Need More PMs, Not Fewer

The counterintuitive thesis that AI makes product management *more* important, not less. When AI can build almost anything, the hard problem becomes deciding *what* to build, understanding users deeply, and translating that into actionable direction — all core PM skills.

Where it comes from

Dianne Penn, closing the conversation: > “There is this question in the community of: do we still need PMs when the models are so capable, when engineers are leaning in? I think the role of people who are user-centric, who go into the details of understanding what users are trying to accomplish, bubbling that up in an actionable manner, and doing the relentless work to do that — that to me is a core of a product person and I actually think we need more of that.” (~1:23:01)

The insight

AI doesn't automate the PM role — it amplifies the need for it. When anyone can build anything, the scarce resource becomes knowing what's worth building. That's product management.

Where it is argued

2 notes

01Systems Thinkers Over SpecialistsElizabeth Stone, CPTO of Netflix, argues that the AI era demands systems thinkers who abstract across domains over narrow specialists — while insisting that craft excellence remains scarce and essential. She explores how AI blurs functional roles without making them obsolete, why Netflix's “excellence as an operating system” (high talent density, autonomy, comfort with discomfort) maps directly onto how top AI labs operate, and how AI is reshaping entertainment from production through personalization.02The Art of Executive InfluenceAI makes product management more important, not less