Author Archives: Rakesh Agrawal

About Rakesh Agrawal

Rakesh Agrawal is a 0-1 product leader. Ex-Amazon, Ex-Microsoft, as well as a number of startups. He tweets at @rakeshsfnyc

A few thoughts on customer service

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Rakesh Agrawal

As a product guy, I’m always looking to improve products and experiences. Much of my thinking is driven based on more than a decade of creating online products and focusing on the integrated product experience. This includes brand, marketing, sales, … Continue reading →

Posted in customer service | 1 Comment

My bet with Ryan Kim on Yahoo!

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Rakesh Agrawal

I have a bet with Ryan Kim on Yahoo’s mobile site, specifically Yahoo! Finance. I discovered an important flaw in the Yahoo! experience. It’s something that most people would immediately acknowledge is problematic. It should be a high priority issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Putting my money where my mouth is

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Rakesh Agrawal

With Mike Dudas: Foursquare will have a Slide-like exit. Winner gets dinner at the place of his choosing. Slide was purchased by Google for $182 million, a come down from the $500 million valuation at the last round. Because we … Continue reading →

Posted in foursquare | 1 Comment

How I choose what I write about

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Rakesh Agrawal

I’ve done a lot of writing over the last two years and it has spanned quite a few topics. Some of it may seem kind of random; that reflects my diverse interests. But there are a few themes that I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

How customer service should be done

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Rakesh Agrawal

Last week I was skiing in Deer Valley when Groupon’s terrible earnings came out. While I was skiing, I got an email from CNBC asking if I could come on air to talk about them. We tried to get me … Continue reading →

Posted in customer service, travel | Comments Off

Is quality journalism and analysis doomed?

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Rakesh Agrawal

I wrote six pieces last week, covering a wider range of topics. If I were to rank them based on their potential for impact, it would go like this: How our favorite tech services should help us in emergencies – A look … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism | Comments Off

Mitt Romney’s healthcare comments flunk basic economics

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Rakesh Agrawal

I am trying to stay away from politics as much as possible this election cycle, but pandering, economic nonsense and journalistic incompetence get under my skin. Mitt Romney said today on Meet the Press that he wants to preserve the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

eBay Now offers same-day delivery from local retailers

Posted on August 5, 2012 by Rakesh Agrawal

[Note: I will be adding screenshots. Check back in about an hour.] eBay is trying to revolutionize local commerce. eBay’s new product, eBay Now, allows consumers to have same-day delivery of products found at local retailers. It weaves together eBay’s … Continue reading →

Posted in mobile | 3 Comments

New bet with Felix Salmon of Reuters

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Rakesh Agrawal

I have a new bet with Felix Salmon of Reuters tied to an exit for Square. I win the bet if: Square is acquired on or before December 31, 2012 by anyone other than PayPal. Felix wins the bet if: … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Would Rocky Agrawal ever work for Groupon?

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Rakesh Agrawal

This post is an excerpt from a forthcoming book on Groupon. It’s a question I’m asked quite often by friends, family, journalists and once by a Groupon employee. Apparently, it’s plausible that I would. When I posted on April Fool’s … Continue reading →

Posted in daily deals, groupon | 2 Comments