Liuxiao (Betty) Zhang

Grateful to wrap up an unforgettable summer at Google in the Bay Area. A few takeaways I’m carrying forward: 1. Product management is evolving, fast: After 3+ years in PM, this summer felt different in the age of AI. Market analysis, data insights, prototyping, PRD critiquing, and even building buy-in tools to convince stakeholders now happen more efficiently and quickly, with AI in the loop. PMs need to be full-stack operators. 2. AI is the present: LLMs and agents are reshaping how we build and how people interact with products. In the heart of the Bay Area, and especially inside Google, I saw workflows and experiences being reimagined in real time.  Nearly every experience we use today is up for reinvention. 3. Big Tech at startup speed: I felt a real bias to ship, learn, and iterate quickly. Scale and velocity can (and must) coexist when you’re focused on impact, especially when the playing ground to build and ship is evened out. 4. Network effects are human, too: I learned more from proximity - coffee chats, hallway conversations, and networking events - than from any articles or books. Deep relationships open doors and accelerate growth. Huge thanks to everyone who shared time, feedback, and insights over the summer. Excited to dive headfirst into this new world  🚀

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Recently got early access to ByteDance Seedance 2 Dreamina AI and the CapCut Creative Partner Program (CPP), so of course I had to run an experiment. If you don’t know me yet, I love pushing AI systems to their limits and seeing how far they can go. Here’s what I tested today: 1️⃣ Text-to-video generation (style exploration, character development, and consistency) 2️⃣ Uploading the generated video back as a reference and asking the system to recreate a new scene using the same characters and visual language Topaz Labs AI upscale So basically, I wanted to see if the model could stay consistent when referencing its own output. The result is actually really solid. The character retention and style continuity surprised me. You can judge it for yourself. Still early access. Still experimenting. And this is getting interesting.

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4 years at Uber today. My most valuable lesson: grow people’s Data Science and TPM skills to supercharge collabs. This is how I did it 👇 HOW: - Composed a 100+ page document called “Data Science For Everyone”, which is equipped with step-by-step tutorials, videos and notes that accelerate and orientate practical skill development for real problems - Maintain the Guide current with regular updates, engaging visualizations (where possible) and notes that complement Source of Truth documentation elsewhere -Circulated passively and engaged comments/suggestions inline and via slack, encouraging others to share if they found it valuable - Made myself available to chat, zoom and present IMPACT: - 1.2k+ users across the business - 50+ teams, involving professionals such as: MLE, SWE, Data Scientists, Data Engineers and TPMs/PMs across Safety, Risk, Legal, Strategy & Ops and many others - 400+ distinct users per month for the last few months PURPOSE: - Grass-root tool to onboard new hires - Teaches how to use GenAI tools - Architectural designs for experimenting with simple LLM use to multi-agentic RAG workflows - Generic code bases for people to get started - Standard project directory designs that illustrates best practices for scalable and efficient growth - Guidance and code snippets for how to use Python for big data projects, including how to build automation and classic ML solutions CIRCULATION: - Organic - Met a need shared across professionals across all levels. NEXT STEPS: - I hope to collaborate with others to compose a Data Science course curriculum for K-12 students - In the meantime, I’ll be working on general educational resources A high tide rises all boats and builds a meaningful network of collaborative ships!

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 $𝟲𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗴𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Our VP of Engineering, Xiaofan(James) Luan, was supposed to buy his wife a Dior bag for their anniversary.  Instead, he bought three Claude Code subscriptions and spent the holiday trying to cross-compile 2 million lines of C++. Every fix on one platform broke two others.  $600 later, the only output was "git reset --hard" — and a very cold dinner table.😂 "Make it compile on Windows" is a trap. The real goal was "compile everywhere without hacks" — no AI is going to figure that out for you at 2 am. What worked: constraints before code, review tests not code, bottom-up, one layer at a time. Same task, two days. Then he ran six parallel Claude sessions across three machines with git worktree. The bottleneck stopped being intelligence and started being how fast one person can alt-tab. AI solves exactly the problem you give it. Engineering is in knowing which one to give. His wife is still waiting for that bag. Full story: https://lnkd.in/gtsW_Wvk ——— Follow Milvus, created by Zilliz, for everything related to unstructured data

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5 Hard-Won Lessons From My Software Engineering Career "Life is an unfoldment and the further we travel, the more truth we can comprehend." — Hypatia Five years into my career at Meta, I recently found myself reflecting on this ancient wisdom. What truths have I really learned? What do I know now that I desperately wish I'd understood on day one? Here are the five lessons that transformed my career—and might just transform yours. --- # 1. Do Hard Things (Even When Everything In You Screams "Run") The best thing you can do for your career is also the thing you'll instinctively avoid. The takeaway: Growth lives on the other side of discomfort. Seek it out. --- # 2. Aim for the Best (Talent Density Changes Everything) Once you commit to doing hard things, the next question is: where do you find the hardest, most impactful problems to solve? My answer: aim to work at a top-tier tech company as early as possible. The takeaway: Surround yourself with people better than you. The environment will force you to level up. --- # 3. Communication Is Your Most Powerful Tool Here's a truth that shocked me: the highest-impact engineers aren't always the best coders. They're the best communicators. I used to believe in the myth of the lone genius—that if I just wrote brilliant code, my work would speak for itself. That was a huge mistake. The takeaway: If you think you're "just a tech person," you will hit a ceiling. Master communication—it's the most leveraged skill you'll ever learn. --- # 4. Find Your Crew (Loyalty Goes to People, Not Companies) For the past five years, I've worked with the same core group of people—different teams, different projects, but the same leadership and trusted colleagues. This is my crew. The takeaway: The best career move isn't optimizing for projects—it's optimizing for people. Find your crew and invest in those relationships. --- # 5. Your Career Is a Marathon (And Your Body Is Your Only Irreplaceable Tool) In my 20s, I thought I was invincible. I ran on caffeine, ignored my posture, and treated sleep as optional. Grinding was my badge of honor. I wish I could go back and warn myself: the bill for neglecting your body in your 20s comes due in your 30s. The takeaway: This is a marathon, not a sprint. Protect your health with the same intensity you bring to your work. --- The Unfoldment Continues These five lessons—do hard things, aim for the top, master communication, find your crew, and play the long game—have transformed how I approach my career. What truths are waiting for you on the other side of your next hard decision? --- What resonates most with you from these lessons? I'd love to hear your perspective in the comments. #SoftwareEngineering #CareerAdvice #TechCareers #ProfessionalGrowth #EngineeringLeadership https://lnkd.in/gRWvRkRV

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Localization is more than translation. Pendo.io just rolled out our first localized experience—in Japanese 🇯🇵—designed for Japan’s fast-growing, AI-driven tech market. Go Pendo.io Japan ! From login screens to product areas, we’re bringing product-led growth to users in their language. Learn how we're doing it—and why Japan was first! 👇

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Many people have asked me how I broke into the PM role without an MBA, or even a US-based degree, and the reality is that I was lucky: - I was exposed to the right opportunity: a Microsoft PM internship. - At the right time: early in my career, with lots curiosity and energy to learn new things. These opportunities are rare, especially early in your career, which is why I was very excited to see my org at Stripe offering a new grad accelerator program. Feel free to reach out for advice/tips!

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