Learn what made Intercom throw away it's playbook - Paul Adams (CPO, Intercom)

Intercom’s CPO Paul Adams joins The Product Experience to talk about how the company has radically transformed its approach in the wake of AI's acceleration. From ripping up roadmaps and reorganising teams to reinventing pricing models, Paul shares what it really takes to adapt—fast.

Key takeaways

• "You’re not selling users anymore. You’re selling work."
• AI has shifted Intercom’s business model from seat-based to outcome-based pricing—charging per resolution, not per person.
• "We ripped up our strategy five days after ChatGPT launched."
• Intercom made a bold, immediate pivot to reorient its product and vision around AI, including launching a new website and scrapping existing roadmaps.
• "The only thing that’s persisted is our principles."
• While teams, triads and structures were dismantled, Intercom kept its core product principles intact—like 'start with the problem'.
• "This isn’t evolution—it’s a new species of company."
• Intercom now compares itself to AI-native startups, not its former self. It has rebuilt the product team into flexible, role-fluid workstreams.
• "People have left because it’s not for them."
• The pace of change has human costs. Leadership must communicate directly and honestly to support people through radical transformation.
• "I worry I’ll be left behind too."
• Even senior leaders are actively relearning—Paul admits to using tools like Replit and Lovable to stay current with AI-native UX trends.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Opening thoughts: fear of being left behind in the AI era
• 00:18 – Introduction to the episode and Paul Adams
• 01:00 – Paul’s journey from Google and Facebook to Intercom
• 01:51 – What it’s like to witness Intercom evolve over 11+ years
• 02:22 – The energy and disruption brought on by AI
• 03:17 – From seat-based to value-based pricing: the big shift
• 05:06 – Why AI made Intercom rethink everything, fast
• 07:58 – Sales team challenges: retraining to sell a new model
• 09:43 – The business impact: Fin’s rapid growth and dual-model tension
• 11:02 – What it means to “sell work” instead of licences
• 12:58 – New kinds of jobs emerging around AI tooling
• 14:45 – Ripping up process: how Intercom builds products now
• 16:00 – Competing with AI-native startups, not legacy Intercom
• 17:49 – The one thing that stayed: Intercom’s product principles
• 18:54 – Why starting with the problem is more critical than ever
• 20:28 – No more triads: fluid workstreams replace rigid team structures
• 22:30 – Planning horizons shrink: now thinking in 2–3 month cycles
• 24:56 – How leadership balances stability and pace of change
• 26:00 – Supporting teams through uncertainty and upskilling
• 28:00 – The importance of radical honesty about AI’s impact
• 30:02 – Paul’s own learning curve: using Replit and Lovable to stay sharp
• 32:08 – Updating Intercom’s ideal customer profile for AI-first product
• 35:31 – Wrap-up: embracing change, finding purpose, and… accidental pizza décor

Featured Links: Follow Paul on LinkedIn | Intercom | 'Customer service: how AI is transforming interactions' feature at Forbes

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Our Hosts
Lily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She’s currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. 

Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury’s. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group’s Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He’s the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager’s Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon’s music stores in the US & UK.