Is this the best and the worst time to be a product manager?
Title vs Function demarcations are clearer than ever.
The role of the product manager has always been a bit… contested.
Should PMs write code? Should they report to engineering, design, or the CEO? Are they the “CEO of the product,” or just glorified project managers? What do they actually own?
Ask ten people what a PM does, and you’ll get twelve different answers.
But in 2025, one thing feels clearer than ever: nobody needs a product manager anymore.
That might sound dramatic. But let’s dig in.
Building is Easier Than Ever
Thanks to AI-native tools like Cursor, Replit, and GitHub Copilot, it’s never been easier to build. You can go from idea to prototype without spinning up an engineering team. You can test, iterate, and deploy within hours.
The barrier to making things has collapsed (of course, things are different in enterprise setups)
Shipping is Easier Too
Continuous deployment, feature flags, A/B testing, instant feedback loops—shipping software has become a well-oiled machine. Speed isn’t the bottleneck anymore.
So… if you can build and ship fast without much friction, what’s the PM even doing?
Frankly, a traditional PM serves as a bottleneck (rather the neck) and needs to be taken out of the system.
But..here’s the paradox:
The internet is full of AI apps that have no more than 0 users or not enough traction.
It’s Never Been Harder to Know What to Build
Look around: the world is full of dead AI wrappers, lifeless Chrome extensions, and abandoned productivity tools. Thousands of “clever” ideas are being launched every day.
And most are dying in an in-humane way.
Why? Not because they weren’t built well. Not because they were too slow. But because they didn’t matter. Because nobody cared.
In 2025 (and onwards), the hardest part of product isn’t building or shipping. It’s figuring out what’s worth building in the first place.
And this is where product management should shine.
So Why Do I Say Nobody Needs a Product Manager?
Because the centralized PM role—the one that owns the roadmap, shuffles Jira tickets, and sits between teams—is dying.
But product thinking? That’s more critical than ever.
In today’s world, product management isn’t a role. It’s a function. A mindset. A shared responsibility that flows across engineering, design, marketing, sales, and leadership.
Everyone is expected to think like a PM now. Founders. Designers. Engineers. Growth teams.
You don’t need a PM to “own” product. You need a team that thinks like product people—curious, customer-obsessed, strategic, and evidence-driven.
Who Will Win in This New World?
Not the teams who ship the fastest. Not the ones with the slickest UI.
The teams that win will be the ones closest to the customer. The ones who can navigate ambiguity. Who can distinguish noise from signal. Who deeply understand behavior, pain points, workflows, and emotional triggers.
This is the new moat.
Not execution speed.
Not design.
Not even tech.
Understanding.
So… Is This the Best or Worst Time to Be a PM?
That depends.
If you’re clinging to the old model of PM-ing—gatekeeping the roadmap, writing specs, juggling tickets—it’s the worst time. That model is fading fast.
But if you’re evolving—towards customer intimacy, systems thinking, problem framing, and ruthless clarity—this might be the best time.
Because the world doesn’t need more “product managers.”
It needs more people who think like product managers.
What’s your take? What specific aspects of PM role you believe should always be owned by a PM team?
*PS: We are accepting guest posts/insights from the community. Just reply to this email with your ideas, if keen.
(meme credit)