My Experience
After reading Chapter 1, I learned that being a PM can mean very different things depending on whether you are at a startup or a big tech company. When it mentioned that “if it needs to get done, it’s your job,” that really resonated with me. Over the summer, I worked as a PM at a startup, and while juggling different tasks, there were times I had to step into different roles and follow sprints. I remember having to learn how to create Figma mockups under tight deadlines.
From the Reading
Besides being part of a team, the reading also validated that PMs need to be self-starters and take initiative in decision-making. You get to work closely with designers and engineers, bridging their perspectives and helping the team move forward. What’s really important was always being detailed and, at the same time, zooming out to look at the bigger picture and the alignment between the customers and the business.
When looking at how PM interviews work, it does make sense to notice the archetypes, because when a question comes up about designing something, you can see how this person approaches it: starting with clarifying questions, looking at the bigger vision, paying attention to details, being curious, breaking problems down, and making decisions. This 0 to 1 process can easily translate into how strong of a communicator you are. It does not mean you need to build the perfect product, but being able to A/B test, talk to users about their needs, and weigh tradeoffs from different solutions can make a PM great so you earn trust and lead.
As the reading mentioned, “not the boss, not the builder,” you are certainly not the ruler but you are the bridge that translates between teams, which means you are able to communicate on different levels: discussing optimizations with engineers and financial decisions with the business team. It is a role that you should treat with respect for other roles because of how much they can provide, and that’s what makes a great PM.
Modern PM
A question I have is, “What’s an ideal PM in this age?” I might define it as a great vibe coder, visionary, and prompt engineer. I was having a conversation with my friend about this, and I may be wrong, but I think Google announced that PM interviews will involve vibe coding as part of an assessment. That made me think about how the PM role in tech is evolving.
More questions:
- As AI tools are becoming more popular, how should PMs take advantage of them?
- What would a role look like when multiple PMs work together on the same product?
