Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

AI’s third era: the rise of persistent AI coworkers | Tara Seshan (OpenAI’s product lead)

1h 22min

Tara Seshan, OpenAI’s product lead for Codex and ChatGPT Work, discusses the evolution of AI from simple chat to persistent, collaborative agents. She emphasizes that product managers must be empirical and prolific, building for a two-to-three-month horizon while focusing on core hypotheses and user feedback. Key themes include the importance of ambition, the shift from theoretical to experimental approaches, and the need for humans to steer AI agents rather than just perform tasks.

Summarized by Podsumo

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✨ Key Takeaways

1

Tara outlines three eras of AI: chat → agents → persistent AI coworkers
2

Building for model capabilities 2-3 months out is critical—too early or too late is equally wrong
3

Product managers must shift from theoretical to empirical: test core hypotheses fast, not write long strategy docs
4

AI agents are like rowers; humans must provide direction and ambition—steering is key
5

Writing as thinking should remain human; use AI only for reporting and iteration

💬 Notable Quotes

"You fail if you build for where the models are now, you fail if you build for where you think the models will be in a year. Both outcomes are equally wrong. — Tara Seshan"
"Software is not like real estate. It is a little bit more like filmmaking, where you can put a lot of money into a film, but that doesn't guarantee the film is successful. — Tara Seshan (attributing to Patrick Collison)"
"Being prolific and empirical is way more important than being academic or theoretical. — Tara Seshan"