The 'Big S' Future-Backward Framework
by Chandra Janakiraman • Chief Product Officer & EVP at VRChat
A seasoned product executive with leadership roles at Meta, Headspace, Zynga, and Amazon. He is known for demystifying product strategy into a repeatable, operator-centric process that bridges high-level vision with tactical execution.
🎙️ Episode Context
Chandra Janakiraman dismantles the myth that strategic ability is an innate 'gene' and presents a rigorous, battle-tested playbook for creating product strategy. He distinguishes between 'Small S' strategy (solving problems over a 2-year horizon) and 'Big S' strategy (aspirational vision over 5-10 years), offering a step-by-step guide involving cross-functional working groups, design sprints, and rigorous problem framing.
Problem It Solves
Addresses the lack of inspiration and long-term vision in product teams that are stuck only fixing immediate problems.
Framework Overview
A 6-month, design-led 'Future Backward' process that looks 5-10 years out. It focuses on creating distinct, divergent futures and prototyping 'Concept Cars' to inspire the organization and uncover long-term trends.
🧠 Framework Structure
**Generate Distinct Futures:** Based ...
**Concept Car Prototyping:** Build pr...
**Live Product Testing:** Take winnin...
**The River Merge:** Treat 'Big S' (V...
When to Use
When a company needs to find its next S-curve or when the team is burnt out on incrementalism and needs an aspirational 'North Star'.
Common Mistakes
Assigning this to execution-heavy PMs instead of creative/blue-sky thinkers (often better led by Design), or expecting immediate ROI from the prototypes.
Real World Example
At VRChat, the team runs 'Big S' (led by Design) and 'Small S' (led by PM) in parallel to bridge current friction fixes with a radical future vision.
Life's got to be about more than just solving problems. There needs to be an aspirational and cool component to strategy.
— Chandra Janakiraman