Product Management Career Path

PMs who are in AI are not making any career mistakes. It is PMs who are not in AI who are making career mistakes. The first is, not doing any AI work. The second is, not ...

This is a very subjective question to answer, because the implication is obviously to compare what an "AI PM" does vs a regular PM. The answer also depends on whether you...

Recruiters will make their assessment based on your resume or LinkedIn. Remember to communicate, demonstrate, and show recommendations for your AI work and projects. Feat...

See my response to the question "How would AI Agents+Humans team be managed in future?" -- Product Management is going to have to restructure to handle the reality of AI ...

In the workplace of the future, the purpose of Humans should be to enable AI Agents to operate at full speed without causing harm (to the product, to customers, to financ...

This is an answer you are not expecting -- and that is, do not let anyone "box" you into a stereotype and dissuade you from working in AI. For e.g. I interviewed with a p...

Generative AI is now an extremely broad field - so you need to learn about its applications as much as the core generative AI technologyComputer Vision is relevant to fie...

I'll answer the question "How do you think about the balance between being a domain expert (e.g., biotech, fintech) vs. being an AI generalist" as I think that's relevant...

PMs are entering AI product management after being Engineers, Researchers, or PMs (traditional software, not AI), but I really have not seen very unconventional backgroun...

Exactly how Anthropic has been thinking about ethics, safety, and responsibility in the use of its AI technology–with courage and clarity.Safety: Ask how your AI could re...

AI Depth: Communicates expertise in a specific area of AI (refer to my other answer that talks about the "5-layer AI cake") and contrasts it to non-AI work on their resum...

Yes, it is a strong requirement to have a science and engineering background for AI or deep experience in the field. Look at the areas that power AI applications below, t...

A growth and communicative mindset, i.e. someone who approaches every day is a learning experience for themselves, but also one who broadcasts that learning to the team, ...

You should be thinking of your product management career as a story and be thinking about what the headlines and chapter headings for each one of those stories is. What a...

Show-and-Tell: Start with a small, well-defined project where a PM can work closely with an engineer or two to demonstrate the value of the role and achieve some early wi...

The decision comes down to where you want to spend your time and where you want to have primary ownership. Product Management is about deciding what gets built and why, w...

Let me assume you are staying within your software (or hardware) realm, as switching from software to hardware product management (or vice versa) could be way steeper hil...

Great question ! My perspective on this is - it depends. It all depends on the expectations of the specific role and team you will be part of. Product Management as a rol...

First is data analysis: querying, defining metrics, and interpreting results. Second is systems thinking: understanding architectures, constraints, and failure modes. Thi...

Start by showing interest and taking steps in your existing role. Work with your engineering manager or the PM on your team to take on PM work. You can listen to customer...

I care less about specific resources and more about the iterative approach to professional growth. True learning comes from building a network of other PMs and subscribin...

Answered another question about hard skills. I don't think its generally necessary for PMs to read code but I do think it is important for you to understand the concept/p...

Firstly, I’m sorry to hear about your recent layoff and hope that you are finding or will soon find some great opportunities.  That said, a huge kudos to you for looking ...

Start with problems, not ideas. Anchor on a clear user segment and job to be done, then validate pain through 8 to 12 structured interviews focused on past behavior, not ...

The most important skill for PMs to learn is how to leverage AI. The most desired product managers will be the ones who are agent managers. These are people who can creat...

Here's how to position your B2B experience for B2C roles:Highlight transferable skills: User research, data analysis, and prioritization are crucial in both domains.Empha...

Your path to landing a product role will depend on being able to show how your skills from the current role translate to the new world, and proving that you can bring val...

TL;DR - Be clear about what you want to learn and then ask for help. You'll find most people are eager to help others grow. Before finding a mentor, it's critical to thi...

This is a great one because a lot of people think “no data chops = no shot at product ops.” Not true. You will need foundational skills and be looking for an entry-level ...

In tech companies, having a background as an architect can be extremely valuable. The ability to speak confidently to the technical aspects of your products goes a long w...

The products I admire most are the ones that don't just solve a problem — they fundamentally redefine how you work and make you question why you ever did it the old way. ...

Right off the bat, the very first thing here to do would be a deep dive into market trends, competitive landscape, and internal data. You need a holistic view of where th...

Great question! It is a common myth that engineers turned PMs are most successful. In my opinion, non-technical PMs don't need to have a developer background or join a co...

Apart from being a good product managers, natural propensity to build epic stuff, passion for impact, data-driven, ability to execute , great collaborator and communicato...

Coming from a Marketing background, you’ve probably got customer focus and communications down pat – those are very important parts of the Product Management "package". D...

As you continue growing, both the number of years and the kind of work, impact matters. Here could be some important steps to consider:Observe the work being done by seni...

To expand your critical thinking, stay curious, and ask lots of questions. Early on you might need to focus on your specific area or role to ensure you are driving value ...

APIs can feel intimidating if you haven’t worked with them before, but you don’t need to be an advanced engineer to get up to speed with APIs. You just need to understand...

Check out my other answer in this AMA to a question asked by someone from a construction industry. You can repurpose the steps I outlined in that answer to your situation...

My background was in mechanical engineering, and I worked briefly as an engineer before making the switch over to PM. There are a few different types of skills that trans...

Love this question! Early career PMs often ask, “how do I actually learn the stuff that will get me promoted?” The trick is to treat PM skills like muscles: you build the...

Great question! I don’t believe the skills themselves change across levels, but the expectations do.I think of PM skills in buckets: customer insight, strategy, execution...

Yes, of course. Be humble, be curious, and be bold in your request. Simply reach out on LinkedIn and make it clear what you're after - e.g. 30 mins once per quarter for a...

Congratulations -- you are already a PM, so you're starting from a position of strength. Regardless of whether you are an internal PM, platform PM, B2B PM, B2C PM, etc. t...

One common misconception about b2b product teams is that they should spend most of their time thinking about the buyer (e.g. an executive, IT decision maker) rather than...

There are a few different vectors to consider here. There is the effort/impact matrix, which is pretty good at helping identify low hanging fruit - essentially mapping ou...

I think it all comes to knowing the intrinsic motivation of your team. Money is just one part of the equation, and usually not the biggest one. When it comes to intrinsic...

Deep enterprise SaaS experience, especially working directly with large, complex customers.Relentless customer focus: comfortable engaging with C-level execs, landing dea...

I personally bias toward PMs (or aspiring PMs) with a creative mind, whether that's shown through actual background experience in a creative field, or a highly creative o...

One should prepare for an interview, especially if its a job that one is very interested in. While preparation is something one should give 100%, one should not over do ...