David Pereira

Software developer

Author of "Untrapping Product Teams," read in 70+ countries, endorsed by Marty Cagan, Mike Cohn, and more.

Over 17 years, I've helped companies achieve more with less. Not through frameworks and planning theater, but through ruthless focus on value creation:

- Helped a marketplace scale from €5M to €45M revenue
- Increased quarterly acquisition by 50% through strategic discovery
- Coached C-Level leaders across EU, Asia, and America on making strategic product decisions, and streamlining operations

The Coaching:

- 100X PM Mastermind: Students from 15+ countries transforming into product leaders
- 20,000+ students in my courses
- Spoke in 20+ countries including Productized Lisbon, Business of Software Cambridge, DL Summit Cologne, InfoShare Gdansk
- Opened PCamp São Paulo to 2,000+ attendees

My mission: Turn Product Managers into Value Maximizers who drive business growth through evidence-based decisions, not feature factories.

Chief Product Officer

• Empowering teams to bring their best and create valuable products that customers love
• Helping teams figure out how to innovate in a complex and highly important B2B market
• Equipping teams to overcome the inevitable challenges of creating digital products

I failed multiple PM interviews at 27.
The hard truth hurt: I was a backlog manager, not a product manager.

I wrote perfect user stories.
I maintained a massive backlog.
I increased team velocity every sprint.
After reaching 57 story points per sprint, I got promoted.
But I couldn't pass interviews at Walmart, Nubank, or WebMotors.

Each rejection stung.
Each hiring manager gave me no specific reason.
Until I asked a hard question: "What am I missing?"
Booking's hiring manager changed everything with one sentence.
"You're excellent at delivery. But you know nothing about discovery."

That hit hard.

I was obsessed with shipping features fast.
Zero focus on whether they solved real problems.
Customers didn't need half of what we built.
But business loved the velocity metrics.

After that Booking interview, I made three changes:

1. 
I stopped asking for permission
Started running customer interviews without approval.
Tested assumptions before writing backlog items.

2. 
I connected customer needs to business goals.
No more building features disconnected from outcomes.
Every initiative had to drive measurable value.

3. 
I learned to say no.
Killed half of my bloated backlog.
Focused on solving one problem at a time.
These shifts transformed how I worked.

Ten years later, I reached executive roles.
Same person, different approach.

The Booking rejection taught me more than any promotion.
Discovery beats delivery every single time.

You'll hit your incompetence level many times in your career.
The question is: will you stay there?

What's one rejection that transformed you?

#productmanagement #leadership #productmanager

Running the 100XPM Mastermind: Transforming PMs into Product Leaders Execs Trust

Devs are rolling their eyes at PMs again.
But this time it's different.

Last week, I talked to a PM who spent three hours trying to connect to a repository. "I have to learn deployment, database setup, all this stuff I don't get. 
Then I talk to devs and they roll their eyes."
He felt stupid. Lost. Like he was failing at being a Vibe Coder PM.

Same week, different PM told me: "I'm paid to figure out what customers care about and how we make revenue from it. Devs are better at building than me. I refuse to vibe code."

Two PMs. Two completely opposite approaches.

Here's what's actually happening.

The first PM is creating a silo. Trying to do the dev's job poorly instead of partnering with them effectively. Learning syntax instead of learning customers.

The second PM is missing speed. In 2026, you can validate ideas in hours, not weeks. But only if you're willing to experiment fast.

Both are wrong. And both are right.

The real question isn't whether you should vibe code. It's whether you're using tools to get closer to customers or further from your team.

If you're non-technical and want to test ideas fast, browser-based tools like Replit remove the technical overhead. No setup. No deployment nightmares. Just rapid validation with real users.

If you're technical, combining tools like Replit with Claude Code lets you move from idea to customer feedback in hours.

But here's what nobody's saying:

Vibe coding doesn't fix bad product thinking. It just helps you fail faster or win faster, depending on whether you know what value means.

Your job isn't to replace developers. It's to understand customers deeply enough that developers can build the right thing.

Tools accelerate that. But only if you're clear on what game you're playing.
Are you building features or discovering value?

Extensive backlogs = Extensive BS 
I've never met a thriving PM who cared so much about the backlog.

The bigger the backlog, the less value you create.

If you're a PM spending 4h+ a week on backlog, you're in serious trouble.

Your job isn't:
- Writing better backlog items
- Putting everything from stakeholders in your backlog
- Making more promises than you can keep

Do the above and get demoted to backlog manager.

