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Once companies hire Product Managers, it is usually downhill from there in 80% of cases.

The problem is that the PMs are incentivized to deliver features, even if that is not the right thing to do.

See: Postman.



This is not necessarily true. PMs are incentivized to use product as a means to grow the business. This usually does manifest itself as delivering product features - but it can manifest itself in other ways. Ultimately product managers are tasked with discovering how to grow the product areas they are owning. Great product managers will work closely with users to understand their needs to refine & grow the product. Examples of ways PMs can accomplish things like this without necessarily delivering new product features: better user onboarding, in-app product tours & engagement, etc.

If a PM is just delivering features without tying it back to user needs, business growth & product strategy then they are just a "feature factory" which is bad product management.


You are defining an exceptional Product Manager not the norm.


Yeah I switched from postman to VS code’s REST client addon because it does less but it does enough. Postman is this really complicated and cumbersome thing now, just deeply unpleasant to use.


As a senior PM and multiple time founder, I don't think this is the right way to look at the situation. PMs should be incentivized towards driving user value not features. It's tough once an organization gets large enough for everyone on the team to be aligned to the same vision and what user value means; this is where a PM can be a positive multiplier effect. The situation you are describing seems to me more like a junior PM issue or a broader misunderstanding by that organization of how to use and incentivize PMs effectively.




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