Involving Communities in Product Development with Jake McKee

Involving Communities in Product Development with Jake McKee

Author: PM Power Consulting May 30, 2025 Duration: 54:32

My guest today is Jake McKee, a pioneer in the modern customer community movement.

In this conversation, he shares:

  • Hiss Origin Story: His unique career bridging product design, engineering, and community strategy.
  • Community-Driven Product Development: How companies can embed passionate customers in the development cycle.
  • Empathy & Relationship Building: The importance of emotional connection between brands, engineers, and users.
  • Community Across Industries: From B2B to B2C, physical products to software, communities play a crucial role in success.
  • Brand Strength vs. Community Engagement: Why brand prestige isn’t necessary—what matters is purpose and connection.
  • Breaking Silos Within Organizations: How community initiatives foster collaboration across different departments.
  • Harnessing Collective Knowledge: Using communities to gather insights, troubleshoot issues, and enhance product adoption.
  • Leading Indicators vs. Reactive Responses: Using community feedback to detect trends before they become business problems.
  • AI in Community Management: How AI can augment but not replace human relationships in communities.
  • What Makes a Great Community Manager? Perseverance, empathy, and communication are key traits for success.


Jake McKee is one of the founders of the modern customer community movement. He led Apple’s famed Global Support Communities. He pioneered efforts at LEGO to engage its adult users in a community - which spawned breakthrough innovations such as the Mindstorms Community Driven Product Development (which landed on the cover of Wired Magazine). 

For more than 10 years, Jake has been a leading industry community consultant working with clients like Cancer Treatment Centers of America, EA Games, Southwest Airlines, and Outdoorsy. His consulting practice, Jake McKee Consulting focuses on helping organizations of all sizes design, execute, and grow Community Driven Product Development programs that bring the Community Voice into the product development lifecycle.

Jake also manages the CX Sessions project, an invitation-only monthly dinner series that brings senior online community, CX, and product management leaders together for conversation, connection, and camaraderie. And just for laughs, he created a web comic for community managers called Confessions of a Community Manager. 

https://jakemckee.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakemckee/



Behind every line of code, there's a person with a story. Software People Stories, from PM Power Consulting, moves beyond abstract theory and polished case studies to explore the real, human experience of building technology. This isn't about hypotheticals; it's a collection of candid conversations with the practitioners themselves-developers, designers, product managers, and architects-who share firsthand accounts from the trenches. They talk about the paths that led to success and, just as importantly, the unexpected detours and failures that provided the most valuable lessons. Each episode delves into the nuanced journey of discovering what users need, designing elegant systems, navigating complex development, and ultimately delivering solutions that matter. By focusing on these personal narratives, the podcast reveals the core of software creation: a blend of technical skill, creative problem-solving, and team dynamics. Listeners gain practical wisdom and relatable perspectives on the challenges and triumphs inherent in the tech industry. Tune in for an honest look at the craft, where the stories of people are just as crucial as the software they build. You'll find this podcast a refreshing source of insight for anyone involved in or curious about the technology and business landscapes, offering career lessons learned the hard way.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Software People Stories
Podcast Episodes
Navigating Technological Changes with Sudipta Lahiri [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:50
In this podcast episode, Sudipta Lahiri, Head Of Engineering and Products at Nimblework, Inc shares his compelling journey from growing up in a cosmopolitan township and studying metallurgical engineering to becoming a l…
Tech Entrepreneurial Insights with Bhargav Bhikkaji [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:17
In this podcast episode, Shiv is in conversation with Bhargav Bhikkaji, a tech leader, entrepreneur, and founder-CTO of MajorDomo Inc with deep expertise in cloud and Gen-AI driven enterprise software. In this episode of…
Navigating Career Paths with Anees Haidary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:52
In this podcast episode, Shiv is in conversation with Anees Haidary, Global Head, Operational Excellence, Data Privacy, and Global Workforce Management at Sasken Technologies.In this engaging episode, Anees shares his re…
Loving Failure and Learning Daily with Kumaran Anandan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:26
In this podcast episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Kumaran Anandan, CTO of TinyMagiq and Enterprise Architect —shares a refreshingly honest journey across hardware, industrial automation, embedded syst…
From Backend IT to Frontline Digital Transformation with Shubhangi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:44
In this podcast episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Shubhangi M Josiam, Digital Head APAC of Alstom about her 18+ year journey across GE and Alstom, moving from core IT and infrastructure roles to custo…
New Year message from our Hosts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:21
As we step into 2026, a heartfelt thank you to all our listeners for your time, trust, and continued support. Your engagement, feedback, and encouragement mean a lot to us and inspire us to keep creating meaningful conve…
Embracing Change and Challenges with Hasan Siddiqui [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:14
In this episode, Hasan Siddiqui, a veteran in the IT industry, recounts his extensive and diverse career in the software and technology industry, offering valuable insights and advice along the way. He starts with his ac…
Curiosity-Driven Success with Ravikiran Pothukuchi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:56
My guest today is Ravikiran Pothukuchi, the leader of Dassault Systèmes’ Enterprise Portfolio business in India.In this conversation, Ravi shares his journey from his humble beginnings in a small village in India to beco…
Evolving Security Practices with Ben Wilcox [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:05
In this episode of the Software People Stories, my guest Ben Wilcox is the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at ProArch. Ben shares his fascinating journey from building a web hosting busine…
Empowering Developers with Yaron Schneider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
In this episode of Software People Stories, Shiv is in conversation with Yaron Schneider, co-founder of Diagrid and a seasoned developer and entrepreneur deeply involved in the open source movement.Yaron shares his origi…