INSIDE PRODUCT MINDS 💡

Unpacking How Product Minds Think.

Innovation doesn’t just happen. Behind every successful feature, every well-timed pivot, and every high-growth product lies the strategic mindset and bold decisions of product leaders.

From Product Managers and CEOs to AI product leaders they are the minds behind the scenes, blending user empathy, business vision, and technology to create relevant and lasting impact.

Through the Inside Product Minds campaign, we invite you to explore the stories of 100 product leaders across industries in Indonesia. Discover how they shape strategies, navigate change, learn from failure, and build the future through products.\

Abi Tiyoso

Chief Product Officer Antares Eazy by Telkom Indonesia

As Chief Product Officer at Antares Eazy, Abi Tiyoso sees product leadership as the art of balancing technology, strategy, and empathy. His work in integrating AI-powered gamification reflects a belief that innovation must not only drive measurable outcomes like retention and daily active users but also foster genuine user loyalty. For Abi, the essence of great product management lies in listening listening to data, to stakeholders, and above all, to customers. He champions AI as a powerful partner in building faster and smarter solutions, while reminding us that true product innovation still depends on the human capacity to empathize, connect, and translate real user pain points into meaningful experiences.

What is the most innovative product initiative/innovation/strategy you have ever created? How did you measure its success and what were the results?

For me, the most meaningful initiative right now has been bringing AI and IoT together. IoT gives us unique data, and AI turns that data into real insights, like understanding customer flow in a store, spotting anomalies early, or even optimizing staffing. That shift took us from simply selling IoT services to actually enabling business outcomes for our customers. The impact went beyond the product itself. It also strengthened Telkom’s core business in infrastructure and connectivity, because once IoT devices are connected, customers stay longer, usage grows, and retention improves. we created real synergy between digital products and legacy connectivity services. And even in a BUMN environment, where bureaucracy can sometimes slow things down, the results spoke clearly: more than 100,000 IoT devices connected, stronger retention for customers who bundled with us, and a tangible contribution to Telkom’s overall growth and profitability.

For you, what defines a great product? Is it more about impact, usability, retention, or something else?

For me, a great product is one people keep coming back to, not because they have to, but because it truly helps them. Impact, usability, and retention all matter, but the real test is whether customers renew and even expand their usage naturally.

In a world increasingly filled with AI and automation, what is the most "human" aspect a Product Manager must preserve?

For me, there are four qualities that will always stay human, no matter how advanced AI becomes. First is business acumen AI can process endless streams of data, but it cannot truly understand the market dynamics, trade-offs, and strategic context in which decisions are made. A PM needs to translate technology into real case that creating business impact. Second is user empathy. Data tells us what is happening, but empathy helps us understand why it matters and how it feels to the customer. Empathy ensures products are not only functional but also meaningful to the people who use them. Third is storytelling and influence. AI can generate reports, but it cannot inspire. A PM must bring people together, aligning diverse teams, persuading stakeholders, and painting a vision that others want to follow. And finally, leadership in uncertainty. AI works best when the data is clear, but in the real world we often face ambiguity, incomplete information, or unexpected shifts. In those moments, it’s human leadership that provides clarity, direction, and confidence to move forward. That’s why I see AI as a co-pilot. It makes us faster and sharper with data, but PMs remain the bridge between technology, business, and people.

If you could only give one piece of advice to the next generation of PMs what would it be?

First, take accountability. As a PM you don’t always have full authority, but you are still responsible for outcomes. That means owning results good or bad, and also making sure the customer and the business see real value from what you build. Accountability builds trust, both with your team and with leadership. Second, stay curious. The moment you stop asking questions, you stop learning. Curiosity is what pushes you to understand users better, challenge assumptions, and see opportunities others might overlook. Especially in a BUMN environment, curiosity helps you find creative ways around bureaucracy. And third, make initiative. Don’t wait for instructions, bring ideas forward, test them, and prove impact. Initiative is what sets apart someone who manages tasks from someone who leads change. So my advice is: be accountable, stay curious, and take initiative. If you can consistently do those three, you’ll grow not just as a product manager, but as a product leader.

Among Product-Led Growth, Data-Driven Decision Making, AI Product Integration, and Customer Experience (or others being discussed more and more), which do you think has the biggest impact today and why?

