Jordan Yee

Tell me about yourself and your journey into big tech.

I’m currently an Associate Product Manager (APM) in my first rotation at LinkedIn. I joined six months ago and am working on Premium, specifically Premium Growth. I focus on both acquisition and retention metrics.

Outside of work, I’m originally from Southern California - born and raised there. I recently graduated from Berkeley, where I studied Computer Science. I’ve been in Northern California for the last four or five years. Before LinkedIn, I interned at Apple as a Hardware Engineering System EPM, doing program management on the iPhone and inductive accessories. Before that, I was a Product Management Intern at Activision Blizzard, working on the e-commerce side of Battle.net.

My journey into big tech is interesting because I never really saw myself in the industry. Growing up, I did a little bit of everything and enjoyed all of it. At different points, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. I also thought about being a doctor because I loved the idea of caring for people. I’ve always had an interest in teaching as well.  

So, I wasn’t someone who always knew exactly what I wanted to do or where I wanted to be. The only constant was that I naturally gravitated toward leadership roles. Even as a kid, whenever they asked, “Who wants to be the point guard?” or “Who wants to be the team captain?” I was always like, “I’m down. That’s me. That’s where I want to be.” I loved seeing all the moving pieces and figuring out how to optimize them for the best team outcome. Little did I know, that’s basically what a PM does.

When I went to college, I chose Computer Science mostly because my dad did. He was like, “Get a technical degree - CS is super applicable. You’ll enjoy it.” So, I got into Berkeley and started studying CS.

The moment I got on campus, I was completely taken aback by the tech scene. I remember club recruiting - it was during COVID, so everything was online. When you applied, they asked for your LinkedIn and your resume. I was like, “Wait a second. I don’t have a resume. I don’t have a LinkedIn. Why do I need these to apply to a club?” That was my first introduction to how competitive the tech world is.

At first, I looked into software engineering because that’s what everyone said to do. I leaned a lot on my peers - they were instrumental in helping me build up my professional recruiting skills. I also learned a lot from mentors, and it was actually through one of them that I discovered product management.

He was (and still is) an APM at Google.

That’s awesome. How did you happen to connect with him in the first place?

Yeah, great question. A huge piece of advice for any of the student readers out there - join student orgs. Find an org where you’re doing work you care about and working on cool projects.

This guy was a junior when I was a freshman. He was about to start his APM internship at Google. I met him while we were just shooting hoops, and he asked, “So, what do you want to do with your life?” I told him, “Dude, I don’t know. Computer science seems cool, but I prefer talking, leading, and planning. I don’t know if I want to pigeonhole myself into coding.”

That’s when he introduced me to product management.

I caught a couple of breaks and landed an interview at Blizzard for a Product Management internship. Funny enough, I had actually applied for a Software Engineering role. When the recruiter called me, she said, “You might not be the best fit as a game dev here…but I really like your resume, and I think you’d be a great fit as a Product Manager.”

At that point, I had a technical background plus leadership and business development experience. I read Cracking the PM Interview, prepared for the interview, got the role, and from there, my career trajectory followed that same path.

Student orgs at Berkeley played a huge role in my growth. With a lot of effort, I was able to work at Apple, taking a full year off school for the opportunity. Then, when I was looking for a full-time role after graduation, I really wanted to find something that made me excited to wake up every day. That’s what led me to LinkedIn.

A lot of my past work has been in teaching and mentoring. I found the APM role, applied, and - by the grace of God - got it. And here we are now.

For those who may not be familiar with the APM program, can you explain what it is?

The APM program was first established by Google. Traditionally, product management wasn’t a role that new grads could enter directly. Most PMs started as engineers, data scientists, consultants, or business analysts before transitioning into the role.

Google created the APM program to provide structured training for new grads. It’s rotational - LinkedIn and Google both do two rotations, while Salesforce does three. It’s usually a two-year program, and you join a cohort of other new grads.

At LinkedIn, I spend one year on my current team (Premium Growth), then rotate to a different team. After the program, if and when I get promoted to PM, I can either stay with my second team, return to my first, or even coffee chat my way into a new team.

It’s a great way to get hands-on experience, mentorship, and the opportunity to explore different areas of the company.

