It feels like the ground is shifting under our feet. Between the recent waves of tech layoffs and the meteoric rise of AI tools, the conventional wisdom around the product manager’s role is being seriously challenged. We’re seeing a divergence in the market: some companies are pushing for highly technical PMs who can practically ship code, while others are doubling down on the ‘mini-CEO’ archetype who lives and breathes P&L statements.
This isn’t just about specialization; it’s an identity crisis. If AI co-pilots can draft flawless PRDs and summarize user feedback in seconds, and if empowered engineering teams can manage their own sprints, where does that leave us? The ‘glue’ that holds everything together is becoming less tangible. We’re being forced to prove our value in more concrete, defensible ways—whether that’s through deep market insight, strategic foresight, or exceptional cross-functional leadership. The days of being a simple backlog administrator are numbered. This shift demands that we re-examine our own skills and career paths.
So, where do you see the most leverage for PMs in the next two years: digging deeper into the technical weeds with engineering, or moving higher up the strategic stack with leadership?