Welcome to 2026! In this special retrospective episode, host Hannah Clark is joined by producer Becca Banyard to unpack the biggest themes, standout insights, and most listened-to moments from the past year. Together, they reflect on what made 2025 such a pivotal year in product—where AI reigned, volatility was the norm, and the role of product leadership was stretched in new directions.

This episode is both a reflection and a guide. Hannah and Becca break down what they learned from conversations with CPOs, founders, researchers, and consultants who all shared one thing in common: navigating change while building great products. Whether you’re a seasoned exec, a leader on the rise, or somewhere in between, this wrap-up points you to the episodes you shouldn’t miss—and gives a preview of where the conversation is headed in 2026.

Resources from this episode:

• Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletter
• Referenced Episodes & Guests to Revisit:
  • Finding Your Unfair Advantage in Product’s Wild West Era with Margaret-Ann Seger
  • How Did This CPO Pull Off 350% Growth in Two Years?! with Benjamin Berry
  • The Nuances of Product Leadership No One Talks About with Debbie McMahon
  • How to Adapt to the New Gold Standard in Product Management with Dr. Maryam Ashoori
  • The Product Leader’s Guide to Buyer Psychology with Chris Silvestri
  • The New Exec Playbook: Your Most Important First Moves in Your First Executive Role with Yue Zhao
  • Are We Overpromising and Under-delivering on AI? with Dhruv Batra
  • Why It’s So Hard to Adopt New Skills with Maxine Anderson
  • The Systems Thinking Process Used by the Most Adaptable Product Leaders with Sheryl Cababa

AI can solve Olympic-level math problems... and still fumble basic arithmetic. So what gives? According to Dhruv Batra, the answer lies in the “jaggedness” of intelligence—how AI can excel in some areas while completely breaking down in others. Dhruv, co-founder and Chief Scientist at Yutori, joins Hannah Clark to unpack the cognitive dissonance users feel when a model dazzles one moment and disappoints the next.

They explore how user expectations—shaped by decades of intuitive UI patterns and human conversations—often collide with the underlying limits of AI systems. From browser agents and automation to long-term feedback loops and trust-building, this conversation is a candid look at what today’s AI can actually do (and where it’s still bluffing). If you’re building with AI or trying to scope what’s possible, this one will recalibrate your expectations—in a good way.

Resources from this episode:

• Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletter
• Connect with Dhruv on LinkedIn
• Check out Dhruv’s website and Yutori

There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in product right now—especially when it comes to AI. Shiny tools and slick prototypes are masquerading as production-ready solutions, and teams are feeling the pressure to keep up. But what happens when the hype outpaces the fundamentals?

Hannah sits down with Matt Graney, CPO of Celigo, to talk about bad product plays in disguise—from vibe coding and no-code illusions to AI-fueled shortcuts that chip away at real product rigor. With decades in B2B product and a track record scaling teams, Matt offers a sharp, grounded view on what’s actually changing, what’s staying the same, and how to keep your product sense intact through it all.

Resources from this episode:

• Subscribe to The CPO Club newsletter
• Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
• Check out Celigo