Upasna Gautam
Product Manager at CNN
Upasna Gautam is a PM at CNN leading the content management system used by journalists, a leader in the News Product Alliance elevating PM discipline in newsrooms, and a longtime meditation and mindfulness teacher.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Upasna Gautam provides a rare look at product management outside Silicon Valley at CNN, where breaking news can disrupt any plan at any moment. She shares how the product team collaborates with journalists, why building buffers into plans is essential when disruption is the norm, and how her background as a mindfulness teacher is surprisingly practical for high-stress product work.
Leadership Principles
- → When breaking news breaks, always have backup and buffers — you must be ready to pivot at the drop of a hat
- → Mindfulness is a practical PM skill, especially in high-stress environments like newsrooms
- → You can be frustrated when plans get disrupted, but having buffers built in makes pivoting sustainable
Notable Quotes
"Breaking news breaks, and it takes so much effort to gather editors across the globe. When breaking news happens, they have to prioritize that over everything. So we always have to have backup and buffers."
— On the unique challenges of doing PM work at a breaking news organization
"Mindfulness as a meditation teacher ends up being pretty damn handy working at a place like CNN."
— On how mindfulness practice directly applies to high-stress product work
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