Building One with Tomer Cohen

Breakout products rarely hinge on a single moment of luck. They’re shaped by countless decisions — what to prioritize, what to cut, and how deeply you understand the people you’re building for. Few builders have navigated those decisions at the scale of Mike Krieger, co-founder of Instagram and now Chief Product Officer at Anthropic. Instagram reshaped how billions communicate visually. Today, Mike is helping redefine how we interact with technology again — this time through one of the world’s leading AI assistants. At first glance, building a global social network and building Claude might seem worlds apart. In practice, the parallels run deep. In this episode of Building One, host Tomer Cohen talks with Mike about scaling, knowing when to pivot, and why the rise of AI is transforming the craft of product-building. Tomer and Mike discuss: The inflection point that turned Instagram into a global phenomenon — and the crisis that sparked it Why Mike decided to shut down Artifact, and the lesson he believes every founder should know about when to stop vs. persevere The surprising similarities between building Instagram and building Claude How working at Anthropic changed his thinking about product design and user interfaces And so much more This conversation is for anyone building products, leading teams, or shaping AI-powered experiences — and for every builder who believes that great products come from clarity, intuition, and the willingness to evolve. Follow ⁠Tomer Cohen⁠ on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, ⁠Building LinkedIn⁠. Follow Mike Krieger on Linkedin.

When product teams talk about “a single source of truth,” they’re usually describing an aspiration — a kind of digital nirvana where everyone works from the same context. In engineering, that problem was solved years ago. In design, it took a fundamental mindset shift. Few people understand that shift better than Yuhki Yamashita, Chief Product Officer at Figma. When Figma launched in 2012, the idea of multiple people editing the same file, watching every keystroke in real time, felt radical. Today, Figma is used by more than 95% of the Fortune 500, powering collaboration across designers, engineers, and product teams worldwide. In this episode of Building One, host Tomer Cohen talks with Yuhki about what it takes to build products for builders and what he’s learned from his product roles at Microsoft, Google, and Uber. Tomer and Yuhki discuss: Why designing for product teams is uniquely powerful and uniquely challenging What Yuhki learned from Microsoft, Google, and Uber, and how each shaped his product philosophy How to design tools for non-designers without diluting power or precision The rise of “vibe coding” and its parallels in design Why Figma’s multiplayer model was a means, not an end How AI can evolve from a personal assistant into a true multiplayer teammate Why storytelling is one of the most underrated product skills This conversation is for anyone building products, leading teams, or shaping tools, and for every builder who believes clarity and collaboration are the real drivers of great work. Follow Yuhki Yamashita on LinkedIn. Follow Tomer Cohen on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, Building LinkedIn.

What do Airbnb, Stripe, and DoorDash have in common? They were built with support from renowned startup accelerator, Y Combinator. And Garry Tan knows exactly what made them work. In the season finale of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, to unpack what really makes a startup succeed, and why the startup journey is more about mindset, resilience, and ruthless honesty than having the “perfect” idea. Garry shares rare insights from his dual perspective: as a former founder who went through YC himself, and now as the leader of the world’s most iconic startup accelerator. He’s seen the full spectrum of startup journeys and in this candid conversation, he breaks down what sets the enduring ones apart. In this episode, Tomer and Garry cover: The difference between playing startup vs building one Why co-founders matter more than ideas, and how to find the right one How to avoid the startup “valley of despair” What YC looks for in early-stage founders and teams How to chase user truth instead of optics or false signals How to know when to persevere, when to pivot, and when to walk away Whether you're a first-time founder or a serial entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with startup wisdom you won’t hear anywhere else. Follow Garry Tan on LinkedIn. Follow Tomer Cohen on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, Building LinkedIn.

What if your product design didn’t start with form or function, but with price? That’s how IKEA has built one of the most beloved and iconic retail brands in the world. In this episode of Building One, Tomer Cohen sits down with Fredrika Inger, IKEA’s Chief Product and Commercial Officer, to explore how IKEA creates affordable, high-quality products at scale. With more than two decades at IKEA, Fredrika has seen the business from all sides: materials sourcing, supply chain logistics, store experience, and now the full product range. She reveals the behind-the-scenes process that powers IKEA’s approach to innovation, design, and customer experience. Fredrika shares how IKEA: Begins product design by setting a target price first, and reverse engineers from there Uses in-home research to understand how people really live and what problems they need solved Builds immersive retail experiences by showcasing full living solutions, not just furniture Leverages the five pillars of democratic design: function, form, quality, sustainability, and low price Continuously improves product assembly to simplify the customer experience and support circular design Balances global scale with hyper-local customer insights to stay relevant across 60+ countries This episode is a deep dive into product thinking at scale: how IKEA delivers design-driven, experience-rich, affordable solutions to millions, while staying relentlessly focused on real-life needs. Follow Fredrika Inger on LinkedIn. Follow Tomer Cohen on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, Building LinkedIn.

How do you revive a tech giant and reshape an entire industry? AMD Chief Technology Officer Mark Papermaster joins Tomer Cohen to share how making bold bets, exiting stagnant markets, and betting on modular chip design led to one of the most remarkable comebacks in tech. They also dig into the ways in which semiconductors are powering the AI era. Mark Papermaster is the longtime CTO of AMD, where he helped lead a dramatic product and innovation strategy that changed the company’s future. Prior to working at AMD, his career spans leadership roles at IBM, Apple (where he was recruited by Steve Jobs himself), and Cisco. Mark and Tomer discuss: AMD’s comeback and product reinvention The end of Moore’s Law and rise of modular chip design Chiplets: How AMD bet on bold architecture and won What Mark learned from IBM, Apple, and Steve Jobs Why big bets need big exit strategies Semiconductors and the AI revolution Follow Mark Papermaster on LinkedIn. Follow Tomer Cohen on LinkedIn and check out his newsletter, Building LinkedIn.