True builders are entering a product management renaissance
โWhat's changed is people are having fun again, particularly product folks, because they're able to build. They don't have to rely on as many people to have impact. There's much more of a direct connection to their ideas and their ability to test and connect their product instincts to their customers. In many ways, this is a complete renaissance for the product industry.โ
Information-mover product managers will become dinosaurs
โIf you talk to product leaders three years ago, their day was largely moving information. The information mover is essentially going to become a dinosaur. Let me frame the way that my team is presenting the information to my boss so that that person can frame it to their boss' boss. Generally the function had become extremely focused on responsibility without authority.โ
โIt's going to be chaos. Our industry is very much in stress. Nothing's constant. Everyone's in a state of alert. If you don't stay up in the next three months, they'll be like, oh, you're doing that thing that we stopped doing that three months ago. We don't do that anymore. Everything feels like everyone's in a state of alert.โ
AI-first companies will shed staff and rehire builders
โIn the next 12 to 24 months, we're going to see massive shedding of staffs and then massive rehiring. You might see a company shed 30,000 and hire 8,000, but the 8,000 people are going to all be AI first. The builders are going to have the time of their lives, but if you don't love building stuff, you're in trouble.โ
โThe skills that used to be really valued in product managers are changing substantially. You have to find ability to increase pace. You've got to find that reserve. The next two years requires a lot of fire in the bell. The best people tend to be feeling great right now, but our industry is very much in stress.โ