PLC #35: Future of Product, finally moving to Substack (& WHY), and new LAB announcement
PM news, expert insights, Community and Conference updates, and events to help you grow your career and network.
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🔮 Future of Product
I recently got stuck in a few job interviews and leadership discussions about how the market is shifting when hiring a PM, PMM, or Growth PM. Yes, I have done all of them. What stood out to me was the uncertainty around hiring.
First, companies are delaying hires, looking for unicorn employees who are already "future-proof," capable of revealing astonishing, almost biblical truths, and have X+10 years of experience while applying for a junior, mid-senior position.
Reading between the lines and following some of the most interesting leaders, I stumbled upon
again. I am starting to believe that the trend is shifting toward more generalist PMs with some highly technical PMs. These professionals can leverage the latest AI tools to amplify outcomes or compensate for headcount cuts while understanding marketing, product, and sales for a full transition into strong growth teams.The reason for this shift is that AI is making product development easier, reducing the defensibility of many products. Customers will not just search for a solution; they will search for the specific solution that fits their needs. They are likely to do so through tools like Perplexity, where they can find it for less money than before. A major red flag is that many companies are exiting in Q1 2025, which in my opinion highlights how difficult it is to remain competitive on a global scale.
Cheaper solutions mean more competition. Products that are easy to build are not defensible, especially when they become successful. This makes distribution in B2B and personalization in B2C even more critical. It is now very easy for people to try a product, but just as easy for them to leave.
My personal take is that the future of product lies in people who can take a holistic view of the business while specializing in AI-driven solutions. More importantly, they need expertise in acquisition channels. If SEO, influencer marketing, and social media are declining, and AI-driven search tools like Perplexity are flooded with marketing noise, it will be harder than ever to identify what is truly valuable. A good product alone will not be enough. Just try picking the right CRM tool, and you will see how difficult it is.
As Leah Tharin suggested, the future of PMs will involve equal collaboration between marketing, product, and sales. However, my personal view is that companies are increasingly investing in communities and strong user support, not just to acquire customers but to retain them.
💚 Welcome back Substack
Yes, has been a mistake! We tried moving to Luma for the newsletter and was horrible, with a mid-transition to another tool and finally Substack.
Why? Luma Newsletter is hyper local, really costly, and not easy to access for our vision to become a larger community and establish Berlin as a tech ecosystem. That is why we tried, learnt, and understood that the growth engine of Substack is simply the best for us.
🎫 Miles April event: second speaker announced
Dan Nguyen from UBER!!! AND sold out 🖤
🎟 New LAB Facilitator announcement: Büşra Coşkuner!
Why join her?
This track is designed for product managers and leaders who want to make data-driven decisions with confidence. It’s a hands-on, practical, deep dive into metrics, business impact, and strategic alignment.
Use BUSRA50 to get a 50 OFF discount on the workshops.
📰 Product Leaders Wisdom
Brought you weekly by Leila Montazeri
Time management for hands-on product leaders; balancing strategic thinking and execution. By Ravi Mehta
The most common mistakes with pricing and how to avoid them. A blunt and brilliant breakdown. By Leah Tharin
Backlog overload? David Pereira explains why backlog management might be dangerous!
Want to master product interview? Lenny’s Newsletter lays out an interview flow and practical tips to help you confidently influence.
💪 Open Roles
Brought you weekly by Alessia Marchi