Trust Grows in Small Pods

National and regional cultures significantly influence organizational roles and power dynamics, especially in the context of product development. In environments like Silicon Valley, engineers and designers possess the autonomy to reject ideas that lack sufficient data, prioritizing their promotion-driven motivations. An emerging model suggests that teams of 30 to 50, led by a single product manager and design lead, will foster effective collaboration in both remote and in-person settings. This structure emphasizes a flat hierarchy with a maximum of three levels, promoting trust and efficiency. The trend recognizes that a product-savvy engineering lead and designer can collectively drive innovation without needing a PM for every small team. As the industry matures, companies will likely reassess their definitions of what constitutes a product, moving away from the current trend of labeling everything as such, akin to the realizations of B2B SaaS companies.