Specialization vs. Domain Expertise in the AI Era

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What does it mean to truly be an “AI-native” company? And how are product roles evolving when PMs are expected to both execute faster and make sharper strategic decisions?

In this episode of Supra Insider, Marc and Ben sit down with Adam Fishman—host of the Startup Dad podcast and longtime product leader and advisor —to unpack the key themes from Reforge’s recent AI Product Summit in San Francisco. Adam shares insights from conversations with leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Shopify, Zapier, and LinkedIn on how organizations are tackling AI adoption, redefining PM expectations, and navigating cultural change.

The discussion ranges from Zapier’s live prototyping interviews for new hires, to LinkedIn’s shift from “product managers” to “product builders,” to the tension PMs face between increased executional leverage and the need for sharper strategic taste.

Whether you’re a PM figuring out how to stay relevant, a product leader navigating culture change, or just curious how AI is transforming product organizations, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply today.

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Exciting news! If you’re a PM preparing for interviews at Uber, Figma, or Stripe… we think you’re going to love Insider Loops. You can read about it in Ben’s LI post, Marc’s LI post or check out the site directly below.

In this episode, we covered the following topics:

* (01:22) Adam’s reflections from Reforge’s AI Product Summit in San Francisco and the big themes leaders are wrestling with.

* (05:23) Zapier’s three levels of AI adoption—from ChatGPT tinkering to building workflows to submitting PRs in Cursor—and how they hire for it.

* (07:59) How Zapier reached 97% adoption by combining tools, leadership modeling, and performance management.

* (11:00) The risks of “shipping volume over quality” with AI, and why outcomes—not activity—must remain the north star.

* (14:25) Which PM responsibilities are fading (handoffs to analysts, UXR, or designers) and which are becoming core (strategy, judgment, taste).

* (22:50) The tension between increased execution leverage and rising expectations for strategic focus—why the PM role can feel “impossible.”

* (33:10) How cross-functional roles (support, design, marketing) are evolving when anyone can now build prototypes or tools with AI.

* (51:01) The future of specialization: why domain passion matters, but generalist builder skills may matter even more.

* And more!

Links:

* Fishman AF Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com

* Startup Dad Podcast: https://www.startupdadpod.com/

* Adam Fishman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

* Marc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbaselga/

* Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benerez/

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