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
Story of a fractional CTO with Thanos Diacakis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:38
My guest today is Thanos Diacakis, Software Delivery Coach & a Fractional CTO.We covered a wide range of topics that included:Insightful Experiences: Thanos shared many insightful and thought-provoking experiences and pe…
Rewiring Careers, Redefining Impact with Anu Dwaraknath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:51
In this episode of Software People Stories, Gayatri Kalyanaraman speaks with Anu Dwaraknath, Staff Technical Program Manager at Lam Research, about her dynamic journey across geographies, domains, and roles. From her ear…
Passion, Patents, and Powering Down AI with Fred Jordan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:50
Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Dr. Fred Jordan, CEO and Co-Founder at AlpVision and FinalSpark - Expert anticounterfeit technologies - Expert biocomputing talks about his journey to make a difference in AI…
Entrepreneurship, AI, and Social Impact with Santosh Kaveti [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:57
I am very happy to bring you the inspiring story of Santosh Kaveti, CEO and Founder of ProArch Technologies.In this conversation he talks about: His Origin Story: From applied mathematics to entrepreneurship, navigating…
Interpretability and Explainability with Aruna Chakkirala [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:02
Her early inspiration while growing up in Goa with limited exposure to career options. Her Father’s intellectual influence despite personal hardships and shift in focus to technology.Personal tragedy sparked a resolve to…
Selling IT based solutions with Deepak Mittal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:42
I am in conversation with Deepak Mittal, CEO of FFTalos Technologies. In this insightful episode, Deepak Mittal shares his career journey from coding to consultative selling, reflecting on his evolution from a tech enthu…
From Theater to entrepreneurship with Stamatis Astra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:14
My guest today is Stamatis Astra is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Intelligent Relations. In this freewheeling conversation, he talks about:Introduction & Origin StoryStamatis shares his varied career journ…
Amplifying Reinvention with Deeksha Senguttuvan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:50
Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Deeksha Senguttuvan, Founder and CEO of BabyMD and executive trustee for a pediatric cancer foundation . Deeksha brings her authentic self to share powerful stories of persona…
From COBOL to AI with Allen Cooper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:49
Shiv is in conversation with Allen Cooper, President and CEO of Ancilla Ventures. Their focusis in providing tools to healthcare support staff to improve patient outcomes.In this conversation, Allen talks about:Allen’s O…
Exploring Peer-to-Peer Tech with Mathias Buus Madsen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:26
Shiv is in conversation with Mathias Buus Madsen, CEO of Holepunch, Copenhagen. In this episode, Mathias shareshis journey into software development, beginning as a math student and evolving into a passionate advocate fo…