Introduction
Every now and then, it seems fashionable to declare that "Product Management is dead."It's a catchy claim, but it's profoundly misguided.
This narrative gets attention, fueled by the rise of AI, no-code tools, and economic pressures. However, it is not just overstated — it is profoundly wrong. Just because a disparate collection of AI tools can now assist with generating PRDs, drafting designs, or suggesting features, it does not mean that Product Management as a function is obsolete. The ability to produce artifacts is not the same as creating vision, strategy, alignment, and leadership—the core pillars of effective product management.
As AI reshapes industries, the role of Product Management becomes even more essential. This is not because PMs resist Technology but because the future demands greater leadership, vision, empathy, and orchestration.
How This Misconception Began — and Why It's Flawed
Several trends have contributed to this misunderstanding:
- AI breakthroughs, such as ChatGPT, have shown that AI can draft specifications, analyze data, and generate feature ideas. Many mistook these outputs for the full spectrum of product leadership.
- The rise of no-code and low-code tools enabled business users to build simple applications, leading to a belief that orchestrated product development could also be democratized.
- Economic downturns and layoffs led to scrutiny of roles perceived as non-revenue-generating, lumping PMs into "overhead" without appreciating their strategic value.
The truth is simple: Successful, transformative products are not built through isolated tasks. They are built through vision, cross-functional leadership, deep user understanding, and strategic foresight — capabilities AI cannot replicate.
Product Management Exists Across All Industries, Not Just Tech
Another critical misconception is that product management is only relevant to software companies. Product Management is indispensable in every industry that designs and delivers products, from consumer goods to healthcare, biotechnology, and financial services. Wherever products are built to serve customers, strategic Product Management is essential.
Most people who claim "Product Management is dead" view the profession through a narrow lens, focusing on a single software company or a single-stage product organization. They miss the larger truth: Strategic Product Leadership is essential to driving innovation, customer value, and growth across every sector of the economy.
From my experience working across industries, it's clear that the need for strategic product leadership has only intensified as AI advances.
Product Management, like every profession, has a Spectrum of Talent.
It is also essential to recognize that, like any profession, Product Management encompasses a range of skills, experiences, and effectiveness. Not every individual with the PM title delivers strategic leadership, just as not every engineer, designer, or executive operates at the highest level of expertise.
Drawing broad conclusions based on isolated examples of underperformance is misguided. A poorly executed project management (PM) function reflects capability gaps, not the irrelevance of the role itself. Excellent Product Management transforms companies, industries, and even entire markets.
What AI Can and Cannot Replace in Product Management
Just as AI is now used extensively in healthcare, assisting with diagnostics, imaging, and data analysis, yet doctors remain indispensable for clinical judgment, empathy, and ethical care, the same principle applies to Product Management. AI augments tactical capabilities but cannot replace strategic vision, human understanding, or leadership.
Today's Product Managers can leverage powerful AI tools to work smarter and faster:
- Market Research: Crayon, SimilarWeb, AlphaSense
- Customer Feedback Analysis: Dovetail, Chisel, Productboard AI
- Roadmapping and Prioritization: airfocus AI, Aha!
- Prototyping and Design: Figma AI, Uizard
- Specification Writing: Notion AI, Coda AI, Confluence AI
- Competitive Analysis: Kompyte, Crayon
- Sentiment and Review Analysis: Thematic AI, MonkeyLearn
- Meeting Summaries and Collaboration: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai
AI enhances the tactical capabilities of Product Managers. But it cannot:
- Understand the human intent behind customer behavior.
- Align diverse teams around a shared vision.
- Make complex prioritization and trade-off decisions in ambiguous environments.
- Build emotional trust with users and stakeholders.
- Lead ethical innovation in uncertain, evolving markets.
The Core Strengths of Great Product Managers
World-class Product Managers bring unique strengths that AI cannot replace:
- Strategic Vision: Synthesizing customer needs, market trends, and technical possibilities to create a cohesive and winning future.
- Deep User Empathy: Understanding customer motivations and frustrations beyond what analytics reveal.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Aligning engineering, design, marketing, and business functions to deliver exceptional outcomes.
- Prioritization and Decision-Making: Making bold, high-impact choices amid resource constraints and market uncertainties.
- Ethical Stewardship: Guiding responsible innovation with fairness, transparency, and customer-centricity.
Why the Best Product Managers Will Transform the Future of Companies
In an AI-driven future, companies that thrive will be those that:
- Anticipate emerging human needs before they become apparent.
- Deliver complex, differentiated solutions that create defensible value.
- Move strategically and ethically through rapid technological shifts.
Great Product Managers will be the architects of this transformation. They will shape not just better products but also stronger companies and more resilient industries.
Product Management Hiring Trends Remain Strong
Product Management continues to be one of the most actively hired and strategically valued professions across industries.
- According to the LinkedIn 2024 Emerging Jobs Report, Product Management remains among the top 15 in-demand roles globally, with steady demand across various industries, including Technology, healthcare, financial services, Manufacturing, and retail.
- Glassdoor and Indeed consistently list Product Manager positions among the top 10 hardest-to-fill jobs, highlighting the specialized blend of business, technical, and leadership skills required.
- A LinkedIn job search in early 2025 shows more than 60,000–80,000 open Product Management roles globally at any given time, demonstrating sustained hiring momentum.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that management occupations — a broader category that encompasses Product Managers — will grow 6% between 2022 and 2032, faster than the average growth for all occupations.
Top hiring industries for PMs today:
- Software and Technology (obviously)
- Healthcare (biotech, digital health, pharma products)
- Financial Services (banking apps, fintech)
- Consumer Products (CPG innovation, D2C products)
- Automotive and Manufacturing (intelligent systems, IoT products)
- Energy and Sustainability sectors
These data points indicate that organizations are not moving away from Product Management; they seek stronger, more strategic PM talent to navigate the AI-driven business landscape.
In Closing: The Future Needs Better Product Leaders, Not Fewer
The notion that Product Management is obsolete fundamentally overlooks how future demands evolve. AI will transform how we work, but it will not eliminate the importance of Product Management: translating human needs into visionary, ethical, and impactful solutions. The companies that recognize this will lead the next era of innovation.
Product Management is not dead. It is evolving into its most crucial version yet.
I would love to hear what you think about this perspective. Do you agree that Product Management is more critical than ever? Feel free to comment below or reach out directly — I would love to continue the conversation or discuss how you can create a world-class, future-ready Product Management team within your organization.
#ProductManagement #Leadership #AI #Strategy #FutureofWork #Innovation #BusinessTransformation #UserExperience #ResponsibleInnovation
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vasusrao_aiproductmanagement-productmanagement-enterpriseai-activity-7326199204169555968-9kYn