Davide’s goal? To bring Copilot to everyone. He’s passionate about making it accessible, enjoyable, and trustworthy. His AI journey began with a startup, and he’s since worked at Meta and Inflection AI. Now at Microsoft, he leads Copilot’s growth, creating a seamless experience across the Microsoft ecosystem. He’s sharing his insights on AI’s future and advice for aspiring product managers.
How would you describe your job and what you do? I am in charge of Product Management across Copilot, currently focused on Growth. I believe Copilot can have a strong positive impact on people’s lives and my work helps make sure everyone can interact with Copilot on any device, have a great experience and build a trusted relationship.
How did you first become interested in generative AI and machine learning and what motivated you to pursue it as a career? When I was 22 I founded a startup that used NLP to help people express themselves on messaging apps. I then worked at Meta on Messenger, Instagram DM, WhatsApp, and built a platform for developers to create messaging assistants.
When I met Mustafa, Inflection AI only had 7 people, yet I was captivated by what the team were building. Six months before the ChatGPT launch, when few people talked about AI and LLMs, I instantly knew that our technology would redefine how people interact with computers. I immediately decided to join as the first consumer PM.
What educational background or training do you have that has helped shape your skills? I have a masters in Computer Science from Oxford and one in engineering from Telecom Paris.
I worked for 12 years in product and engineering leadership roles, first as cofounder of my own startup, then at Meta, Inflection AI and Microsoft.
“I believe Copilot can have a strong positive impact on people’s lives and my work helps make sure everyone can interact with Copilot on any device, have a great experience and build a trusted relationship.”
Davide Bonapersona, Product Manager at Microsoft AI
What are you currently working on? I am working on integrating Copilot across Microsoft’s ecosystem of products to provide a cohesive, full-featured experience to consumers who use our products. Can you share an overview of your role as a Product Manager and how it specifically relates to Microsoft AI? Product Management is about understanding user needs, technology capabilities, and market dynamics; identifying the most important problems we can solve for people; and support cross-functional teams of designers, engineers, researchers and marketers to launch products that people love.
What role do user feedback and usability play in your process? How do you incorporate feedback to improve your work? User feedback and usability is at the core of my work. Everyone in the product management team works really hard to understand user needs, and build a product that earns user trust. For that, we continuously run user research and usability studies, read user feedback every day, and obsessively use the products. My friends and family are probably getting tired of me asking them to try the latest features!
“Don’t be afraid to take risks.”
With the introduction of AI, what changes or shifts do you anticipate within the industry? So much of our personal and professional growth is tied to the information, advice and knowledge we have access to. Growing up I was lucky to have a PC at home and access to online forums and tutorials where I learned how to code. Later in life I was lucky to have great teachers, mentors, supporters and friends.
Now everyone has internet access, and yet information, advice and knowledge aren’t equally distributed and available. AI enables everyone to communicate with humanity’s greatest experts as naturally as we would chat with a friend, and benefit from personalized guidance, mentorship and help. I think it’s an incredible opportunity for everyone to learn and better understand the world and each other.
How do you stay updated on current tech trends and emerging practice? I read a lot of industry articles, and over the years I built a great network of people in many areas of technology that helps me stay up to speed. I also continue programming in my spare time and playing with the latest models and techniques.
Looking back at your journey, what advice would you give to aspiring Product Managers who are just starting out on their own path? Join a startup, or if you have the possibility, start your own. It is by far the most formative and fulfilling environment for product managers, as you’ll have to learn to prioritize, wear many hats, collaborate with people from all professions and backgrounds, and quickly see the direct impact of your work. You learn more in 1 year of a early-stage startup than 2-5 years at mature companies. Don’t be afraid to take risks, and fail early and often.
