#35 AI, Talent, and the Future of Product Development with Raja Musunuru

Software Without Borders

On today's episode, we sit down with Raja Musunuru, CPO at Tiffin and a seasoned leader with over 25 years across Fortune 500 companies and innovative startups. Raja shares how AI is transforming the way products are built—shortening cycles from months to days, empowering small but mighty teams, and reshaping the global talent model. From crisis leadership lessons at Gaylord Hotels to redefining donor-advised funds with AI-driven innovation, Raja brings a wealth of insight into what it means to lead in today’s era of rapid disruption.

If you’re a leader looking to understand how AI impacts product development, talent strategies, and business growth, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.

Guest Introduction:

Raja Musunuru is the Chief Product Officer at Tiffin, with an impressive background spanning 25 years at organizations like Sony, AAA, Amicus, and Gaylord Entertainment. Today, Raja is at the forefront of AI-powered product innovation, blending technical depth with visionary leadership. He’s passionate about building lean teams that deliver with speed, excellence, and purpose—shaping the future of wealth management, investment intelligence, and beyond.

Key Takeaways:

• True leadership shines in crisis: Raja’s experience during the 2010 Nashville flood taught him radical prioritization that still guides his approach.

• AI isn’t just hype—it’s slashing product development cycles from months to days, enabling faster feedback and clarity between product and engineering teams.

• Small, focused teams deliver better results than bloated headcount—especially when empowered by modern AI tools.

• Senior engineers who adapt thrive with AI, while new grads must become “AI natives” to succeed in today’s market.

• Success doesn’t come from selling AI—it comes from solving real problems better than anyone else.

• The global outsourcing model is shifting from “more people” to “more excellence.”

Chapter Markers:

0:00 Intro

0:15 Guest Introduction – Raja Musunuru’s career highlights

3:00 Defining moments in leadership: lessons from the Nashville flood

7:00 Radical prioritization and the “tour of duty” mindset at Tiffin

10:00 Building lean product teams and rapid MVP cycles

12:00 Where AI creates true disruption in product development

17:30 Aligning stakeholders in a fast-moving AI environment

19:00 How AI is reshaping engineering talent and global delivery models

23:00 Senior vs. junior engineers in the age of AI

26:00 Lowering barriers: from AWS to AI-powered MVPs

29:00 Redefining donor-advised funds with AI and automation

31:00 Global teams: from volume outsourcing to excellence-driven delivery

35:00 What AI means for hiring and talent pipelines

40:00 Closing thoughts and key advice for leaders

Keywords:

Raja Musunuru, Rich Wanden, Tomas Hilliard, It Comes Down To This podcast, AI disruption, product development, lean teams, MVP cycles, global talent model, outsourcing, engineering productivity, donor-advised funds, wealth management innovation, Tiffin, product leadership