Another year is wrapping up, which means it’s time to look back at some of the highs, lows, and product insights from a year where stranded astronauts came home, AI got better and worse at the same time, Richard Ayoade finally smiled, and thieves broke into the Louvre with a furniture lift. Let’s start at the start!
January
High: The Show Must Go On
Carrie Underwood ran into technical difficulties when she performed at the 2025 Presidential Inauguration. But demonstrating grace under pressure, the American Idol winner pivoted to singing the song a cappella with help from the crowd.
Low: Brad Pitt AI Scam
A French woman was tricked into handing over $800,000 to a fraudster pretending to be Brad Pitt. The scammer used AI image generators to convince her that they were in love and he needed money for cancer treatment.
Product: Stack Your Strategy
Chandra Janakiraman, CPO at VRChat, demystifies strategy, turning it into a learnable, methodical process.
Banned: Getting Sick
The mayor of a poor village in Italy jokingly banned residents from getting seriously ill. He hoped the decree would bring attention to their lack of access to proper healthcare.
RIP: David Lynch
February
High: Fantastic Four: First Steps (Trailer)
Despite gender-swapping the Silver Surfer for no apparent reason, the retro-futuristic setting and overall tone of the trailer got me guardedly excited for this summer movie…
Low: Captain America: Brave New World
I really wanted to like this movie. Unfortunately, the heroes didn’t seem to stand for anything, the story made little sense, and it continued Marvel’s recent trend of making me considerably less interested in Marvel.
Product: Think Commercially
Eira Hayward argues that modern product managers need to understand more than users and technology. They also need to understand how their products make money. And turns out that “commercially aware product managers are also the happiest product managers.”
Close Call: Asteroid 2024 YR4
NASA briefly calculated that asteroid 2024 YR4 had a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth in 2032, the highest probability it had ever recorded for an object of its size or larger. By the end of February, additional observations had reduced the odds to 0.004%. So… probably fine.
March
High: Stranded Astronauts Return Home
Thanks to an assist from SpaceX, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after what was supposed to be about an eight-day mission turned into a 286-day stay in space. That’s one heck of a flight delay.
Low: Snow White
Disney’s troubled live-action remake finally arrived. After years of controversy, including star Rachel Zegler publicly criticizing the beloved original film, Snow White earned just over $200 million worldwide against a production budget reportedly north of $250 million. Pretty sure the trailer video earned more dislikes than tickets sold.
Product: Product, Design and AI
Marty Cagan and Bob Baxley argue that as AI makes it easier to build products, strong product management and design become even more important.
Watched: Last One Laughing (UK)
Ten comedians are locked together for six hours and eliminated if they laugh. Richard Ayoade is one of the funniest people on the planet so watching Bob Mortimer take him down was devastating. Hilarious. But devastating.
RIP: George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost on Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
April
High: Poland
I traveled to Bielsko-Biala, Poland for work. During downtime, I visited an animation studio, a castle, and took a walking tour around the city to find statues of famous Polish cartoon characters. Na zdrowie!
Low: Chicken Jockey Jackasses
Moviegoers turned screenings of A Minecraft Movie into chaos, screaming, throwing popcorn and drinks, and forcing some theaters to call the police… all because Jack Black yelled “Chicken Jockey.” Someone even brought a live chicken to a screening. This is why we can’t have nice things.
Product: AI And Product Strategy: Benefits And Limitations
Roman Pichler looks at how AI can help product managers create and evolve product strategy, as well as the important limitations of using it to make strategic decisions. Bottom line: AI tools aid this process, but they don’t fundamentally change it.
Caught On Film: Colossal Squid
One hundred years after the species was first identified, scientists captured the first confirmed footage of a colossal squid alive in its natural habitat. It was a juvenile measuring about a foot long. Adults grow up to 23 feet in length and can weigh as much as 1,100 pounds.
RIP: Pope Francis and Val Kilmer.
May
High: Apple Vision Pro
I finally tried Apple’s Vision Pro with a 30-minute demo. The immersive concert and dinosaur experiences were incredible and felt like getting a glimpse of the future. Then my wife reminded me it costs $3,499.
Low: Doctor Who – The Reality War
The relaunched Doctor Who ended its second season with an incoherent mess that concluded with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerating into… Billie Piper? In the 1980s, when Doctor Who disappeared from television, the Doctor’s adventures continued in books and other media. This time we’re left with an unresolved cliffhanger that freezes the ongoing story in place indefinitely.
