About Me

Hi, I’m Jenny Tai—a product leader with 13+ years in the games industry, focused on building strategy, systems, and teams that scale. I’ve led cross-functional orgs across product, live ops, analytics, and marketing—driving $100M+ annual revenue games at studios like Scopely, Zynga, and Jam City.

Throughout my career, I’ve rebuilt orgs, shaped multi-year roadmaps, and grown teams from the ground up. I care just as much about how we build as what we ship. For me, product leadership means clarity in direction, empathy in collaboration, and building environments where teams can execute with purpose and autonomy.

What Drives Me

• Systems thinking with a soul: Great products balance structure and spark. I bring both.
• Team health = product health: I’ve seen firsthand how momentum starts with trust.
• Long-term impact: Games are more than entertainment—they’re cultural artifacts. That responsibility matters.

Why I Started This Blog

I created Modes of Play after seeing the same challenges crop up across every studio I joined—from small indie teams to global publishers. It’s where I unpack the frameworks that solve real pain points, share the decisions that shaped my career, and highlight the patterns I saw leaders at Scopely, Zynga, and Jam City struggle with again and again. This blog is for anyone who wants concrete guidance to build products and teams that thrive—no matter where you are in your journey.

Want the deeper story behind this blog? Read my post: Why I’m Writing This: Product Leadership in Mobile Games Deserves a Better Playbook

Beyond Games

I mentor with Minds Matter, a nonprofit supporting high-achieving, low-income students on their path to college. Expanding access, building confidence, and creating possibility matters to me—on and off the roadmap.

Let’s build better products, more thoughtful teams, and a games industry we’re proud of. Subscribe if that sounds like your vibe.