About

Dean L. Young is a product manager and builder sharing concise ideas on product strategy, design, technology, and AI.

His work focuses on making complex systems easier to use, helping teams move from prototype to scalable product, and practicing the craft.

Most recently, Dean led product at Cisco Spaces, building smart workplace and facilities experiences for large enterprises. He was deeply embedded with multiple customers, while working cross-functionally across multiple Criso business units.

His recent work explores AI (especially local LLMs and SLMs for privacy-sensitive, offline-first use cases). Earlier roles include product and operations leadership at hardware, consumer, and healthcare businesses such as Awair and Lark.

His writing prefers pointed, pithy posts with useful ideas, patterns worth noticing, and candid reflections on product work and building businesses.