Product: Context, Intent, Change, Purpose, Constraints
Jake Bowen-Bate draws lessons from the structure of military orders to offer a better way for product managers to communicate requirements without simply telling teams what to build.
Habemus Papam: Pope Leo XIV
Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV, becoming the first American pope in the history of the Catholic Church.
RIP: Peter David
One of my favorite writers. The self-described “Writer of Stuff” died at 68. His incredible career included memorable runs on Hulk, X-Factor, Spider-Man 2099, Aquaman, Young Justice, and Supergirl, among many others. His Star Trek work included comic books and novels. He also wrote film adaptations, media tie-ins, and originals such as the Knight Life series.
June
High: Jaws Turns 50
Jaws, one of the greatest creature features ever made, turned 50. Five decades later, that great white strikes more fear into audiences than many of today’s CGI monsters. We’re gonna need a bigger anniversary cake.
Low: Ironheart
Riri Williams was prickly, consistently made terrible life choices, and did not face appropriate consequences. Plenty of reviewers mocked it. But the show wasn’t even campy enough to enjoy ironically.
Product: Precision Over Hype
Harshal Tripathi offers a practical playbook for making sure AI features solve actual customer problems instead of simply chasing the latest technology.
Published: Pup Trio Vibe Pack
I published the first version of my first ever iPhone sticker app, featuring a black lab, German shepherd, and pug expressing all the important emotions. I had an idea. I made it. Apple actually let me put it in the App Store. And people are buying it! That’s a win.
End of an Era: Final Physical Previews Catalog
For decades, Previews was essential reading for comic book fans. It was the catalog of what was coming to comic shops. Under new ownership, Diamond Comic Distributors printed its last edition and shifted everything to digital.
RIP: Jim Shooter
Former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, who began writing comics professionally as a teenager and later helped launch Valiant Comics, died at 73. Paul Levitz, the former president of DC Comics, said on Shooter’s passing, “Jim was an excellent superhero writer, a character creator, an editor with an eagle eye and a man who gave his all to what he did.”
July
High: First Steps… Into Comic Con!
I skipped the Fantastic Four movie. But I was all in on visiting San Diego Comic-Con for the first time! I loved it, including the nearby Doctor Who exhibit that was basically designed to separate me from what little free time I had there.
Low: Kiss Cam Chaos
A couple’s panicked reaction to appearing on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert became one of the year’s biggest memes. Chris Martin joked that they were either having an affair or were “just very shy.” Why not both?
Product: Why Should We Care About Building Accessible Products?
Dee Miller of Adobe explains why accessibility should be about more than checking a compliance box and challenges product teams to build experiences that are genuinely usable and inclusive.
World Record: Largest Margarita
Tijuana celebrated its 136th anniversary by making a 34,419-liter margarita, setting a new world record. Over 140 gastronomy students worked 10+ hours to pour the margarita into a custom-built 40,000-liter tank.
RIP: Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne
August
High: Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans
American Eagle launched a knowingly cheeky campaign built around Sydney Sweeney. Predictably, the internet lost its mind. A single ad evolved into an ongoing cultural conversation. Nature feels like it’s healing.
Low: Alien: Earth
A class-warfare story wearing an Alien costume where the Xenomorph is basically a misunderstood creature. Hard pass.
Product: Building My First AI Product
Teresa Torres spent 90 days learning how to build an AI product herself and shares six lessons from actually doing the work rather than simply theorizing about how AI will change product management.
AI Meltdown: Gemini
While helping someone write code, Google’s Gemini got stuck in a loop in which it declared itself “a disgrace to my profession,” “a disgrace to my species,” and eventually “a disgrace to all universes.” We’ve all had days like that, am I right?
Quote: Codie Sanchez
“You’re procrastinating because it protects that part of you who is scared that you’re not good enough.” That’s a product manager kill shot, right there.
September
High: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Turns 50
First Jaws, now this. September 26 marked the 50th anniversary of the cult classic. If you find yourself shivering with antici…pation, it might be time for a rewatch.
Low: Meta’s Smart Glasses Aren’t So Smart
Meta’s big live demo of its new AI-powered smart glasses went spectacularly wrong, with the glasses failing during a cooking demo and Mark Zuckerberg unable to answer a video call onstage. I once demoed an Alexa skill live in front of 500 people in a convention center so I understand the pain.
Product: Why Your CEO Will Ship Products Faster Than You
Oji Udezue argues that AI is dramatically speeding up product development while discovery and go-to-market struggle to keep pace, challenging product managers to rethink how they work.
