When I compare Jira, Linear, and Productboard, I see three different ways of entering the PM market. In class, we discussed three market types: existing, resegmented, and new. We also talked about red oceans, where companies compete for known customers, and blue oceans, where companies create new demand or find less-contested space.
I would classify Jira as entering an existing market and a red ocean. Issue tracking and project management tools already existed, so Jira was competing in a category customers already understood. I think Jira had to believe that software teams were dissatisfied enough with existing tools to switch to a better way of organizing bugs, tasks, and development work. Its advantage came from serving software teams well inside an established market.
I see Linear as a resegmented market. Linear focused more narrowly on modern software teams and startups that cared a lot about speed, simplicity, and a clean workflow. I think its bet was that some teams felt underserved by heavier tools and would switch if the experience felt faster and easier. This fits the class definition of resegmentation: finding a group that an incumbent serves poorly. I would describe Linear as finding a small blue space inside a red ocean.
I would classify Productboard as a new market and initially a blue ocean. It centered the product around customer feedback, prioritization, and roadmapping. I think its key belief was that PMs needed a dedicated system for deciding what to build and why.
What I found most interesting is that these companies saw the same broad customer but defined the opportunity differently. Jira focused on execution, Linear focused on workflow experience, and Productboard focused on product decisions. That shows me how a company’s view of the customer problem can shape the market it enters.
