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Ryan J. Salva is the VP of Product at GitHub, where he led the incubation and launch of Copilot. Copilot uses OpenAI\u2019s ML engine to suggest code and entire functions in real time, right from your editor, and is changing the way we build software. Ryan is an experienced developer and product manager, with over a decade of experience working for Microsoft before moving to lead the GitHub product team. In today\u2019s episode, he shares how Copilot got its start, how it moved from prototype to live product, and how he structures R&D teams within larger companies. He also discusses the ethical questions surrounding AI use and how to build a successful product team, and shares the inside story of the development of Copilot.

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Find the full transcript here: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-role-of-ai-in-new-product-development-ryan-j-salva-vp-of-product-at-github-copilot/#transcript

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Where to find Ryan J. Salva:

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanjsalva

\u2022 LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjsalva/

\u2022 Website: http://www.ryanjsalva.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for making this episode possible:

\u2022 Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/

\u2022 Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lenny

\u2022 Modern Treasury: https://www.moderntreasury.com/

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Referenced:

\u2022 GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot

\u2022 Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction: https://www.amazon.com/Make-So-Interaction-Lessons-Science/dp/1933820985

\u2022 Brief Interviews with Hideous Men: https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Interviews-Hideous-Foster-Wallace/dp/0316925195

\u2022 The Memory Palace podcast: https://thememorypalace.us/

\u2022 Arrival: https://www.hulu.com/movie/arrival-6ec67b11-b282-4383-85ac-38c4731b40e4

\u2022 Oege De Moor\u2019s LinkedIn:\xa0https://www.linkedin.com/in/oegedemoor/

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In this episode, we cover:

[04:39] Ryan\u2019s background and how he became involved in development

[10:46] What is GitHub Copilot?

[14:44] How GitHub Copilot can be utilized for education

[17:46] How GitHub incorporated AI models with computer languages

[27:24] Project horizons: delegating tasks based on confidence levels

[30:39] How to put together a development team for \u201cmoonshots\u201d

[35:22] When and how to transition your R&D team smoothly

[38:28] Dealing with ethical issues surrounding AI

[44:40] The future of AI in development

[48:48] Challenges with scaling Copilot

[54:23] Allocating your energy as products scale

[58:17] Lightning round\xa0

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Production and marketing:\xa0https://penname.co/