Deb Liu

As a self-described introvert who rose from PM at PayPal to VP of Product at Facebook (creating Facebook Marketplace used by 1 billion people monthly) to CEO of Ancestry, Liu has personally navigated the visibility challenge across 20+ years and multiple organizations. Their core argument: Reframe self-promotion as education -- share your team's work, not yourself. The evidence is specific: Liu created Facebook Marketplace, used by over 1 billion people monthly -- built through zero-to-one product leadership at scale. Furthermore, at Facebook, she built the first mobile ad product for apps and the mobile ad network. Mark Zuckerberg told her directly she would never get a specific job she wanted -- she turned the job she had into the job she wanted instead. In Deb Liu's own words: "It looks like self-promotion. I wouldn't want to do that because it's self-promotion. But instead, what if I called it educating about all the great work your team has been doing? Helping people see why your team should get more resources, you have to actually share what you do." (Reframing self-promotion for introverts.)

As someone who built billion-dollar products at Facebook (Marketplace, mobile ads, games, Facebook Pay) over 11+ years while raising a family, then became CEO of Ancestry and joined the Intuit board, Liu's career demonstrates that sustained high performance and personal balance are not mutually exclusive. Their core argument: The most important career decision is who you marry — home life enables professional success. The evidence is specific: Liu created and led Facebook Marketplace, now used by over 1 billion people monthly, while maintaining work-life balance with a family. Furthermore, she built Facebook's first mobile ad product for apps and the mobile ad network, demonstrating repeated zero-to-one building within a large company. When passed over for a role at Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg, she used it as a catalyst to become CEO of Ancestry — turning a career setback into a stepping stone. In Deb Liu's own words: "The most important career decision you make is who you marry. Is this person lifting you up or pushing you back? You will have a much more successful career if your home life is in balance." (On the link between personal and professional success.)