Behind the product: NotebookLM | Raiza Martin (Senior Product Manager, AI @ Google Labs)

**SPEAKER_2** (0:03)
Hey, everyone, we're here on Lenny's Podcast.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:05)
It's great to be here. I'm a long time listener.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:09)
So awesome, really, as we're the hosts of a different show of Deep Dive.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:12)
And we just wanted to say thanks, a huge, huge thank you to everyone, everyone who's been listening.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:18)
Yeah, seriously, it's been incredible, just incredible. And thank you to Lenny for having us.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:23)
Blown away, really, by the response and all the shows you've all had us make on NotebookLM, even that poop fart one, remember that?

**SPEAKER_2** (0:30)
Oh yeah, that was something. Learned a lot on that one.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:33)
Definitely a learning experience for everyone, I think.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:36)
But we're learning, right alongside you.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:38)
Exactly, learning and growing.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:40)
And we're glad you're along for the ride.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:42)
So yeah, keep listening.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:43)
Keep listening and stay curious. We promise to keep diving deep and bringing you even more in the future.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:52)
Stay curious.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (0:54)
If you are confused about what you just heard, don't worry, it'll all make sense very soon. Today, my guest is Raiza Martin. Raiza is product lead for a product called NotebookLM, one of the most delightful and inspiring new AI products out there, incubated within Google Labs. And this product is where the intro you just heard came from. In our conversation, Raiza shares how NotebookLM came to be, how it got so good, the technology that was necessary to make it possible, how the team works internally, how it was incubated specifically within Google Labs and out of the team's 20% time, plus a bunch of really fun and crazy use cases that she's seen, and a glimpse into where the product is going long term. This was such a fun and timely conversation, and I'm excited to spread the love for NotebookLM. If you enjoyed this podcast, don't forget to subscribe and follow it in your favorite podcasting app or YouTube. It's the best way to avoid missing future episodes, and it helps the podcast tremendously. With that, I bring you Raiza Martin. Raiza, welcome to the podcast.

**Raiza Martin** (1:54)
Hi Lenny, thanks for having me.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (1:56)
What the heck did we just listen to? What was that?

**Raiza Martin** (2:00)
That was an audio overview from NotebookLM, where you upload a source, any source, and it will generate an AI-generated audio for you.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (2:12)
For folks that don't know anything about NotebookLM, it's basically been blowing up on Twitter, on LinkedIn. I think it's blowing a lot of people's minds. It's sparking a lot of imagination of what could happen in AI and what potential we have with the stuff that's happening. And I wanted to bring you on to talk about the history of this product, where it's going, how it became so great, and all these things. And so thanks for doing this. I know this kind of came on short notice.

**Raiza Martin** (2:36)
Yeah. I mean, I was excited to do it in particular because I'm a big fan, big listener of Lenny's, read the newsletter. I love it. So really happy to be here.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (2:46)
Awesome. Clearly, these hosts are too, which I love.

**Raiza Martin** (2:49)
Yeah.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (2:50)
By the way, I love the slight awkwardness at the end of their conversation. If folks rewind, they could hear it again because it's very relatable. I sometimes have trouble ending a podcast conversation. And they're like, okay, let's say a couple more things and then, okay, we're done.

**Raiza Martin** (3:04)
It's funny because I've listened to so many of these and they do have catch phrases they say at the end. And stay curious is one of my favorite ones.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (3:14)
Well, let me just ask, is that something you all told them to do or is that like an emergent property?

**Raiza Martin** (3:19)
So in this case, this is based on what they think is the most appropriate thing to say at the end.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (3:25)
Okay, interesting.

**SPEAKER_2** (3:26)
Okay.

**Lenny Rachitsky** (3:28)
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