I’ve been noticing a fascinating and provocative discussion bubble up recently: the ‘great unbundling’ of the product manager role.
The classic PM has always been a generalist—a jack-of-all-trades who can context-switch from user interviews to technical specs to go-to-market strategy. But as products become more complex and specialized, are we seeing this role fracture into a team of specialists? Think Growth PMs, AI/ML PMs, Platform PMs, and Product Ops.
This shift isn’t just about titles; it’s a strategic response to the need for deep, focused expertise. One person can’t realistically master the nuances of viral loop optimization, the architecture of a new AI model, and enterprise sales cycles all at once.
However, this specialization creates a huge challenge: maintaining a cohesive product vision and strategy. When different specialists own different facets of the product, how do you prevent the user experience from feeling disjointed? It makes a centralized understanding of the customer absolutely critical. Without a single source of truth for user feedback and insights, you risk building a collection of features instead of a coherent product. This is a problem we’re passionate about solving at https://leera.io, by ensuring every specialist can connect their work back to the unified voice of the customer.
What’s your take? Are you seeing this ‘unbundling’ in your organization, and is it a good thing?