This document discusses how product teams can navigate crises by accepting unknowns, sticking to principles, and owning basics. It describes BlaBlaCar's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic from February 2020 to Summer 2022. During this period, BlaBlaCar tried different approaches like allowing more seats or removing fees but saw low usage. They emphasized not trying to predict the future, sticking to principles like maximizing revenue while preserving dynamics, and regularly examining principles to keep improving. The document encourages always looking at principles to fully realize their potential even during crises.

1. What Crises Reveal about Your PM
Culture
by BlaBlaCar VP of Product & Design
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6. What Crises Reveal about
Your PM Culture
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7. Joined in 2014
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󰝈
Ben Retourné
VP Product & Design

8. Be the go-to
marketplace
for shared travel.
Our mission

9. “The go-to
marketplace for
shared travel”
BlaBlaCar
+130 million
members

10. What crisis reveal about your
product team?

11. A roller-coaster
From Feb. ‘20 to Summer ‘22
��

12. February 2020 - France

13. 󰏃
󰎙
󰑒
󰎼
󰐮

19. #1 Accept the unknowns
#2 Stick to your principles
#3 Own your basics

20. #1 - Accept the unknowns
Don’t try to predict the future
#2 - Stick to your principles
#3 - Own your basics

21. When will things get
back to normal?

22. What should we do?

23. Try #1

24. Two Max in the Back

25. Only one in the back

26. LOW usage among our users, despite the
circumstances
DECLININGinterest in using it again for
the next carpool once used

27. Try #2

28. #COVID FIGHT
Hackathon #1 - Not a success

29. The BlaBlaCar community app to
support each other with grocery
shopping during COVID-19

30. Try #3

31. 1 Leverage existing tools / parameters
Hackathon #2 - A success
2 Tiny changes in UI not changing the logic
3 External tools or bots

32. Increase number
of seats
Remove our fees
for all passengers
Launch a
Telegram bot
💺 💸 🤖

33. When will things get
back to normal?
NEVER!

34. Don’t try to predict the future, and
slightly adapt if needed
#AcceptTheUnknows

35. #1 - Accept the unknowns
#2 - Stick to your principles
Be clear on where you’re heading to
#3 - Own your basics

36. What are our
intangible
principles?

37. Maximize revenue while
preserving long term dynamic
Offer the best-in-class booking
experience for shared travel
Capture and fill-up all carpool
driver rides
Fill-up buses and run efficient
operations
Make our platform the most
efficient and scalable one
Comply with local and
international regulations
Monetization Passenger XP Carpool supply
Operated Buses
Capabilities
Compliance
Gather bus operator supply
and fill-up their buses
Pro Marketplace
Make our teams as efficient as
possible
Corporate Services
Provide reliable data to run our
product and business
Data
A Yearly Product & Engineering roadmap

38. How do we keep our
principles but
adapted our path?

39. Path #1
Uncertainty
6 weeks plan

40. Path #2
Finish
first

41. Path #3
Easier with
less traffic

42. Be clear on where you’re heading
to, so that you can easily adapt if
needed
#StickToYourPrinciples

43. #1 - Accept the unknowns
#2 - Stick to your principles
#3 - Own your basics
Be perfect on your principles

44. “That’s the way it is”

45. Offer the best-in-class booking
experience for shared travel
Passenger XP

46. “That’s the way it is”
Why shouldn’t we
change?

48. “It used to be this
way?”

50. Cash or Online

51. Capture and fill-up all carpool
driver rides
Carpool supply

53. “It used to be this
way?”
Why should it remain
this way?

55. Always look at your principles, to
keep & unleash their full potential
#OwnYourBasics

56. #1 Accept the unknowns
Don’t try to predict the future, and slightly adapt if needed
#2 Stick to your principles
Be clear on where you’re heading to, so that you can easily
adapt if needed
#3 Own your basics
Always look at your principles, to keep & unleash their full
potential

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