Your real job is:
- Connecting customer needs with business goals
- Finding problems worth solving - not everything needs your attention
- Focusing on what matters, cut the rest

Yes, it's hard to be a product manager. And it's easy to become a backlog manager. I was one for too long.

I stayed trapped as a backlog manager for 3 years. 
It drained my energy every single day.

What broke me free?
Taking action instead of complaining.
I deleted 672 outdated backlog items. 
I was afraid. Everyone criticised me for it.
Yet, nothing bad happened.
On the contrary, for the first time we could focus on what mattered.

Whatever is important will come back to you.
Don't let the old block the new.
Backlog items age like milk, not wine.

The question isn't whether you should do it. 
The question is: what's keeping you trapped?"

#productmanagement #leadership #productmanager #agile

For too many years I did what others wanted me to do.
I want to tell you something I never shared.  How a messy year turned out to be the best ever.

Read the full story for free: https://lnkd.in/diFn9KxM

2024 ended perfectly.

We got our product out, and started onboarding customers. I felt I finally got what it meant to be a CEO that enables ideas to happen. Yet, something smelled bad.

As 2025 started, the investors wanted to pivot the direction. 

I didn’t agree with that. And the investors didn’t care. They demanded I’d do as they said. Many things were at stake. Team morale would crash, and we’d move from product management to bad project management.

As the CEO, I could not let that happen. 

I had to discuss in person with the investors to understand why they wanted to pivot the direction when we started winning customers.

Reasons were political. And they gave me an option, do what they want and remain the CEO, or walk away.

For the next days I felt like a failure as I couldn’t get the investors to see what I was seeing. And I didn’t want to abandon the team or pursue a direction I didn’t believe.

I felt horrible. I’d lose my generous salary combined with great perks. After a few days, something clicked.

I either choose my future or let others do it for me.

The choice I faced was something all of us face all the time, but we’re too afraid to be intentional about our future.

Before being a CEO, I let many organisations choose what I’d do. I did too many things I didn’t believe in. But I was afraid of speaking up, and maybe losing my job.

At this time, I decided to remain true to myself.

I told the investors that I believed in a different direction, which I was eager to drive. And I was unwilling to do what they wanted.

I knew my offer could get me promoted to the market.
We made an agreement, and I walked away without a clear path forward.

As time passed I wondered if I made the right call. But I quickly got myself back on track by thinking forward not backward.

We cannot change what happened to us, but we can choose how we react to it.
I reflected on what drove my energy throughout my journey.

My motivation had always been on guiding people to transform the status quo. That clarified what I wanted to do: Help product people transform how they drive value while having fun.

The point most people ignore:
Your future is yours and nobody is going to make it happen for you.

Every day we face choices between letting others decide, or making our own path.

It’s okay to follow what others want sometimes, not always.
If you don’t stand up for yourself, nobody will.

As I reflect on how last year started. I feared losing my generous compensation and perks. But fear is bad for good decisions.

Today, when I look at how last year ended. I’m proud of what turned out to be. Not because of revenue, but because I finally got the guts to choose my own path.

Who’s defining your future: you or somebody else?

I used to make a huge mistake. I complained more than I took action.
Real product people don't complain about the game. They transform it.

It's true that most organizations focus on features, not value.
You can either complain, playing the victim like I used to.

Or you can be the hero of your story and choose how to act today for a better tomorrow.
Organizations aren't broken by design. They just don't know better. You can be the one who shows them.

After 17 years playing this game, the patterns are clear to me, and yet many ignore them.
Too many organizations are unfit to accelerate value.

Want to accelerate value creation? Start by facing reality.
You can use this Miro template to evaluate your situation:
http://miro.pxf.io/9LRXjE

Here are the 7 elements you need to pay attention to accelerate value:

1. People & Performance
Are people rewarded for meeting deadlines, or impact?

2. Roadmapping
Are roadmaps the free pass to the feature factory club, or the key to empowerment?

3. Organizational Topology
Are teams forced to manage dependencies daily, or set to drive value independently?

4. Development and Growth
Is professional growth just something superficial, or intentional?

5. Feedback Culture
Do people get punished when they talk about hard stuff, or speak up when problems are small and solvable?

6. Initiative Management
Do you manage your backlog to keep promises, or to drive value?

7. Trade-off
Do people struggle to understand what makes a good decision, or are they empowered to make decisions with clear trade-offs?

–

The more your answers are on the left, the more you need to act.
Choose one item at a time. Not all at once.

If you're completely on the left, start by doing an honest cleaning in your backlog. Deleting may be the best option. 

