We Need More PMs, Not Less
A counterintuitive argument for why AI will unleash more demand for PMs
There's a lot of fear in our industry about AI replacing product managers.
I get it. When you see AI writing code, generating requirements, and building prototypes in minutes instead of weeks, it's natural to wonder if your job is next.
But here's the thing: AI won't replace product managers. In fact, we're going to need more PMs, not fewer.
I know it sounds counterintuitive.
But the same forces that make AI feel threatening are creating unprecedented demand for the very skills great PMs bring to the table.
When Building Gets Easier, Deciding What To Build Gets Harder
Let's start with what's really happening. Engineering bottlenecks are disappearing fast.
What used to take engineering teams months - writing code, running tests, deploying features - AI can now handle in days.
At GitHub, developers using Copilot are completing tasks 55% faster. At Microsoft, teams report shipping features in weeks that previously took quarters.
The trend is clear: technical execution is becoming trivial.
But here's the catch. When you can build anything quickly and cheaply, the real challenge shifts to knowing what's worth building in the first place.
The value equation flips from execution to judgment. From "can we build this?" to "should we build this?"
And that's exactly where great product managers come in.
The YouTube Effect: What Happens When Creation Gets Democratized
We've seen this pattern before.
In 2005, creating video content required expensive equipment, technical expertise, and production teams.
YouTube changed all of that. Suddenly, anyone with a phone could create and publish video content.
Did this kill the creator economy? Quite the opposite. It exploded.
The barrier shifted from technical production to editorial judgment. The hard part became knowing what content was worth making, not how to make it.
The same dynamic is playing out with product managers.
Execution is getting easier. Judgment is not.
The Slopware Problem: Why We Need More Product Judgment, Not Less
Here's what most people miss about the AI revolution. It's about to flood the market with more bad software than we've ever seen.
We're already seeing it. AI-generated apps proliferating across app stores, most of them solving problems that don't exist or creating more confusion than value.
In a world where anyone can spin up a working prototype in an afternoon, the companies that win won't be those that build the most features. They'll be those that build the right features and say no to everything else.
That's not an AI problem. That's a product management problem.
And, more importantly, that’s the opportunity.
The Next Generation of PMs
Yes, AI can write requirements, build prototypes, and even simulate user feedback.
It’s fast, it’s cheap and it’s only getting better.
But here’s what it can’t do:
It can’t weigh tradeoffs.
It can’t prioritize customer pain over stakeholder noise.
It can’t connect product decisions to business outcomes.
Those aren’t execution tasks. They’re judgment calls.
PMs who can step into that gap. PMs who can cut through noise, align teams, and drive decisions that matter will define the next generation of product leadership.
Because in a world where anyone can build, the PM who knows what to build becomes essential.
Bottom Line
If you think AI is here to replace PMs, you’ve misunderstood both AI and PM.
AI will make building easier than ever before. That's going to create more slopware than ever before.
Which means the real differentiator now is knowing what to do / not to do.
The future doesn't belong to PMs who can write the best requirements documents. It belongs to those who can make the best decisions about what requirements are worth writing in the first place.
That's not a job for AI. That's a job for the next generation of product leaders.
AI is Reshaping Product Management—Are You Ready?
CPOs who lean in are already seeing:
20%+ productivity gains
Improved time to market
Bigger impact, delivered faster
🚀 Curious what this could look like in your org? Let’s chat.