PostHog · Execution · Mid · 45 to 60 minutes

How should PostHog simplify deployment options?

PostHog is a product analytics platform that helps teams understand user behavior and build better products. Answer this product management case and get it graded line by line against a weighted rubric.

Prioritization
Customer impact analysis
Execution planning
Written communication
Stakeholder management

The situation

You are the PM responsible for deployment and hosting experience at PostHog. The leadership team has asked for a recommendation on whether PostHog should keep supporting every current deployment path, change the support model, or retire one or more options. The trigger is growing execution strain: most new product investment is going into the core platform and cloud experience, while paid Kubernetes deployments and self hosted licensing create ongoing work across engineering, support, documentation, sales, and customer success. Assume paid Kubernetes deployments are used by about 3.5 percent of current users. A small set of customers depend on them, and some prospects still ask for self hosted buying options. Why now: the company wants to move faster and reduce complexity, but a careless change could create churn, hurt trust with existing customers, and worry the broader open source community. You need to recommend a path and an execution plan that balances focus with customer impact. Your audience is the CEO, engineering leadership, support, and go to market leads, who need a decision this quarter.

What to produce

Write a 1 to 2 page decision memo.

Your answer must

State the decision to be made and evaluate at least two realistic options, with a clear recommendation.
Estimate who is affected and how, including existing paid Kubernetes users, self hosted buyers, and the broader user community.
Use explicit decision criteria, such as customer impact, engineering focus, revenue risk, support burden, and strategic fit.
Include a rollout plan with concrete customer support or migration steps for any option that changes or removes a deployment path.
Define success metrics and guardrails to track after the decision, and list key unknowns that would most improve confidence.

Constraints

You must recommend a path this quarter.
No net new headcount is available in the next two quarters.
Any change must include a workable transition for affected customers, not an abrupt cutoff.
Your plan should reduce confusion by clearly stating what remains supported.

Format

Use short headings, an option table, and a simple phased rollout timeline.

How PostHog actually played it

PostHog announced it would stop supporting paid Kubernetes deployments used by about 3.5 percent of users, and stop selling self-hosted licenses. The post explains the reasoning, who is affected and how the team will help customers migrate to cloud. It is a clear template for a transparent product sunset.

Quantify how many users a sunset affects before announcing it
State what stays available so the community can trust the rest of the product
Offer concrete migration support when you remove a deployment option

Built from Sunsetting Kubernetes support for PostHog by Tim Glaser.