Marty Cagan marks 40 years since starting his career in software engineering, reflecting on the long run of work he found rewarding and the lessons it taught him. He argues that learning and experience compound over…
“Hello and welcome to another edition of my weekly newsletter 👋 If you’re finding this newsletter valuable, consider sharing it with friends 🤝 Q: I just sold my company to another startup and now I'm transitioning from startup founder to product manager at this new company. I’ve never had "proper" training as a PM, so I'm a little worried about the integration with the new team. Do you have any tips? [](https://subs…”
Torres argues that cold-applying for product roles rarely works, because large companies filter resumes by keyword and smaller ones have busy reviewers who skim them in seconds. Her remedy is an inside referral, ideally…
Marty Cagan revisits his earlier argument that the product manager should also be the product owner, admitting he made a strategic mistake by treating the two titles as synonyms. Many people who took short product owner…
Marty Cagan argues that deep experience in a specific product domain is usually less important for product managers than people assume. He recounts two cases where a strong PM was doubted for lacking domain experience…
Lenny Rachitsky argues, in response to anxiety over AI replacing product managers, that PMs are the best-positioned tech role to thrive in an AI-driven world. He contends that AI excels at execution while PMs' soft…
Teresa Torres interviews Laura Klein, who moved from interaction design and user research into a product role at a small company. Laura argues the transition felt natural because good designers and researchers already…
Lenny Rachitsky shares how he learned to say no to the constant flow of requests as a solopreneur, arguing that protecting focus on the few things that made you successful is essential. He offers a decision framework…
Teresa Torres argues that job seekers should research their target market and specific companies before applying, treating the search like product discovery. She suggests interviewing the target companies' customers…
Marty Cagan argues that Imposter Syndrome is real and healthy when understood correctly: it is a signal that you have not prepared enough. Rather than trying to push past the fear, he uses it as motivation to study…
Andy Johns, a growth leader who stepped away from a presidency at Wealthfront after a heart scare, argues that high achievers need a deliberate way to recognize and respect their personal limits. He introduces a…
John Cutler reflects on his early product career, when a single product manager bundled research, analysis, design sketching, requirements writing, release coordination, support, and even coding into one role. He notes…
Marty Cagan argues that product management certification is premature and counterproductive for the software industry. He notes that the field is far from scientific, that software product success rates are poor, and…
Julie Zhuo writes a letter to her 11-year-old daughter about the value of struggling through hard work when AI can make almost anything effortless. The piece frames the problem as a question of cultivating the eye…
Marty Cagan argues that the core of the product manager job is product creation: working daily with designers and engineers to solve customer problems in ways that are both loved by customers and viable for the…
Teresa Torres argues that public portfolios are a poor fit for product professionals, since they encourage over-claiming credit for team work and expose proprietary or employer-owned material. Hiring managers still want…
The article argues that Chief Product Officer roles have multiplied since 2020 as companies become more customer-centric, but the title is inconsistently applied and poorly defined. It distinguishes the CPO, who sets…
Lenny Rachitsky's follow-up report uses data from TrueUp (new tech job openings) and Live Data Technologies (job changes) to map the state of the product job market. It covers a slow recovery, a tilt toward senior PM…
Marty Cagan argues that the best product managers think like owners rather than employees, taking responsibility for outcomes instead of merely completing activities. He draws on Jeff Bezos's shareholder letters to…
Lenny Rachitsky follows up his tech worker sentiment survey by investigating how people who avoid or effectively manage burnout do it. Drawing on open-ended video surveys and interviews, he introduces ARMOR, a five-part…
Teresa Torres, after returning to coding for a product launch following five years away, argues that product managers and designers do not strictly need to code today, but that everyone should learn the basics. She…
Marty Cagan argues that the product management field suffers from a widespread problem: many people become product managers after only a Certified Scrum Product Owner course, which teaches delivery-process rituals…
Marty Cagan argues that most product coaches and trainers are steeped in the feature-team model, which is the opposite of what companies need when moving to a true product operating model. He frames a good coach through…
Marty Cagan responds to a CTO's question about whether a strong product designer and technical lead still need a product manager, arguing the PM's contribution is often invisible or poorly done. He frames the discussion…