"Everyone can now vibe code features - CPO, customer success, data analysts."
PM's immediate reaction: "If everyone's building... what makes me irreplaceable?"
I watched this exact conversation unfold. The conclusion might surprise you: 🧵
The PM's fear is real:
• CPO has strategy vision AND can build
• CX has customer proximity AND can build
• Data analysts have insight depth AND can build
• Engineers have technical judgment AND can build
Where's the PM's unique value?
Standard advice: "Become an amplifier! Be the synthesizer! Orchestrate the chaos!"
But here's the brutal truth:
Engineers can orchestrate features.
AI can synthesize insights.
Anyone can "amplify" with the right tools.
So I asked: "What would have to be true for your fear to become reality?"
The PM started mapping it out:
If vibe coding + AI synthesis + basic project management = product success...
Then yeah, PMs become redundant.
The conditions for PM obsolescence:
✅ Building barriers removed (vibe coding)
✅ Information synthesis automated (AI)
✅ Customer feedback directly accessible (CX tools)
✅ Data insights democratized (analytics platforms)
✅ Strategic context transparent (company wikis)
When you map it out like this...
a) we're not there yet, but
b) the traditional PM skillset does start looking pretty replaceable.
"But I coordinate!" → Project managers do that
"But I prioritize!" → Anyone with frameworks can do that
"But I synthesize!" → AI does that faster
The PM realized something chilling:
"I'm becoming an account manager for features that other people build, prioritize, and improve."
That's not product management.
That's overpaid pencil-pushing.
Most "solutions" I hear are just delaying tactics:
"Build better relationships!"
"Get closer to customers!"
"Learn to code!"
But if your core value prop can be replicated...
You're just buying time until someone replicates it.
The real question isn't:
"How do I adapt to democratized building?"
It's:
"What is the one thing I do that nobody else can replicate - even with all these tools?"
Because here's what I realized:
Every other role has a core that's hard to replicate:
• Engineers: Complex system design
• Designers: Human-centered problem solving
• Data scientists: Statistical modeling
What's the PM equivalent?
I don't have the answer yet.
But I know it's not "coordination" or "synthesis" or "stakeholder management."
Those are table stakes now.
The question that keeps me up: What IS the irreplaceable PM superpower?
What do you think? 👇
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But your stakeholder skills will make or break you.
I lost multiple battles as a PM by being "right" but ineffective.
Here's what I’d do differently now:
1/ First, understand why smart people push back against good data:
• They have context you don't
• They're optimizing for different goals
• They see risks you haven't considered
• They have pressure from their stakeholders
• Past experiences are coloring their judgment
2/ The immediate urge is to:
- Gather more data
- Build stronger arguments
- Rally support
Stop.
Your goal isn't to win the argument.
It's to make the best decision for the product AND maintain relationships.