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Laura Thompson
Product Marketing & Go-To-Market Leader | ex-Google, Google[X]
Laura Thompson is a strategic product marketing leader currently serving as an Advisor in Product Marketing & Go-To-Market at X, the moonshot factory (formerly known as Google X). She has over a decade of experience in product marketing and innovation, focusing on launching new products and businesses that drive significant growth.
Professional Background
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Current Role: At X, Laura has been involved in various initiatives aimed at developing groundbreaking technologies. She was one of the early non-engineering hires at X, contributing to projects like Wing, a delivery drone service, and a smart contact lens for diabetics.
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Previous Experience: Laura has held several prominent positions, including:
- Founder & Program Director at Execs on Deck, where she leads a community aimed at helping top leaders enhance their careers through executive coaching and programming.
- VP of Marketing at Farther, a fintech startup.
- Entrepreneur In Residence at Brown University, where she focused on entrepreneurship education.
- Investor at GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Advisor to Wayfinder, an edtech startup.
Education
Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy & American Institutions from Brown University, along with certificates in Marketing from INSEAD and Personal Financial Planning from UC Berkeley.
Personal Insights
Laura is also known for her passion for mentorship and community building, as evidenced by her work with Execs on Deck and her involvement in educational initiatives through Wayfinder. Her career reflects a commitment to innovation and leadership in technology and education.123
Highlights
Life update: I’m officially on the hunt for my next career adventure! 🚀 Ask: Like/comment on this post for reach + introduce me to any big tech product marketing or go-to-market hiring managers you know who might be hiring now or in the future. :) 🙏
Building Execs On Deck the past few years has been a particularly meaningful chapter of my career. When I left Google for the startup world, I loved the pace and intensity of startups but missed having a robust community of peers...so, I created one. Bringing together top leaders in tech from across the globe and watching them launch companies, land promotions, pivot into new industries like climate and AI, and build lifelong friendships to support them has been hugely rewarding. Although we’ve officially shut down Execs On Deck, I know the community will continue to show up for each other in the years to come.
When I rejoined X, the moonshot factory last fall as an advisor, it confirmed a nagging feeling I’d had the past few years...I really missed leading product marketing and go-to-market for bold, global tech products. 🤖
*I love figuring out exactly how to position, message, and launch impactful new tech in the world. *I love diving deep into user research to help engineering teams hone their product roadmap. *And I thrive on the cross functional wrangling that most people dislike.
One bonus of kicking off a job search? It’s been a great excuse to catch up with so many of the incredible people I’d lost touch with through Covid, etc…
I’m back in San Francisco full time, so reach out if you’re around, I’m always in for coffee and a walk. :) ☕
PS. For anyone else looking for their next adventure in this crazy market, know you’re not alone! From Coach Erika's amazing Substack to Anthony Nardini’s NEXT Careers community for startup job seekers and Otta.com's job board, I’ve found lots of great resources. Shoot me a note if you’re also on the hunt - I’m happy to share anything that could be useful for you.
PPS. Throwback photo of a few of our fellows during the 1st Execs on Deck kickoff. 😊

🎙 I had such a blast talking about my obsession with the power of compounding for building wildly innovative businesses, careers, and communities with Kieran Ryan on Boring Business Nerd! 🤓 💪 🔥
A few highlights:
There is a huge upside for people willing to do the hard work upfront. 💪 🏋♂️ 💫 I’ve worked with hundreds of companies on go to market and user discovery. I always get pushback from people who say “we don’t have time”, or “Ford said people would’ve asked for faster horses”. The reality is, if you want to create something radically innovative, you don’t need to do exactly what your users ask of you, but you must do the hard work up front to deeply understand the psychology and needs of the people you’re building for.
You can turbocharge your network in just 15 minutes/week 📅 👯 🕸 For many, many years I’ve had a 15 minute meeting on my calendar every Friday with myself called “Touch Base.” I use that time to reach out to someone I haven’t talked to in a long time. There is no ask or specific goal, it’s just an opportunity to reconnect with someone I want to keep in touch with. Truthfully, the ROI on that 15 minutes is the highest of anything I do.
Storytelling is the critical unlock for many companies + executives 📕 🗣 💼 Most people are terrible at telling their own story. Strangely, this is especially true for executives because they’ve had longer careers and accomplished a mix of interesting things. And for job seekers, it’s further complicated by the fact they’re often pursuing a pivot to find a steep learning curve again. Companies are no better. For both leaders and companies that feel stuck trying to break into the next level, going back to basics to create a crisp, emotionally compelling narrative, is the critical unlock.
Thanks again for having me Kieran!
👉🔗 Check out the full interview here:
