Two months into my new job in NYC, and I’ve been collecting thoughts on what it really feels like to work in the U.S. vs. the UK—through the lens of product marketing. Safe to say: it's been a ride.

How well do you really know product marketing?

The first thing that hit me? Americans get product marketing.

It makes sense—PMM as a function really took off in Silicon Valley in the early 2000s. When software exploded, companies like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google realized they needed someone to bridge product, marketing, and sales. Boom: the modern PMM was born.

Compared to the UK (and let’s not even talk about France 🙃), product marketing is still newer and less understood across teams. That difference changes everything.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Less internal education

• Fewer “can you run our socials?” asks

• More clarity, more speed, more impact

When your role is respected from the jump, you don’t waste energy defending your seat at the table. You spend it using that seat to drive strategy. And if you’ve ever worked in a startup where every ask is “urgent,” you know how hard it is to say no. In the U.S., “no” gets easier when people know why you’re there.

🏃‍♀️ Speed of sound

Let’s talk pace. NYC moves fast. Like, unreasonably fast.
And it’s not just the subway or the sidewalks—it’s in the office too.

In London, I used to take a lunch break. A real one. In NYC? Lunch is a snack you sneak between Zooms. People move, think, and decide faster. It’s an energy that’s exciting and chaotic and sometimes... a lot.

But here’s the twist: decisions also happen faster. You don’t need a 10-slide deck and three alignment meetings to move forward. You try something, ship it, learn from it. Repeat.

There’s no “waiting for permission” energy here—and honestly, I love it.

Efficiency is key

The U.S. version of “this could have been an email” is:
“Why didn’t we just do it already?”

Everything is built to save time. Workshops, meetings, presentations—they’re all optimized. It’s baked into the culture: move fast, fail faster, and figure it out as you go.

As someone who leans impatient, this works. I don’t need someone’s blessing to test an idea. That autonomy speeds up learning. The faster you test, the faster you know what to drop or double down on.

Yes, there are blockers. But speed is still the default.

Watch out or you’ll burn out

And here comes the plot twist.

I recently recorded a solo episode on imposter syndrome (link here)—and part of that was about knowing when you’re burning out. In London, I felt like I had a handle on that. In New York? I’m moving so fast I barely notice it creeping in.

The irony? I’m out here telling you how to avoid it, while I’m staring at my laptop still trying to figure it out myself.

The reality:

• I’ve stopped working weekends.

• I log off when the day ends.

• I try (keyword: try) to protect my personal space.

Fun fact: New Yorkers are actually better at work-life boundaries than I expected. There’s rarely weekend work or late-night Slack pings. People are serious about their time—both on and off the clock. It’s still intense, but it’s efficiently intense.

Wrapping up

NYC gives you speed, autonomy, and clarity.
London gives you pace, reflection, and a bit more structure.

Both have their magic—but if you’re a PMM trying to scale fast, learn fast, and own your strategy? New York will hand you the keys. Just don’t forget to breathe.

💡 PS: This content piece was suggested by one of you (thank you!) so feel free to keep the content requests coming by simply replying to this email. See you next Friday!