STRACT to Speak at "Product Management Summit," Japan's Largest Product Management Conference
STRACT Inc., provider of the AI shopping assist app 'PLUG,' announced its participation as a speaker at the 'Product Management Summit' on April 28. CEO Hikaru Ito and Senior Product Engineer Yu Usami will discuss AI-era organizational design and the evolving role of engineers in product development.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 02:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 17:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 27, 2026 at 23:04 (5h 32m after Collected)
STRACT Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Hikaru Ito; hereinafter "the Company"), which provides the AI shopping assist app 'PLUG,' announced that two of its members will speak at "Product Management Summit," Japan's largest product management conference, held on April 28.
■ Event Overview
【Event Name】
Product Management Summit
https://product-management-summit.findy-tools.io/2026
【Date & Time】
April 28, 2026 (Tuesday)
【Venue】
JP Tower Hall & Conference (Marunouchi, Tokyo)
KITTE 4th, 5th Floor, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
■ Presentation Details
Title: "When we stopped hiring for 'positions,' everyone became a PdM -- What STRACT learned by breaking organizational boundaries"
URL: https://product-management-summit.findy-tools.io/2026?m=2026/tt/v2ezGXyg
As AI blurs functional boundaries, the distinction between "what to build" and "how to build it" is diminishing. STRACT has challenged traditional hiring based on roles and positions, opting instead for organizational design that aims to "rearrange forces to win, rather than fill gaps." As a result, an organization is emerging where engineers actively participate in product decision-making, PdMs write code and release it themselves, and everyone acts as an owner of the product. In the first half of this session, CEO Hikaru Ito will discuss the philosophy behind this organizational design and the vision embedded in the "Senior Product Engineer" role. In the latter half, Senior Product Engineer Yu Usami will share real-world examples of how engineers directly determine product direction.
■ Speaker Profiles
Hikaru Ito (伊藤 輝)
Representative Director and President
Born in Hokkaido. Software engineer. Began electronic crafting and programming at age 8, started monetizing self-made software at 14, and developing mobile apps at 15. Following the success of a music app developed as a sole proprietorship, he established STRACT Inc. as a corporation in 2017 while attending Keio University.
Yu Usami (宇佐美 ゆう)
Senior Product Engineer, STRACT Inc.
After development experience at two North American startups, joined CircleCI in 2019. Served as Staff Engineer there from 2022, leading CI/CD job execution platform development and infrastructure cost optimization. Joined freee K.K. in 2023, and from 2024, led the resolution of architectural challenges across multiple products as Principal Architect. In 2025, promoted the incorporation of AI Agents and foundational infrastructure. Joined STRACT Inc. as Senior Product Engineer in February 2026. Utilizes extensive experience from global companies and major domestic SaaS firms to build an engineering organization for the AI era.
■ Recruitment
STRACT is currently actively recruiting for all positions as it moves beyond the initial phase towards scaling. Please check the following website for the latest recruitment information.
Recruitment Site: https://career.stract.co.jp/
■ AI Shopping App 'PLUG' Business Overview
'PLUG' is an AI shopping assist app that enables users to search for the lowest prices, coupons, and cashback offers when shopping online. Since its official release in March 2022, the number of users has steadily grown, exceeding 2 million app downloads by the end of May 2025.
Service Site: https://lp.plugapp.jp
Install: https://app.adjust.com/pi8w5tc
Supported Devices: iPhone, Android
■ STRACT Inc. Company Profile
Company Name: STRACT Inc.
Representative: Representative Director and President Hikaru Ito
Location: CIRCLES Ichigaya 7F, 4-19 Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established: July 28, 2017
Corporate Site: https://stract.co.jp
■ Event Overview
【Event Name】
Product Management Summit
https://product-management-summit.findy-tools.io/2026
【Date & Time】
April 28, 2026 (Tuesday)
【Venue】
JP Tower Hall & Conference (Marunouchi, Tokyo)
KITTE 4th, 5th Floor, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
■ Presentation Details
Title: "When we stopped hiring for 'positions,' everyone became a PdM -- What STRACT learned by breaking organizational boundaries"
URL: https://product-management-summit.findy-tools.io/2026?m=2026/tt/v2ezGXyg
As AI blurs functional boundaries, the distinction between "what to build" and "how to build it" is diminishing. STRACT has challenged traditional hiring based on roles and positions, opting instead for organizational design that aims to "rearrange forces to win, rather than fill gaps." As a result, an organization is emerging where engineers actively participate in product decision-making, PdMs write code and release it themselves, and everyone acts as an owner of the product. In the first half of this session, CEO Hikaru Ito will discuss the philosophy behind this organizational design and the vision embedded in the "Senior Product Engineer" role. In the latter half, Senior Product Engineer Yu Usami will share real-world examples of how engineers directly determine product direction.
■ Speaker Profiles
Hikaru Ito (伊藤 輝)
Representative Director and President
Born in Hokkaido. Software engineer. Began electronic crafting and programming at age 8, started monetizing self-made software at 14, and developing mobile apps at 15. Following the success of a music app developed as a sole proprietorship, he established STRACT Inc. as a corporation in 2017 while attending Keio University.
Yu Usami (宇佐美 ゆう)
Senior Product Engineer, STRACT Inc.
After development experience at two North American startups, joined CircleCI in 2019. Served as Staff Engineer there from 2022, leading CI/CD job execution platform development and infrastructure cost optimization. Joined freee K.K. in 2023, and from 2024, led the resolution of architectural challenges across multiple products as Principal Architect. In 2025, promoted the incorporation of AI Agents and foundational infrastructure. Joined STRACT Inc. as Senior Product Engineer in February 2026. Utilizes extensive experience from global companies and major domestic SaaS firms to build an engineering organization for the AI era.
■ Recruitment
STRACT is currently actively recruiting for all positions as it moves beyond the initial phase towards scaling. Please check the following website for the latest recruitment information.
Recruitment Site: https://career.stract.co.jp/
■ AI Shopping App 'PLUG' Business Overview
'PLUG' is an AI shopping assist app that enables users to search for the lowest prices, coupons, and cashback offers when shopping online. Since its official release in March 2022, the number of users has steadily grown, exceeding 2 million app downloads by the end of May 2025.
Service Site: https://lp.plugapp.jp
Install: https://app.adjust.com/pi8w5tc
Supported Devices: iPhone, Android
■ STRACT Inc. Company Profile
Company Name: STRACT Inc.
Representative: Representative Director and President Hikaru Ito
Location: CIRCLES Ichigaya 7F, 4-19 Yonbancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established: July 28, 2017
Corporate Site: https://stract.co.jp