The future of Product Managers

With AI dramatically reducing the cost of shipping software, the traditional PM role as a translation layer between customer insights and engineering is collapsing. Two paths emerge: PMs shift left toward go-to-market strategy, customer discovery, and commercial decision-making; or engineers fully own their product areas end-to-end. Both models are already being tested at small companies. The traditional shipping funnel is dead in startups and will fade in large enterprises within five years. PMs who wait for the old model to return risk being left behind.