The 'Insights-Strategy-Big Rocks' 2-Pager
by Ebi Atawodi • Director of Product Management, YouTube at YouTube (Google)
A seasoned product leader with deep experience at Netflix and Uber (where she led the Uber Wallet and payments teams). Ebi is known for her ability to craft compelling product visions and foster strong, high-performance team cultures.
🎙️ Episode Context
Ebi Atawodi dissects the elusive skill of crafting and communicating a product vision, moving beyond buzzwords to provide a tactical step-by-step playbook. She details how to transform vague ideas into concrete narratives using storytelling frameworks, how to rigorously define problems before solving them, and how to build deep conviction within a product team. The conversation also explores the nuance of product culture across Uber, Netflix, and Google, and the importance of 'love' over 'liking' in leadership.
Problem It Solves
Replaces endless, confusing roadmaps with a clear narrative structure that links data to execution.
Framework Overview
A strict document format for strategic planning that prevents 'peanut buttering' resources across too many initiatives.
🧠 Framework Structure
Section 1: Insights (The Why): Based ...
Section 2: Strategy/Approach (The How...
Section 3: Big Rocks (The What): Limi...
Constraint: Keep it to 2 pages (maxim...
Validation: If an initiative has fewe...
When to Use
During quarterly or annual planning cycles to align the team and leadership.
Common Mistakes
Listing 20 items as 'Big Rocks' or skipping the 'Insights' section to jump straight to features.
Real World Example
Ebi uses this format at YouTube, requiring her teams to write these 2-pagers which are then circulated for comments before a roadmap spreadsheet is ever touched.
If I asked you to make me a cocktail, you would put ice in first... You would not put the drink and then put the ice or it will splash... that's how an endless roadmap looks to me.
— Ebi Atawodi