38: From DJ Booth to AI Product Leader (with David Murray)

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THE GUEST

David Murray is an accomplished product and operations leader with a passion for shaping the future of technology through innovation and impact. With over 15 years of experience spanning startups, scale-ups, and global enterprises, Dave has played a pivotal role in launching award-winning platforms for PLC and Yahoo, and driving global product strategy at companies like Gelato and now Hertz. Known for his deep expertise in product vision, engineering execution, and user-centered innovation, Dave is now integrating AI into his toolkit to build smarter, faster, and more adaptive systems. Beyond his professional work, he is a dedicated mentor to aspiring product leaders and the founder of a music label, where he combines his love for technology and creativity to inspire real-world change through sound and storytelling.

THE SUMMARY

Just Start—Prototyping is the Real AI Skill: David’s biggest advice? Don’t wait for the perfect tool or tech stack. AI is moving too fast for that. Instead, pick something—Lovable, Hunch, whatever—and start building. That’s how you develop the “prototyping muscle” that sets real AI builders apart.

Tasteflow: Solving a Real User Pain Point: David’s AI recipe app, Tasteflow, didn’t come from brainstorming AI ideas. It came from a personal frustration: recipe websites filled with clutter and slow load times. By focusing on simplifying recipes and accommodating dietary needs, Tasteflow delivers immediate value—and it’s already live.

Prompts Matter More Than You Think: Generative AI can fill in blanks quickly—but only if you feed it the right prompts. David highlights that the real work is in refining prompts, iterating on outputs, and using AI as a teammate to accelerate progress, not a crutch.

Diverse Backgrounds Make the Best AI Leaders: David didn’t start in AI—he started in media, then ad tech, and only later pivoted to AI product management. That variety gave him perspective on different industries, user pain points, and what actually works. AI is a tool, but it’s his product sense that makes it useful.

Data-Driven Products, Not Tech Demos: Whether at Reach PLC, Gelato, or Hertz, David’s focus is on building products that actually help users. AI isn’t the star of the show—the user experience is. He’s not building demos; he’s solving real problems, with AI as one ingredient in a larger recipe.

THE SHOW

Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.

THE LINKS

Have a question you want us to answer? Send it through to [e-mail]

David Murray

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraydave/

Tasteflow: https://tasteflow.co/

My links

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠ 

AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/