Episode 126
How to Start With AI When You've Already Decided It's Too Hard (13 Year Google Veteran POV) - w/ Aishwarya
Trust and Safety in Hyderabad first, then the Bay Area, then most of the back half inside YouTube — finance, then analytics, then managing YouTube inventory and monetization. Two months later a friend referred her to a company she actually wanted.
Who this is for
- You are trying to get hired without sounding like everybody else in the pile.
- You would rather hear Aishwarya's version while the mess is still fresh than get another polished hindsight sermon.
Key takeaways
- Start With AI When You've Already Decided It's Too Hard (13 Year Google Veteran POV) - w/ Aishwarya
- Product Manager Job Search Advice in a Tough Tech Market
- Product Interview Storytelling: How to Stand Out as a PM
- Most advice about the AI job market in 2026 is built to make you feel behind.
- And then she landed. By the end of this episode I promise you'll know what companies actually mean when they say...
Fast scan timestamps
Read the complete transcript
The complete conversation is available with timestamps, speaker labels, and links to the exact questions it answers.
Transcript-backed moments
A few lines worth stealing before you hand over the full hour.
But when I hit my 12th anniversary, I was thinking about, hey, I've done so many things at Google, but what does the world look like outside? Uh, so I left Google. Google. 13 years at Google, YouTube
13 years at Google, YouTube monetization. She walked away in the middle of the biggest hiring shift in tech. tech. I was using Gemini internally at work, but when I wanted to use Claude or
but when I wanted to use Claude or something else, I was not using it at work. I was kind of tinkering on the outside. So I wanted to be in a place where I could pick the model I wanted and then you know I didn't get
wanted and then you know I didn't get that job. There are layoffs happening and you know not getting this one job felt like wow this is going to be a very tough market. And then she landed. By the end of this
And then she landed. By the end of this episode I promise you'll know what companies actually mean when they say they're hiring for AI roles and what to build first. Companies are hiring for AI skills but
Show notes
Trust and Safety in Hyderabad first, then the Bay Area, then most of the back half inside YouTube — finance, then analytics, then managing YouTube inventory and monetization. Two months later a friend referred her to a company she actually wanted. That rejection landed right as the layoff headlines were peaking, and that's where this conversation starts. Most advice about the AI job market in 2026 is built to make you feel behind.
More in Get Hired
Same mess. Different guest. Pick the next conversation that feels closest to your real life.