Behavioral: Deciding to Sunset a Feature and Running the Shutdown

In a product manager interview at Klarna, you are asked a behavioral question: tell me about a time you had to kill a feature. Describe the feature, why it had to go, how you reached and communicated the decision, how the shutdown was carried out, and what you learned. ```hint Decision and shutdown both count Interviewers listen for the evidence behind the call and for how the people affected were handled, inside and outside the team. A story that stops at "we decided to remove it" covers only half the question. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does a feature stopped before launch count, or should it be one that customers were already using? - Must I have made the final decision myself, or is a story where I built the case and a leader signed off acceptable? - Should I spend more time on how the decision was made, or on how the shutdown was handled for customers, partners and the team? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The evidence and criteria that showed the feature should end, and how sunk cost was kept out of the decision. - How the team that built it, its champions and other affected functions were brought along. - How affected customers were handled: notice, alternatives or migration, data, and any contractual or regulatory obligations. - The measured effect of the removal and a lesson applied to later launches. ### Follow-up Questions - What signal, tracked from launch, would have let you stop the feature sooner? - How did you handle the customers who relied on it most? - How did you keep the team that built it motivated?