Biography

Matthew Krajewski

Product Manager . Writer . Artist

I grew up in Los Gatos, California, watching my father repair shoes and my mother run a pet store. Their small businesses taught me that good work requires both craft and hustle—a combination that's shaped everything I've done since.

I've been working since I was 13. At 19, I managed my first team. I went to Sarah Lawrence College, where I learned that the best education teaches you how to think, not what to think. I studied writing and painting alongside literature and critical theory. I still do both—writing helps me think clearly, painting helps me see differently.

In 2006, I stumbled into tech at a startup called Kosmix. I was supposed to do marketing. Instead, I got mentored in product management by people who believed building good products meant understanding people first. That's been my north star ever since.

Over the past 18+ years, I've built products at AWS, Indeed, and Walmart. I've led accessibility programs across 32 countries. I've launched subscription businesses and redesigned compensation tools. But the through-line has always been the same: find the people who've been overlooked, understand what they actually need, and build systems that work for them.

Outside of tech, I paint, write essays, and read obsessively. I believe the best product thinking comes from looking outside your industry—from subway systems, from typography, from how people actually move through the world.

I live in California with my partner and our ridiculous number of houseplants. I'm happiest when I'm making something—whether that's a product strategy, a painting, or the best chocolate chip cookie in the world.