwriter.

2. Most PM Candidates Bomb the “Pain Points” Section

An interviewee get asked, “How would you improve the Uber app?”

And the answer is something like, “Maybe... make it faster? Or cheaper?”

That’s not going to cut it. What he recommends instead is the "GRR method."

Yes, literally, get mad like a bear.

Tap into your actual frustrations as a user.

What moment made you grit your teeth?
What did you wish the app magically fixed for you?

That emotional reaction? That’s where the real insight lives.

It’s what unlocks thoughtful, creative solutions that don’t just look good on paper... but feel urgent, real, and valuable.

3. Metrics Questions Are a Different Beast Now

Back in 2013, metrics questions were simpler.

Now? Thanks to Meta, they’re testing whether you can think like a mini-CPO.

Here’s what you’re expected to handle with confidence:

Success metrics → What does “good” look like?
North Star metrics → What’s the single most important thing to move?
Binary tradeoffs → This or that, pick one.
Counter-signal tradeoffs → One metric goes up, another drops - what do you do?
Root cause analysis → Metrics dropped 20%, diagnose why.
Goal setting → What should we hit in 30, 60, 90 days?

And the pro move? Start with the company’s mission and align everything with it.

4. Frameworks That Actually Work for Product Thinking

Your job isn’t to memorize frameworks.

It’s to wield them with clarity - on demand, under pressure, and with purpose.

Here are the two core frameworks he recommends mastering:

→ PEDALS (for system design)
Process Requirements, Estimate, Design the Service, Articulate the Data Model, List the Architectural Components, Scale

→ CIRCLES (for product design)
Comprehend the situation, Identify the customer, Report customer needs, Cut through prioritization, List solutions, Evaluate tradeoffs, Summarize your recommendation.

These frameworks help you do more than answer questions.

They help you think, talk, and lead like a PM under pressure.