If that scares you, do like the iPhone photo library, soft delete, and if not touched for 30 days, then it’s gone forever (I really doubt you will check old items again).

Those who maximize value continuously are intentional, acting today for a better tomorrow.

Which dimension hits hardest for you?

#MiroPartner

PROD FIT by David Pereira

Most AI tools foster a feature factory mindset.
Yet, a few are still serious about value creation. Here's one worth checking out.

I have been trying out Figr for a few weeks now, and I like the result.

Here’s my honest comparison against Lovable:

Lovable jumps from prompt to output straight on.
Figr slows you down by demanding context.

Lovable is about speed.
Figr is about problem solving.

Lovable has no guardrails to protect you from useless solutions.
Figr requires you to give the context, reflect, and make choices.

I noticed my 100XPM Assessment had a 35% drop. When I tried to fix it with Lovable, I actually made it worse, maybe I prompted poorly. But then, I tried out Figr, and things got interesting.

First, I recorded my screen.
Then, Figr interviewed me.
It took some steps before getting to any change.
When I got the results, I found them solid.

The real difference is that one is about coding while the other is about problem solving.

If you haven’t tried Figr yet, you better try it out.

Curious how you ensure you solve problems instead of empty vibe-coding stuff.

Helping Product Teams Drive Business Value, Not Just Ship Features | Coach • Speaker • Author

Are you the quiet executor that never gets promoted?

How do you feel when you look at your 2025 roadmap?
I bet you worked hard, discussed a lot, and delivered more than others believed to be possible. 
But, did you get the deserved recognition?

Maybe you got the cold “well done” message. But what about the deserved promotion? Or the long deserved salary increase?

Here’s what I learned over the last decades in tech.
The quiet executor is the last to get promoted.
The last to be seen.

Those getting the rewards don’t deliver more. 
They increase visibility and influence.

They know when to challenge, and when to listen.
They talk numbers, not tickets.
They show results, not features.

My confession to you: 
I was the bloody quiet executor for too long. 
Everyone appreciated working with me. And I felt like I was on the right track until someone else got promoted. Honestly, I cursed, and I got pissed so I quit. 

Guess what happened?
I moved on, got another job.

The pattern repeated, I delivered, got the boring “well done” message, and somebody else got promoted. I was angry again, but decided to act differently. I had to learn what I was missing. And it became clear to me where I fell short.

Visibility and influence.

I focused on delivering what others decided. I was a follower, not an achiever.
I talked about referral features, others talked about reducing CAC by 14%.
I agreed with areas on roadmap content, others agreed on objectives like reduce onboarding churn by 50%.

Those getting promoted talked about what execs wanted to hear, not product, but business.

You won’t get promoted by getting the job done.
You will get promoted by showing the impact you make.

You can learn the differences by observing those getting promoted. Maybe, you can learn like me by receiving a few punches on the face. Or I can guide you.

I know you’re talented.
I know you’re capable.

Let me ask you something: 
Do you really care about your career, or are you just hoping someone finally notices your work?

It took me too long to grow because I tried everything on my own. 
And I want to offer you a different path.

You can accelerate your growth with guidance, and I can do that for you. 

On the 27th of January, we’re kicking off the 100X PM Mastermind, the 3 week program that rewires how you think, and equips you to operate at the level your next promotion requires.

In the last two cohorts: 3 PMs got promoted to Senior PM, 2 to Director, and a few participants got 25%+ salary increase. That happened because they learned what it really takes to show their value.

Apply now and let’s make 2026 the year you get the deserved recognition.
https://lnkd.in/dT4rGmrE

Here’s what some alumni say:

“I am beyond impressed and would recommend any product manager to make this investment! You will not be disappointed.” Kavita G.

“I really loved this course (100xPM) — it gave me the clarity and confidence I was missing in my day-to-day work." Morta K.

Better is what gets PMs stuck.
PMs and leaders I often ask weak questions. You address them, you get stuck.

How do I write better acceptance criteria?
How do I write better user stories?
How do I create better roadmaps?

I mastered the above for too long, and nobody cared. I remained a disguised backlog manager. Stuck paycheck, frequent praises, but others got the recognition I wanted.

I got promoted when I moved from how to why.
Why should we solve certain user problems?
Why should we add such items to our roadmap?

I stopped improving user stories. I started learning obsessively.
I stopped planning by capacity. I started driving strategic alignment.
I stopped coordinating work. I started influencing direction.

Without noticing. I upgraded myself from Backlog Manager to Product Manager.
My visibility increased, then I managed to influence the direction, not the backlog tickets.

