What it takes to stand out as a product manager in the AI era

Breaking into product management has never been tougher. With one job opening for every 37 product managers (PMs) seeking roles, the competition is indeed fierce.

But here’s the thing: Companies are about to realize they need great PMs more than ever.

Image credit: Arsal Ysfin

AI tools are making it a lot easier to build software through vibe coding. On the surface, it looks like a threat to PMs. After all, if anyone can create software, why hire a specialist?

However, this so-called threat is actually creating a massive opportunity for PMs. As the barriers to building software disappear, the internet will be flooded with AI-generated products nobody wants.

The difference between successful products and forgotten ones won’t be shipping quickly – it’ll be the ability to understand what people actually need and why. Companies that notice this shift first will see more value in skilled PMs.

Showing your skills

The fastest way to develop product management skills is to tackle real problems – even if nobody’s paying you to do it. But what most aspiring PMs get wrong is that they jump straight to building solutions without first confirming the problem is worth solving.

To avoid this mistake, pick a problem you think people have and talk to them about it. Don’t approach your friends who will be polite – talk to real potential users who won’t spare your feelings.

Ask them about their current solutions, their frustrations, and what they’ve already tried. You’ll be surprised to see that the problems you find significant are actually just minor annoyances.

See also: How to break into a career as a venture builder

If you think remote teams struggle with communication fatigue, for example, don’t build a new Slack right away. Instead, talk to remote workers first. Then, you might realize that the real issue isn’t too many tools but unclear norms on when to use them.

Once you run into a real, painful problem, use AI tools to build a minimum viable product to test your solution hypothesis. Go back to the same people afterward and watch them use it without providing guidance. While doing so, observe what confuses them, what they ignore, and what excites them.

It’s crucial to document the entire process, including what you’ve learned from user conversations, how feedback has changed your approach, which features users have actually cared about, and how you’ve prioritized based on real usage data.

Even a Notion page or a Medium post titled “How I Validated a Problem in 5 User Calls” can help make your thinking visible.

Mastering the basics

Don’t ask for permission

Who you know matters

Interview 101

A day in the life

Double-edged sword