I have to admit, I never really thought I’d end up working for the world’s largest retailer as an associate. This all changed when I reconnected with Ben and Dion, former colleagues from Mozilla who joined Walmart a couple years ago and have had a huge impact ever since.
Impact. Impact on the world, and most importantly, positive impact on the lives of ordinary people is something that every Product Manager worth their salt hopes to have. Walmart directly affects the lives of hundreds of millions of people by helping them clothe, feed, and supply their families with the things they need at a price that they can afford. In terms of scale and impact, Walmart’s impact can be meaningfully expressed as a fraction of the global population.
When Walmart approached us to talk about possible roles at the company, I suggested that there was an opportunity for intersecting the growing smartphone market with the huge number of in store shoppers that visit a Walmart every week. As e-commerce and retail evolve, it is easy to forget that at the end of the day, they are both about getting goods to customers at a fair price. As smartphones increasingly become the primary way to access the internet, there’s an amazing opportunity to use mobile technology to help shoppers save time and money, as well as blend the best of online and retail experiences.
It speaks volumes about the organization that they listened and helped me create that role. As the lead PM for the Mobile In Store products, I’ll be working to build the best experiences for a customer base that spans the globe and is becoming increasingly mobile over time. It’s a job that I’m extremely excited about at a place that I never thought about working for, but I’m extremely glad that the team reached out to me.
9/16/2013: In the five months since I’ve joined Walmart, lots has happened. I’ve gotten to fly on the company jet, watched live performances from Elton John and Hugh Jackman, and had wonderful meals at the Portland office. Beyond the glamour, there’s also lots of hard work to do. Over the next few months we’re going to ship some amazing products that will make a meaningful difference for our customers, who rely on us for the things they need at a price that they can afford.
That is wicked cool 🙂 Congratulations. Your life continues to have pretty cool twists and turns. Best part of it all, you always make something memorable and fun out of it. Congratz on the engagement as well. Looks like 2013 is shaping up to a great year for you sir!
This sounds so cool. Congratulation and good luck!