In your current role, what does a typical day look like and what are your main job responsibilities?

My day-to-day changes a lot. That’s actually one of the things I love about being a PM.

As a PM on my team - specifically on the Premium Growth side - my focus is on driving key metrics around how we create member experiences that encourage users to engage with our features. I’m not necessarily the one deciding which new features are built for Premium. Instead, my role is about figuring out how we can get members to interact with and derive value from those features.

I work across both acquisition and retention. The main areas I focus on include the survey and chooser pages (where users subscribe to Premium), the welcome flow for new members, the My Premium page, and the cancellation flow.

From ideation to ramp to data analysis and readout, I’m responsible for driving the process - but that doesn’t mean I’m doing everything myself. My role is primarily to lead the ideation process, define product requirements, and synthesize data and customer feedback to inform decisions. But beyond that, I also collaborate with other PMs to align on strategic direction. Once we determine our approach, it’s still up to me to drive the actual design and implementation.

That involves working closely with a lot of cross-functional stakeholders. The list goes on and on, but the key ones include design, product marketing, engineering, business operations, data science, and, of course, other PMs. My job is to make sure everyone is set up for success in their roles so that, collectively, we can build great product experiences.

Since I’m constantly working with different teams and tackling projects at various stages, every day is different. And that’s what I love about it - no two days are the same. Every day, I either learn something new or flex a different skill, which keeps me on my toes.

It can definitely be stressful at times, but I love waking up and thinking, What’s today’s challenge? What am I going to learn? How am I going to grow? That’s really all I wanted in a career right out of college.

What advice do you have for others who want to break into big tech or do what you do?

1. Be true to yourself.

I tell this to everyone - especially college students or those mass applying for jobs just to “get something.” Take a step back and figure out what you actually care about. What excites you? What do you do in your free time that never feels like work? What’s something you could see yourself doing for years without getting burned out?

I’m a huge believer that things work out best for people who chase what they truly want - not what others tell them they should want.

For example, the reason I wanted to work at LinkedIn - and why I think I landed this role - is because my personal and professional missions align. My entire life, I’ve always been focused on lowering barriers to entry for others. I’ve worked with kids, taught, mentored, founded a nonprofit, and helped underserved communities. I’ve always loved creating opportunities for others, sharing knowledge, and helping people navigate challenges I once faced.

In my LinkedIn interview, they asked, “You’ve done a lot. What are you most proud of?” And I said “Honestly, nothing that’s on my resume. I’m most proud of the fact that I have two or three mentees at Berkeley right now who are freshman and sophomores who are getting better internships than I did at their age. When they graduate, they’re going to crush it and be way better than me at my job. And that’s because I was able to help them get there.”

That’s what truly excites me. Now, my life’s mission aligns with my job. I wake up every day excited to work and give 110% because I know I’m in the right place. And that’s why I always say - follow what actually drives you. It’ll make everything easier.

2. Don’t blindly follow frameworks - make them your own.

Yes, follow proven strategies, but don’t lose your authenticity in the process. If it doesn’t feel like you, don’t do it. I’ve mock-interviewed so many people, and I can instantly tell when someone is just regurgitating a framework or using an “interview voice.” They all sound the same.

At the end of the day, you’re trying to make a human connection. Your interviewer doesn’t want to hear a list of keywords - they want to hear you.

Be yourself. Talk about what you genuinely care about. Let your personality show. That’s how you stand out.

For example, the way I’m speaking now? It’s the same way I talked in my interviews. It’s the same way I talk at work. People at LinkedIn know me as the guy who walks around with my hat backward, yelling, “Happy Friday!” But they knew that’s what they were getting because that’s how I showed up in my interviews.

So my advice? Be yourself. The best version of you is the most authentic version of you. When you talk about something you truly care about, there’s this spark. And that spark is what makes people connect with you.

That’s how you break through barriers - whether it’s getting into big tech, landing a PM role, or just excelling in life.

31 new remote roles! 🙌

Thank you so much for taking the time to read today’s newsletter! If you have any feedback, please let me know down below. Have a great rest of the week and see you in the next one! Cheers, Brenna

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