Strategy question
If you were the VP of LinkedIn Messenger, how would you decide if this needs to be a stand-alone app or integrated with the app as it is today?
- Strategy
- Hard
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What this question tests
Strategic reasoning about platform architecture decisions, using real usage-pattern signals rather than assumption.
How to approach it
- Clarify the decision criteria: usage frequency and intent, since professional messaging is generally lower-frequency than consumer chat, plus precedent from other standalone messaging spin-offs.
- Weigh standalone pros: a dedicated engagement surface, push notifications outside the main app, potentially higher messaging frequency.
- Weigh standalone cons: adds app-switching friction for a network where messaging is usually contextual, tied to a profile, job, or post.
- Weigh integrated pros: keeps messaging tied to professional context, like replying about a job post or connection request, where it naturally happens.
- Recommend based on the actual usage pattern: professional messaging is lower-frequency and highly contextual, so integrated is likely better, avoiding the controversial precedent of forcing a standalone app.
- Define the decision trigger: only consider standalone if messaging frequency data showed it becoming a primary, high-frequency use case independent of the main app.
What a strong answer includes
- Uses the real, well-known standalone-messenger precedent, and its user backlash, as a grounded cautionary comparison.
- Distinguishes this network's professional, contextual messaging pattern from consumer chat's higher-frequency pattern as the deciding factor.
- Proposes a clear, data-based trigger for revisiting the decision rather than a permanent, unconditional stance.
Common mistakes
- Assuming what worked for a consumer messaging spin-off automatically applies here despite a very different usage context.
- Giving a decision with no criteria for what would change the recommendation.
Likely follow-up questions
- What data would you look at to validate this decision?
- How would you test a standalone app without fully committing?
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Learn the skill behind it
Chapters of the AI PM course that teach what this question tests.
- Chapter 4: Discovery and strategy for AI products
- Chapter 9: Prove it paid off: outcomes, economics, and pricing
- Chapter 14: Get the job: the AI PM interview loop