In the current economy, I believe Product-Led Growth and Customer Experience stand out as the real game changers. With budgets tighter and competition sharper, you can’t depend only on large-scale marketing or aggressive sales anymore. The product itself has to do the heavy lifting, delivering value fast enough that customers choose to expand and stay without being pushed. That’s the essence of Product-Led Growth, and it fundamentally changes how we think about acquisition and retention. Hand in hand with that is Customer Experience. Switching costs are lower than ever, which means reliability, usability, and support become critical. A seamless experience can be the deciding factor that keeps customers loyal. For us, bundling IoT services with Telkom’s connectivity didn’t just sell more devices, it strengthened customer stickiness and improved retention across the core business. The other areas — data-driven decision making, AI integration — are essential, but I see them as foundations. They’re the baseline every modern product team should already have. I believe what truly differentiates product leaders today is how effectively they embed Product-Led Growth and Customer Experience into their strategy.

How do you think AI will shape the future of product development? What concrete steps have you and your team taken to start integrating it into your development process?

For me, AI is already changing the way we work, and the impact is very real. On the inside, we use it a lot for knowledge management. It helps us validate PRDs faster, find answers across teams, and make sure we’re staying compliant. Telkom even has its own Telkom GPT, which we use to pull knowledge from different units, that’s been a big help in breaking silos and speeding up delivery, especially in a large organization where bureaucracy can easily slow things down. On the outside, it’s about how we combine IoT with AI. IoT gives us the raw data, but AI turns that into insights: spotting anomalies before they become problems, helping retailers understand customer flow, or even optimizing how staff are deployed. That shift from selling just devices to enabling intelligence is what really creates value for our customers. So when I think about the future, I don’t see AI replacing the human role in product. I see it as the enabler that helps us build products, and make Product Management role more important.

What small habits or routines do you/your team practice daily that turn out to be highly effective for you and your team?

One of the most effective routines we’ve built is around discipline with OKRs. We don’t just set them at the beginning of the quarter, we review them regularly. Every week, we check progress, look at what’s working, and where we’re falling behind. That habit keeps the team aligned and makes sure we’re not drifting from our goals. The second habit is about reviewing results before jumping into new initiatives. It’s very tempting for product teams to chase the next idea, but we force ourselves to pause: evaluate what impact the last feature really had, gather feedback, and learn from it. That reflection makes our next initiative much sharper. And finally, it’s the small cultural routines that matter keeping discussions open, encouraging curiosity, and making room for quick validations before going big. These don’t take a lot of time, but over the long run, they build a product culture that’s disciplined yet adaptable.

If you were asked to teach a class on product strategy, what 3 core lessons would you definitely include?

If I were to teach product strategy, I’d focus on three core lessons that I’ve seen make the biggest difference in practice. The first is connecting product to business outcomes. A product isn’t just a feature set, it has to tie back to growth, retention, or efficiency. Too often PMs fall in love with building, but forget the “why” behind it. Teaching people to think in terms of business impact forces sharper prioritization and stronger stakeholder alignment. The second is customer empathy paired with data. Data tells you what is happening, but empathy explains why it matters. Strategy isn’t just numbers on a dashboard, it’s also understanding the human side — the frustrations, the motivations, and the context of your users. The strongest product strategies come when you merge both. The third is navigating uncertainty with clarity. In reality, product strategy is rarely about following a perfect plan. It’s about making decisions with incomplete information, managing trade-offs, and still giving your team confidence to move forward. That requires leadership more than formulas. I think master those three, and the frameworks will take care of themselves.

What tools, frameworks, or technologies have recently been a game-changer in your product development strategy?

I’d start with storytelling. It’s often overlooked, but consistently telling the story of why we’re building something, what impact it’s having, and how it connects to the bigger vision keeps everyone aligned. It turns product work from “just features” into a shared mission. The second is closing the feedback loop. Many teams gather feedback but don’t bring it back into the roadmap in a structured way. When you consistently validate with customers whether a solution really solved their problem, it builds trust outside and sharper focus inside. The third is disciplined iteration. Iteration is talked about everywhere, but the discipline to release, measure, learn, and refine without skipping steps is what compounds into meaningful impact over time. Individually, these may look simple. But when done consistently, they create a culture where the product is not just built, but understood, improved, and believed in.

This is just one of 100 sharp perspectives shaping the future of products in Indonesia.

Discover more stories on Instagram & LinkedIn and meet the leaders in person at:

Indonesia Product Conference 2025

📅 September 25th, 2025

🕘 09.00 AM – 06.00 PM

📍 JW Marriott Jakarta

🔗 s.id/IPC-25