For product managers navigating AI transformation in established companies.
I’ve spent 10 years building systems and 10 years building products. That combination changes how you see AI transformation.
I write about what’s possible with AI AND what customers will actually adopt. The best product decisions happen at the intersection - where ambitious vision meets deep customer understanding, where you can see both what technology enables and what creates real value.
This blog is for product leaders who need both technical depth and commercial reality.
What You’ll Get
Weekly deep dives across three pillars:
AI Strategy - Navigating AI transformation in established companies where legacy systems and real constraints shape what’s possible
Product Thinking - Frameworks for solving complex problems in B2B products, platforms, and marketplaces at scale
Product Leadership - Building influence, making better decisions, and growing as a product leader in enterprise environments
No fluff. No theory for theory’s sake. Just practical insights from shipping products that have to work.
Who This Is For
Product managers at established companies figuring out AI transformation
Engineers moving into product roles who need strategic context
Product leaders in regulated industries where “move fast and break things” isn’t an option
Anyone building enterprise B2B products where stakeholder alignment is complex, and stakes are high
If you’re looking for consumer app growth hacks or startup pivot stories, you’re in the wrong place. This is for people solving messy, multi-stakeholder problems with real constraints.
Why Listen to Me?
I’m Surya Suravarapu, Senior Director of Product at Optum. I lead the AI marketplace, API portfolio, and platform solutions serving a large customer base.
My path: 10 years as an engineer and architect building systems that scale, followed by over 10 years in product management at Portico (acquired by McKesson), Change Healthcare, and now Optum. I’ve debugged code at 2 AM. Now I debug market strategies.
The shift taught me this: perfect execution means nothing if you’re solving the wrong problem. My focus now is connecting customer pain to business value through technology that actually works, especially in domains where failure has real consequences.
What I’ve Learned
After 20 years of shipping products in complex domains, a few things have become clear:
Enterprise AI adoption isn’t an innovation problem. It’s a change management problem wrapped in technical complexity. The bottleneck is rarely “can we build this?” It’s “can our organization actually use this?”
The best product decisions don’t come from choosing between stakeholders. They come from finding the solution that advances multiple competing priorities simultaneously. This is the PM superpower in enterprise environments.
Platform and marketplace dynamics in B2B are fundamentally different from consumer. Network effects look different when your “users” are enterprises making considered purchases, not individuals clicking buttons. The playbooks don’t transfer. You need new mental models.
These are the kinds of insights we’ll explore here.
What to Expect
One deep-dive post per week (typically 1,500-2,500 words)
Quick thoughts via Notes between posts - tools I’m testing, industry shifts, frameworks worth stealing
Real-time learning - I experiment with new AI capabilities weekly and share what works (and what doesn’t)
I write to think, and publish to create dialogue. The best insights come from the comments and conversations that follow.
The Philosophy
Great products answer three questions:
What’s the single biggest obstacle preventing your customer’s success?
How does solving it drive your business forward?
What’s the smallest bet you can make to test your hypothesis?
After 20 years, I’ve learned the magic happens at the intersection of what’s technically possible, what customers desperately need, and what the business can sustain. That’s where we’ll spend our time.
Beyond Product
Based in Atlanta. Family man. Long-distance runner. I read non-fiction, experiment with AI tools, and occasionally advise startups on product strategy.
My driving question: “What if we tried it differently?” Applied to products, markets, and systems that matter.
Let’s Connect
Find me on LinkedIn or reply to any post. I’m always interested in conversations with people solving meaningful problems in complex domains.
If you’re building products that have to work, not just ship, subscribe below.
Note
All opinions and views expressed on this site are my own and do not reflect the views, policies, or positions of my current or former employers. The content shared here represents my personal perspectives on product management, technology, and industry trends, informed by my individual experiences and research.
