Ariel Bardin on corporate culture

About Ariel Bardin

Ariel Bardin, President of Technology at Warner Music Group, spoke at ProductCon NYC in June 2025 about his approach to leading the company's technology transformation. Bardin described a "three shits rule" for product development: do, start, and improve. He stated that he hired 200 people from the software industry to transform Warner Music's technology operations. Bardin said the company is focused on AI, ensuring engineers have the latest tools and that they have become about 20% more effective using them. He also discussed the company's use of third-party AI tools to automate business processes such as contract ingestion and finance operations. Bardin described the company's technology mission as a "big experiment" to determine whether a music company can create great technology. Bardin discussed his management philosophy, emphasizing bluntness and transparency. He said he avoids corporate speak and politics, and that he builds trust with his CEO by being "blatantly transparent" about mistakes. He noted that he dislikes the term "minimum viable product" and instead encourages his team to release a "minimum proud product." Bardin also mentioned a new app for artists that provides them with daily visibility into their streaming, audience, revenue, and expenses, which he described as "still a little controversial." He stated that many organizations talk about digital transformation but do not mean it, and that the seriousness of such efforts can be assessed by looking at headcount and budget.

Profile compiled from Ariel Bardin's verified public interviews and appearances. See all quotes & transcripts →