Built to Last: The Product Playbook for Publishers

In this episode of Web Without Walls, Vijay sits down with Ezra Menaged, CEO of Hometalk and COO of VerticalScope, to unpack the operating playbook that transformed Hometalk into a product-led media business and later scaled that mindset across VerticalScope’s publishing ecosystem.

Ezra shares how owning distribution and embedding monetization directly into the product created structural advantages. They also explore how the team navigates challenges with product thinking. The conversation covers the role of email, AI integration, and continuous experimentation in a zero-click world, and what it takes for publishers to strengthen direct audience relationships and build media businesses designed to last.

Ezra Menaged is the CEO of Hometalk and COO of VerticalScope, where he leads growth, monetization, and product strategy across its media brands. He began his career as a lawyer and later transitioned into digital media, discovering a passion for product-led growth and ad tech. He has transformed Hometalk from a user-generated content platform into a profitable, product-driven business centered on owned audiences.

He focuses on building direct audience relationships, embedding monetization into the product, and applying AI throughout publishing operations. Ezra takes a hands-on approach to scaling media companies that thrive in a fast-changing digital landscape.

Vijay Kumar is the Founder and CEO of Mile, where he has spent over a decade helping publishers navigate modern Ad Tech. His work spans pricing strategy, yield optimization, and infrastructure decisions, always focused on giving publishers more clarity and control.

As host of Web Without Walls, Vijay brings real-world experience and thoughtful curiosity to every conversation. He asks the questions publishers care about, challenges assumptions when needed, and creates space for honest, practical industry dialogue.

• "There used to be a joke that product manager is not a real job over the last decade and people were making fun of it. Looks like product manager is going to be the only job that’s left standing and using AI."
• "I think a lot of publishers look at AI and feel like, oh, this is bad and like there's gonna be so much AI slop and all of that. But at the end of the day, you're still in digital media business. You can benefit from utilizing it across all the functions, whether it's for revenue, whether it's for making your operations better."