Supra Insider

#33: The nuanced reality of the product leadership job market | John Cutler & Josh Herzig-Marx

Oct 28, 2024

John Cutler, a product management expert and writer, teams up with Joshua Herzig-Marx, a seasoned product leader, to delve into the challenging job market for product leaders. They explore the factors behind prolonged job searches, including the flattening of product organizations and the rise of super IC PMs. The conversation highlights how AI is reshaping product leadership dynamics and offers valuable advice for those navigating career transitions. Together, they predict significant changes in the landscape of product management over the next decade.

55:19

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Episode guests

John Cutler

Joshua Herzig-Marx

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The job market for product leaders is becoming increasingly competitive due to a saturation of roles and flattened organizational structures.

A notable trend is the emergence of super IC PMs, prompting many professionals to pivot back to individual contributor roles for greater job satisfaction.

The rise of AI is reshaping the expectations for product managers, necessitating a blend of technical skills and human judgment to thrive.

Deep dives

Redundancy in Product Teams

Many companies have adopted a model where multiple teams independently develop similar products to expedite their processes. This approach often leads to scenarios where several teams create duplicate services, such as APIs, instead of collaborating on a unified solution. The emphasis on independence and rapid movement inadvertently cultivates inefficiencies and confusion within leadership structures, as middle management has little oversight and frontline teams struggle with a lack of clear communication. Consequently, this fosters an environment marked by distrust and fragmentation, ultimately impeding organizational effectiveness.

Intro

4min

The Evolving Landscape of Product Management

11min

Navigating the Design Leadership Landscape

14min

The Consequences of Fast-Track Team Independence in Organizations

2min

Beyond Best Practices

6min

Navigating AI and Company Culture

16min

Closing Reflections and Opportunities for Connection

2min

Welcome to another episode of Supra Insider. This time, Marc and Ben are joined by John Cutler and Joshua Herzig-Marx (friends of the show) to explore a growing trend in the product community: product leaders struggling to find their next roles.

We discussed the contributing factors to this trend, including the flattening of product organizations, the rise of super IC PMs, and the influence of AI. The conversation dives into practical advice for product leaders navigating these challenges and what the future might hold for product leadership.

For anyone who is navigating the evolving product management landscape, considering a career transition, or interested in how AI and organizational shifts are reshaping the role of product leaders, this episode is for you.

All episodes of the podcast are also available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube (video).

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In this episode, we covered the following topics:

* The current trend of product leaders taking longer to find new roles

* Contributing factors such as the flattening of product organizations

* The role of AI in changing product leadership dynamics

* The emergence of the Super IC PM

* The impact of companies focusing on efficiency and reducing team sizes

* Advice for product managers in transition and those considering a role change

* Predictions for the future of product leadership in the next decade

* And more!

If you’d like to watch the video of our conversation, you can catch that on YouTube: