Joining Coinbase APM
I'm Bryan, one of the new Product Managers at Coinbase.
Before joining Coinbase, I studied at USC. I also interned at Cash App / Square. I'm particularly interested in consumer finance, novel consumer experiences, and creator-led businesses.
I like to say I grew up on the internet, where I spent my childhood in game ecosystems and online forums. This is also where I learned to build and design things as a kid.
Naturally, I gravitated towards programming and startups. I'm very excited to build toward a new internet economy, something that felt native to me even 10 years ago.
The future belongs to those who try, whether they succeed or fail.
The APM Program
Many students have reached out to me about APM programs. Unfortunately, I do not do referrals unless we have some connection. There's plenty already written (1), so I am going to offer only specific opinions.
Basics:
The Associate Product Management (APM) program is about 10 hires each year and 4-5 rounds of interviews. There's a few other APM programs at Google, Facebook, Uber. See: Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's Letter to a New PM
I chose Coinbase because I felt like I would learn the most out of all APM programs I got an offer from. By nature of how much there is left to build, APMs at Coinbase are given major ownership and high opportunity projects. Still, if you want to just do a startup, you should just go do a startup; there is no 'pre-med' or 'pre-law' for startups.
Realistically, your competition is huge. Most of my peers went to top schools, did multiple PM internships already, or achieved other impressive things. This is what most APM advice won't tell you. PM's are a specific Type A, product-minded, strong communicator archetype.
For advice, I reject most books or newsletters commonly recommended. Your best bet is to understand business and product deeply. Why does this exist (Uber Cash)? Why are certain obvious features missing (Spotify social features)? Learn on your own. Have opinions. Practice speaking.
bryanhuang