#002 – Julie Zhuo: Mom, Designer, Author, Sundial, Facebook, The Making of a Manager | Linus Podcast #002
In this special live episode from Upscale Conference in San Francisco, Linus sits down with Julie Zhuo, former VP of Product Design at Facebook, co-founder of Sundial, and author of The Making of a Manager. The episode kicks off with Julie recounting her early career at Facebook, where she joined as a computer scientist when the company was just 100 people. Over 14 years, she helped scale the design and user experience teams while working on core features like News Feed and the Like button. Julie shares the leap she took five years ago to start her own company, Sundial, which aims to make data insights more accessible to decision-makers—likening it to a “cursor for analytics.”The conversation flows into leadership and self-awareness, as Julie debunks the myth that leaders must always have the answers. She speaks candidly about her struggles with impostor syndrome, especially when managing seasoned designers early in her career. Julie emphasizes the importance of self-awareness through feedback and reflection—whether via journaling or conversation—and underscores that feedback, when given with care and vulnerability, can be one of the most powerful tools for growth. Linus adds his own story about receiving emotionally jarring feedback from an AI assistant, reinforcing the value of unexpected truth-telling.Julie also discusses taste in product design and how it evolves with experience, comparing good taste to having a finely tuned sense of what “great” looks like. She encourages young designers entering the field to immerse themselves in real work, to get their reps in, and to use AI not as a crutch but as an amplifier. The two explore how AI can accelerate learning by adapting to individual learning styles, helping people ramp up faster than ever before. Still, Julie stresses the irreplaceable human role in intention-setting and in defining what problems are worth solving—something no tool can do for us.Wrapping up, they dive into culture and values. Julie reflects on designing not just products but entire organizations. At Sundial, she and her co-founder focus on building a team where people love showing up, feel proud of their work, and grow personally and professionally. She emphasizes the importance of how work feels—not just what gets done. Julie closes with a powerful message on embracing change, especially in the age of AI: rather than clinging to past identities or roles, we should stay open, fluid, and fearless in redefining what it means to be a designer, leader, or collaborator.Julie Zhou Website: https://www.juliezhuo.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joulee/Newsletter: https://lg.substack.com/Linus EkenstamInstagram: https://instagram.com/linusekenstamTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@linusekenstamX/Twitter: https://x.com/LinusEkenstamNewsletter: https://insidemyhead.ai
