How the PM Role is Changing in 2024 | PM Expert Panel

How the PM Role is Changing in 2024 | PM Expert Panel

Author: Peter Yang March 27, 2024 Duration: 51:27

My guests today are Sanchan (ex-general manager at Airbnb), Nickey (Product Director at Duolingo) and John (Senior Director at Toast).


We talked about:

1. How the PM role is changing

2. Our favorite PM use cases for AI

3. How to avoid PM title envy to pick your own path


Over 200 people tuned into this conversation live so I think you’ll love it too.


Chapter Timestamps

  • [00:00] Less internal shenanigans, more customer focus

  • [03:30] Why companies are tired of product managers

  • [07:44] Thoughts on Airbnb merging products with marketing

  • [10:25] How Airbnb builds products using narratives

  • [13:09] Designing the right incentives for PMs

  • [17:03] How Duolingo incentivizes PMs to focus on customer obsession

  • [18:34] Why more PMs should pursue building vs. manager

  • [22:01] How the PM and design relationship is evolving

  • [26:08] Getting hired in today's tough tech jobs market

  • [29:41] How to ramp up on AI and get your hands dirty

  • [32:55] Favorite AI use cases for PM

  • [36:25] How to think about what you want in the PM career ladder

  • [41:15] How to talk to users to get useful feedback

  • [42:25] How to be a great product leader in post-ZIRP era

  • [45:27] Your number one career skill is how to smell out orgs


Where to find me:

Newsletter: https://creatoreconomy.so/


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For anyone building the future, Behind the Craft is a conversation with Peter Yang that moves beyond theory and into the tangible details of creation. This podcast lives in the messy, rewarding space where ideas become real products. Each episode is built on candid interviews with experts who have been in the trenches, dissecting the pivotal decisions, the unexpected hurdles, and the hard-won lessons that rarely make it into a polished case study. You’ll hear the unvarnished stories behind the features and companies shaping our world, focusing on the practical frameworks and mental models that effective product leaders and creators rely on daily. It’s about understanding the craft from the inside out-the strategic shifts, the team dynamics, the user insights that truly move the needle. Tune in for a direct, no-fluff dialogue designed to accelerate your own journey, providing actionable guidance you can apply immediately to level up your own work. This is where the blueprint meets the build.
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