Risk advice only works when framed as guidance, not a hard stop; product teams should dig into concerns and look for paths to yes instead of defaulting to veto.
Risk and velocity collide when teams treat every flagged concern as a veto. Legal or any risk-gate can feel like a red stoplight, but the real problem is that product managers don't know how much risk they're allowed to carry. The article shows that the friction isn't about obstructionist lawyers-it's about mis-calibrated communication.
When risk managers raise an issue, they own not just the technical correctness of the advice but also how it lands. If the guidance is read as a hard stop, the responsibility lies partly with the advisor. Framing the input with context, trade-offs, and clear mitigation paths turns a potential blocker into actionable insight.
Product leaders must resist the reflex to blame the "no" and instead ask what the real concern is. By digging into the risk, understanding its shape, and proposing mitigations, they can often find a path to yes that protects the business and the user. The skill is not lowering standards but developing the judgment to navigate gray zones responsibly.
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