LinearCompetitive Teardown & Positioning
Product
What it tests
Competitive analysis depth, strategic thinking, and ability to turn research into actionable product decisions
Format
- 1Candidate identifies the company's top 3 competitors (the choice itself is evaluated)
- 2Conducts structured analysis using only public data: websites, pricing, G2 reviews, changelogs, job postings
- 3Delivers feature matrix, positioning analysis, win/lose assessment, 3 strategic recommendations, and one contrarian take
What to look for
- Did they pick the RIGHT competitors, or the obvious ones?
- Is the 'Where We Lose' section honest or sanitized?
- Are recommendations specific enough to act on next quarter?
- Does the contrarian take show independent thinking or just controversy for its own sake?
Adaptation guide
Works for any PM role. For more senior roles, add a constraint: 'Assume engineering capacity is 50% of what you'd want.'
Full description
Format:
- Candidate identifies top 3 competitors (choice is evaluated)
- Uses only public data for structured analysis
- Delivers: feature matrix, positioning, win/lose, 3 recommendations, 1 contrarian take
Time: 3 hours
What to look for:
- Competitor selection quality
- Honest 'Where We Lose' assessment
- Actionable recommendations
- Independent contrarian thinking
Adaptation: For senior roles, add resource constraints.
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