Beschrijving
How do you turn a side hustle into an acquisition by one of the biggest companies on Earth?
In this episode of How I Broke Into Tech, we sit down with Matt Wilkinson—a founder, engineer, and product leader who is currently building on the bleeding edge of AI. Matt takes us through his unconventional start, from teaching soccer to 3-year-olds to working in a 4-person 3D imaging startup that completely reshaped his career trajectory.
Matt reveals the "scrappy" origins of ShoeFitr, a 3D footwear fitting service he built while working a full-time job at Johnson & Johnson. You’ll hear the raw truth about getting "kicked out" of retail stores while gathering data, the "sleepless nights" leading up to an Amazon acquisition, and how he eventually led major product teams at Amazon Halo and Alexa Voice Shopping.
We also unpack Matt’s "Career Playbook," a blueprint for anyone looking to master risk allocation, pursue "big ideas," and become a world-class product leader.
Key Lessons in this Episode:
- Why the "risk of not doing something" is often higher than the risk of failure.
- The "hardest sale" you will ever make (Hint: It’s not to a customer).
- The Amazon mantra: Why you should run directly toward the things that make you uncomfortable.
Video Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:49 - First Jobs: Soccer Camps & Pergola Painting
01:35 - The 4-Person Startup that Changed Everything
03:15 - The "Lightbulb Moment" for ShoeFitr
05:54 - Building a Side Hustle While at Johnson & Johnson
07:19 - Getting "Kicked Out" and Gathering Data
08:21 - The Amazon Acquisition & Sleepless Nights
10:18 - Lessons from Alexa Voice Shopping & Amazon Halo
11:58 - Risk Allocation: Taking Rejection & Putting Yourself Out There
13:05 - Scaling AI at the AI2 Incubator
13:54 - Matt’s Career Playbook: 3 Lessons for Product Leaders
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