Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (2nd edition)

What it is

Inspired is a book by Marty Cagan, founder of Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) and a former product leader at companies including eBay. The second edition was published by Wiley in late 2017 and runs to 368 pages. It is organised in four parts: the right people (product teams and roles), the right product (product vision, strategy and discovery), the right process (discovery techniques for framing, planning, ideation, prototyping and testing), and the right culture.

Its central argument is that the best teams do not simply build what stakeholders request. They discover products that are valuable, usable, feasible and viable, testing ideas quickly with real users before committing engineering time, and they are measured on outcomes rather than on shipping features.

Is it worth reading?

For aspiring product managers, yes. It gives you the vocabulary most product teams use: discovery and delivery, product risks, empowered teams, prototypes, outcomes over output. It also sets a high bar for what the job should be, which helps you judge a role when you are offered one.

Read it critically. It describes how strong teams at well-funded product companies work. Many companies, including many service businesses and smaller startups, run a feature-request or project model. The book helps you understand the gap, but you will need to work within your employer's reality.

Prerequisites

None. Some familiarity with how software is built makes the examples easier to follow.

How to read it

• Read the parts on the product manager role and on product discovery first.
• As you read the discovery techniques, pick one, such as a user test on a prototype, and try it on a small product you use.
• Keep notes in your own words; these become useful in portfolio case studies.

Free vs paid

Paid. As of 2026-09, Wiley lists the hardcover at $32 and the ebook at $19; prices differ by region and retailer. For a free alternative, the SVPG articles page publishes Cagan's and his partners' essays on the same themes, and many libraries stock the book.

Common questions

Is it outdated? The core ideas about discovery still hold. For newer topics, including how AI changes product work, SVPG's recent articles are more current.

Should I read Empowered or Transformed instead? Those are later SVPG books aimed more at leaders. Inspired is the one for people starting out.