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Ayo Omojola

Chief Product Officer at Carbon Health

CPO at Carbon Health, one of the biggest health tech companies; co-created and scaled Square's Cash Card and Cash App, former founder, angel investor in Mercury, Faire, and Modern Treasury.

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 70%
Execution & Craft 80%
Data & Experimentation 40%
Growth & Distribution 70%
Team & Leadership 50%
User Empathy & Research 80%

Key Themes

different AND better differentiation Cash App product strategy instant value delivery consumer fintech health tech product building competitive product positioning

Episode Summary

Ayo Omojola shares lessons from co-creating Square's Cash Card and Cash App, centering on the principle that products must be both different AND better in ways that matter to users. He explains how Cash App's ability to let users send and instantly use money became their unchallengeable differentiator, and discusses applying these consumer product principles to his current role leading product at Carbon Health.

Leadership Principles

  • Being different is not enough and being better is not enough — it has to be better in a way that matters to the end user
  • The ultimate test: 'Try and send me a dollar that I can use now' — only Cash App could do it
  • Differentiation must be demonstrable, not just claimed — users should feel it in seconds

Notable Quotes

"Being different is not enough because it's easy to build something different. Being better is not enough because it's easy to just charge more. It has to be better in a way that matters to the end user."

— On Cash App's differentiation philosophy

"When someone says, 'Why are you betting on Venmo?' I'd say, 'Try and send me a dollar that I can use now,' and there was only one app you could do it with."

— On Cash App's killer differentiator over Venmo

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