Leveling Up Your Product Leadership in the Age of AI with Karan M Gupta, CEO of Alice AI

The Intentional Product Manager Podcast

Join Shobhit, founder of Intentional Product Manager, as he sits down with Karan M Gupta, CEO of Alice AI, to explore what it takes to lead and innovate in the age of AI.

In this candid and insight-rich conversation, Karan shares lessons from his journey through multiple IPOs, global product leadership, and founding a cutting-edge AI startup. You’ll hear his take on building product orgs that scale, hiring and coaching high-performing PMs, and why talking to customers is still the most important skill in the AI era.

Whether you're a rising PM or an experienced product leader, this episode is packed with actionable insights on navigating fast-moving tech, scaling AI-native products, and leading with clarity in a complex world.

You’ll Learn:

• How to stand out in your product career—especially in AI-first environments
• The biggest hiring mistake PM leaders make (and how to avoid it)
• Why voice AI is still misunderstood—and how Alice AI is changing that
• Karan’s unique coaching approach for growing strategic PMs
• Practical advice on building privacy-first products for enterprise
• How to adapt (and thrive) as technology evolves at breakneck speed

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Welcome + Introduction
00:30 – Meet Karan M Gupta, CEO of Alice AI
00:59 – Rapid-fire icebreakers
01:55 – Leading across cultures and continents
05:08 – How AI is shaping our daily lives
06:46 – Karan’s journey from engineering to product leadership
10:27 – The story behind founding Alice AI
13:59 – Common myths in voice intelligence
16:32 – Earning trust with large enterprise clients
18:23 – Building privacy into product DNA
9:04 – What Karan looks for when hiring PMs
21:10 – Coaching product managers for long-term growth
23:31 – AI’s accelerating role in product management
25:44 – Staying adaptive in a rapidly changing tech landscape
31:07 – Lightning round: leadership lessons & tools
33:25 – Final thoughts + Shobhit’s closing takeaways

Connect with Shobhit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shobhitchugh/

Connect with Karan M Gupta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karanmg/

www.intentionalproductmanager.com

Chapters

1. Welcome + Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Meet Karan M Gupta, CEO of Alice AI (00:00:30)

3. Rapid-fire icebreakers (00:00:59)

4. Leading across cultures and continents (00:01:55)

5. How AI is shaping our daily lives (00:05:08)

6. Karan’s journey from engineering to product leadership (00:06:46)

7. What Karan looks for when hiring PMs (00:09:04)

8. The story behind founding Alice AI (00:10:27)

9. Common myths in voice intelligence (00:13:59)

10. Earning trust with large enterprise clients (00:16:32)

11. Building privacy into product DNA (00:18:23)

12. Coaching product managers for long-term growth (00:21:10)

13. AI’s accelerating role in product management (00:23:31)

14. Staying adaptive in a rapidly changing tech landscape (00:25:44)

15. Lightning round: leadership lessons & tools (00:31:07)

16. Final thoughts + Shobhit’s closing takeaways (00:33:25)