The Hidden “Product Diseases” Killing Your Business with Radhika Dutt

In this episode, Rebekah Panepinto sits down with product strategy expert Radhika Dutt to explore the hidden “product diseases” that quietly derail companies. While many teams blame poor execution when products fail, Radhika explains that the real problem often starts much earlier with how organizations define success, chase metrics, and build products around short-term incentives rather than long-term value.Radhika breaks down why teams frequently prioritize shipping features over solving meaningful customer problems and how that mindset leads to stalled innovation. She also shares how leaders can diagnose these product diseases inside their organizations and shift toward a problem-first approach that focuses on creating durable value rather than vanity metrics.TakeawaysMany product failures are caused by structural “product diseases,” not poor execution.A problem-first mindset helps teams avoid building products that customers don’t actually need.Companies fall into incremental improvement cycles that prevent breakthrough innovation.Product strategy should start with understanding the problem space, not the solution.Leaders must align teams around long-term value instead of vanity metrics.Organizations that solve real problems build more resilient and sustainable businesses.Chapters00:00 Introduction01:38 What “Product Diseases” Really Mean04:17 Why Many Teams Build Features Instead of Solving Problems06:46 The Hidden Incentives Driving Bad Product Decisions09:23 Output vs Outcomes in Product Development12:41 Why Growth Metrics Can Mislead Companies16:08 The Trap of Incremental Innovation19:27 Diagnosing Product Diseases Inside Organizations22:54 Shifting to a Problem-First Product Mindset26:33 Building Products That Deliver Real Value30:11 Advice for Founders and Product Leaders