Designing for Attention: How CrossFit Builds Product for Community-Led Growth | Ben McAllister, CPTO

Episode notes

In this episode, we’re joined by Ben McAllister, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at CrossFit, and one of the most thoughtful product leaders I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with. Ben’s path is anything but linear: with a degree in physics, a short stint in consulting, and time spent as a creative director at a design agency before moving into senior product roles at Under Armour. Now he’s shaping one of the world’s most iconic fitness ecosystems. In this episode, Ben shares: Why attention is the ultimate currency in product design, and how to design for the “spotlight” versus the periphery. The “Infovore” Advantage: Why the best product leaders borrow ideas from outside the tech world; and How to build a cohesive product strategy for a complex, decentralized network like CrossFit’s global community of affiliates and athletes.

Related episodes across the Index

Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.

• Guy Rubin - 2026 GTM BenchmarksCloud Radio · on SaaS95 / 100
• #192 - Slowing Things Down to Speed Up Research with Jared Forney of OktaAwkward Silences · on Product Management90 / 100
• Building an Incorruptible Company that Lasts with Eric Ries, Author of Incorruptible & The Lean Startup - Ep 78The Transaction · on SaaS88 / 100
• MicroConf Tactics: He Built Two Unicorns. Here’s The Only AI Startup He’d Build in 2026MicroConf On Air · on SaaS79 / 100
• Reframing Marketing ROI to Return on Objectives with Karl Van den BerghThe B2B CMO Podcast with Jon Miller and Sydney Sloan · on SaaS75 / 100
• 63: Nine leads and a weddingOur B2B SaaS Journey · on SaaS70 / 100

• Beyond AI Theater: How a Real AI Product Team Looks Now | Eric Anderson, SVP Product (Datasite)85 / 100
• Feedback Is Just the Start: How Acting on It Increased Zipcar’s NPS by Over 50% | Nishaat Vasi, CPO74 / 100
• From Hostile to Rewired: How Descript's CEO Drives AI Adoption | Laura Burkhauser69 / 100
• How AI Helped Me Ship 9 Months of Product in 5 Days | Sriram Iyer, SVP of Product (ex-Salesforce)66 / 100
• AI Agents Fail for 2 Reasons. Crowdsourcing Solved Both. | Julia Dalton, SVP Product (Capacity)86 / 100