{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Product Engineers Podcast","title":"Why Engineers Should Make the Final Call — Not PMs (PostHog Executive)","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/f833f919\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3441,"description":"What happens when engineers — not product managers — have the final say on what gets built? Raquel Smith is a product executive at PostHog and has lived this model for years. In this episode, she unpacks why product engineering is still the most fun role she's had, how PostHog keeps engineers directly wired to customers with zero gatekeepers, and what it really means to own a feature end to end.\nWe also get into the uncomfortable parts: how AI is changing the dopamine rush of coding, why collaboration can actually slow you down, and what Raquel worries about most as PostHog scales. Honest, direct, and full of hard-won insights.\n---\nGUEST\nRaquel Smith - Product Executive at PostHog\nRaquel took an unconventional path — from a biology/microbiology degree to self-taught engineer, PM, startup founder, and now product executive at one of the most engineer-empowered companies in tech. She's been at PostHog for several years and leads multiple product engineering teams.\nFind Raquel:\n- PostHog: https://posthog.com\n- Email: raquel@[guessthedomain]\n---\nTIMESTAMPS\n01:30 From Biology to Self-Taught Engineer\n07:00 The Four Ingredients for Fun at Work\n09:00 What Makes PostHog Actually Different\n13:00 No Gatekeepers: Engineers Talk Directly to Customers\n15:00 End-to-End Ownership and Full-Stack Product Engineering\n17:00 Where Engineers End and PMs Begin\n20:00 PMs as Context Providers, Not Decision Makers\n22:00 Why Collaboration Can Slow You Down\n25:00 The Diversity of Perspectives Objection\n27:30 Max the Hedgehog and PostHog's Brand\n30:00 The PostHog Website Redesign\n31:30 Company Meetups\n32:00 AI and the Coding Dopamine Rush\n37:00 Productivity Gains and New Bottlenecks from AI\n41:00 AI Across the Product Development Process\n44:00 High Ownership as a Hiring Filter\n46:00 Coordinating at Scale Without Bureaucracy\n52:00 The Future of Product Engineering\n---\nKEY TAKEAWAYS\n1. Engineers are the final call at PostHog — they decide what to build, when, and how. PMs provide context, not...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/8v5L1kod14AJua78aUC9VQ4Z3kRWRHsqmocpC-JMNJs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83ODc1/YTcxMTE2YjVlYjYy/MTBjZTBjZTVjZDIy/OTNkMS53ZWJw.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}