You have higher leverage when you change your perspective.
Visibility, strategic thinking, and influence gets you promoted.

After coaching hundreds of PMs, what kills me is realizing how talented PMs get stuck because they focus on the wrong things.

Are you ready to embark on a journey of self-growth, unlearning, and rewiring?
We’ll go from invisible contributor to value maximizer.
That’s exactly what you’ll get from the 100X PM Mastermind.

In 3 weeks, you will:
. Think like a product strategist without drowning in frameworks
. Speak the language that influences executive decisions
. Say no with confidence, yes with clarity
. Operate at the level your next promotion demands

This mastermind is for those who want to drive change, become a leader, and grow.

Agenda (all lessons at 7 pm CET/10 am PT)

January 26th: BS Management vs. Real Product Leadership
January 28th: Building the 100X PM Mindset
January 30th: Mastering Strategic Thinking
February 2nd: Discovery That Doesn't Waste Your Time
February 4th: Owning the Room (and the roadmap)
February 6th: Delivery Without Becoming a Backlog Manager
February 9th: The Politics of Product
February 11th: Coaching the Team, Not Just Managing Work
February 13th: From PM to Product Leader
February 16th: Bonus - AI Beyond the Hype

PS: Still deciding? The PMs who hesitate are usually the ones who need this most. Don't let analysis paralysis keep you stuck another year.

Apply now (only 25 spots)
https://lnkd.in/dT4rGmrE

Here some quotes from our alumni:

“If you are a PM planning your next career step, joining the 100XPM course is one of the best decisions you can make—I certainly did, and I’m very glad about it.“ - Rahul Bhanu

“If you’re looking for something that’s almost like having a personal coach but also want to learn from others and hear their unique perspectives, I’d really recommend this Leadership Mastermind. It gave me confidence and a clearer sense of direction, and I think it’s really valuable for anyone looking to grow as a product leader.“ - Lina Zalgiryte

When I first became a product leader, I was horrible.
And I believe many more leaders are making the same mistakes I made.

Whenever people came to me with problems, I gave them solutions.
When they struggled with decisions, I called the shots.
When they didn’t know where to go, I pointed in the direction.

My boss loved my work. But I smelled something off.
I became a bottleneck, and going on holiday meant stallingcrippling progress.
That happened because I failed to equip my team to be successful.

After working with 100+ product teams, the pattern is painfully obvious.
Product leaders fail because they're scared to lead. They manage at best.
They avoid hard conversations. They give fish instead of teaching others to fish.

Here's the truth: your team doesn't need another bottleneck boss. They need a leader who paves the way for their success, not yours.

Leadership is hard. And you need to embrace this challenging journey to thrive.
Use this Miro template to face reality:
miro.pxf.io/4GkeG9

Here are the 5 dimensions where product leaders fail:

1. Style
Are you the leader you'd like to have, or the leader your team actually needs?

2. Collaboration
Do you abandon your team to figure it out alone, or create space to solve hard problems together?

3. Attitude
Are you the nice boss people tolerate, or the growth leader people respect?

4. Responsibility
Do you hide behind product decisions, or step up for your people when it matters?

5. Feedback
Do you avoid uncomfortable conversations, or give your team the truth they deserve?

If you're leaning left on most of these, your team is suffering. They're just too polite to tell you.

Pick one dimension. Commit to changing it this week. Not someday. This week.

If you're completely on the left, start with feedback. 
Stop protecting your comfort at your team's expense.

If you’re a leader, where do you struggle the most?
If you’re a PM, what do you miss the most in your leader?

#MiroPartner

Product Leadership Health Check by David Pereira

Too many PMs are invisible contributors.

Most do exactly what’s expected of them.
They execute well. They ship fast. They don’t cause friction.
And that’s precisely why they stay invisible.

Doing what you’re asked doesn’t unlock growth.
It signals reliability, not leadership.

Visibility does.

If you want to grow as a PM, you have to stop playing the execution game and start playing the influence game.

The pattern is always the same:

→ Strategic thinking builds influence
→ Influence creates visibility
→ Visibility leads to promotion

I’ve coached 100+ PMs through this shift.
Almost all already had the skills.
What they lacked wasn’t competence.
It was how they were perceived.

Enrolment for 100X PM is now open.

A 3-week mastermind for PMs ready to operate at the level their next promotion actually requires.
Not by shipping more.
Not by pleasing everyone.
But by changing how you think, decide, and show up.

Most PMs choose safety and stay invisible.
Are you one of them?

Start your transformation now: https://lnkd.in/d4r97N2U

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