Choosing DoorDash's Next Big Product Bet: Options, Right to Win and Metrics
Company: DoorDash
Role: Product Manager
Category: Product Design & Strategy
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
You are a senior product leader at DoorDash. Decide what the company should build next, and make the case for your choice.
```hint Lead with assets, not ideas
Before brainstorming, list what DoorDash already has that rivals lack across consumers, merchants and Dashers, and look for a bet that compounds those advantages.
```
### Clarifying Questions
- Is this a next-quarter feature or a multi-year bet that could become a new line of business?
- Should I serve consumers, merchants or Dashers, or is choosing the side of the marketplace part of the task?
- Is the company optimizing for order growth, profitability, or defending its position against competitors right now?
- Is the scope the US market only, or every country where DoorDash operates?
### What a Strong Answer Covers
- A stated goal and horizon, tied to where DoorDash's business stands today
- A broad scan of candidate bets across all three sides of the marketplace, compared on explicit criteria
- A chosen bet backed by a credible right to win against named competitors
- A concrete first version, rollout plan and success metrics with marketplace guardrails
- The main risks and the result that would make you stop
### Follow-up Questions
- Leadership wants to fund autonomous or drone delivery instead. How would you argue for or against it?
- How would your bet change Dasher earnings and merchant margins, and what would you watch to protect them?
- What result six months after launch would tell you to shut it down?
Overview: A product strategy prompt where a candidate acting as a DoorDash leader must choose the company's next major product investment. It tests marketplace thinking across consumers, merchants and Dashers, comparing bets on explicit criteria, and defining success metrics, guardrails and risks.