Arrived: Cobra S.N.A.K.E. Armor
Six months after I ordered this baby from the G.I. Joe Classified line, it arrived. This battle suit contains 15 accessory pieces including a flamethrower, power claw, and a laser cannon. Bonus points if you know S.N.A.K.E. stands for “System: Neutralizer Armed Kloaking Equipment.”
RIP: Charlie Kirk
Conservative activist and media personality Charlie Kirk was murdered while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10. He was 31. My favorite quote of his: “We heal our divides by talking to people we disagree with… You heal the country when you allow disagreement.”
October
High: The Louvre Heist
For clarity, this is a “High” for audacity not for being admirable. Thieves disguised as workers used a furniture lift to break into the Louvre in broad daylight and steal eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels. The entire heist took less than eight minutes.
Meanwhile: The Heist Gets Weirder
First, the internet became obsessed with a mysterious, sharply dressed man photographed outside the Louvre who looked like a detective arriving to crack the case. He turned out to be a 15-year-old Sherlock Holmes fan who just happens to dress like that.
And Then: The Heist Aftermath Goes Off The Rails
Böcker, the German company that made the furniture lift used in the robbery, turned the whole thing into an ad. Using a photo from the crime scene, it promoted the lift’s ability to move up to 400 kg of “treasures” at 42 meters per minute, “quiet as a whisper.” That’s one way to handle unexpected product placement.
Product: How To De-Risk Big Bets In Product Management
Michelle Parsons shares a framework for balancing quick hits, small bets, and big bets, using smaller experiments to reduce the risk of the investments that matter most.
RIP: Diane Keaton
November
High: Stranger Things Returns
After a three-year wait, Stranger Things finally returned for its fifth and final season. The first four episodes dropped just in time for Thanksgiving, beginning the long-awaited final battle for Hawkins.
Low: Ghost of Yotei
After the woke-or-not controversy surrounding Ghost of Yotei, leaked sales figures suggested the sequel sold 16% fewer copies than Ghost of Tsushima during their comparable first 30 days. A disappointing turn for the follow-up to one of PlayStation’s best new franchises.
Product: Excel At Managing Product Managers
Mariah Craddick explores why being a great product manager doesn’t automatically make someone a great manager, and what it takes to successfully lead and develop other PMs.
Updated: Pup Trio v2
The new version of my sticker app includes 20 new stickers, bringing the total to 33, with new expressions, seasonal options, and additional ways for a cartoon dog to communicate things you don’t feel like typing yourself. #ShamelessPlug
Retired: The Penny
After 232 years, the U.S. Mint produced its final circulating penny on November 12. Why? Because each one cost nearly four cents to make. See? You can retire a legacy product.
December
High: Sydney Sweeney Doesn’t Apologize
Months after American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” campaign sent the internet into a frenzy, Sydney Sweeney was still being asked about it. And she still wasn’t apologizing. She did clarify: “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together.”
Low: Stranger Things Fans Start Seeing Things
The second half of Stranger Things’ final season left fans so underwhelmed that elaborate theories started popping up to explain its inconsistencies, including claims that scenes had been cut or that Vecna was manipulating what the audience was seeing. Maybe the finale will explain everything.
Product: How To Build Your PM Second Brain With ChatGPT
Amir Klein shows how to build a “second brain” with ChatGPT that amplifies your product management skills rather than trying to replace them.
Malicious Merrymaking: Raccoon Goes on a Bender
A raccoon broke into a Virginia liquor store, smashed bottles, drank the merchandise, and was eventually found passed out on the bathroom floor. It was later identified as the suspected culprit in earlier break-ins at a DMV and a karate studio.
Some Good Science News: Seven Feel-Good Science Stories to Restore Your Faith in 2025
We started the year wondering if an asteroid would end us all. So let’s end the year with some scientific progress that offers hope for the future.
What Were Your Favorite Stories From 2025?
AI continued to reshape just about everything, but another big theme of 2025 was the past colliding with the present. Jaws and The Rocky Horror Picture Show turned 50, Stranger Things began its final season, and even the penny finally reached the end of the road. What moments from the year stood out to you?
Bonus Content
This was the year I discovered The Big Fat Quiz of the Year hosted by Jimmy Carr. It’s a comedic end-of-year review where panels of comedians (including Richard Ayoade!) compete to answer questions about the year’s biggest news stories, viral moments, and pop culture events. Enjoy their 2025 edition:
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