TLDR PRODUCT MANAGEMENT 2025-09-19

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PLG VS AI: WHAT'S NEXT FOR PRODUCT-LED GROWTH?

PLG isn't dying - it's evolving. AI will supercharge personalization, automate growth basics, and create agentic products that guide users, turning PLG into a co-pilot for activation, retention, and expansion.

FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEERS

Forward Deployed Engineers embed with customers to uncover real problems and outcomes. Popularized by Palantir, this model, paired with prototyping and platform strategies, can help any team create scalable, effective products.

SKIP-LEVEL WITHOUT A SAFETY NET

Skip-level readouts often overwhelm product managers, but a disciplined 3-slide structure - context, response, next steps - delivers clarity fast. This builds trust, strengthens leadership alignment, and accelerates career growth.

I BELIEVE IN INTERIM CPO ROLES, BUT NOT IN FRACTIONAL CPO ROLES

Interim CPO roles can succeed, but fractional ones don't - product leadership is too unpredictable for part-time work. The most valuable task of an interim CPO is stabilizing the team and hiring their full-time successor.

TURNING INSIGHTS INTO GROWTH AND REVENUE

A UX research repository transforms scattered insights into a single source of truth, driving efficiency, alignment, and revenue. With AI and governance, it fuels user-centric decisions and continuous business growth.

BRIAN ELLIOTT ON CULTURE CHAOS, RUTHLESS CLARITY, AND WHY EMPATHY FUELS VELOCITY

Product challenges are often cultural, not technical. Leaders should drive clarity on priorities, build dependable trust, balance performance with growth, and embed empathy to sustain velocity and innovation.

YOUR STAKEHOLDERS AREN'T WRONG ABOUT THE PROBLEMS

Stakeholder intuition often signals real pain, but delivery rarely guarantees adoption. Success comes from post-launch iteration: observe users, map workflows, fix discovery, measure outcomes, and investigate time-boxes to protect investment.

IS IT TIME TO LOOK FOR A NEW JOB? AND HOW DO I START?

Job doubts can create a draining limbo, but a structured search can break the cycle. With a clear plan, a strong personal pitch, and weekly time carved out, you can turn uncertainty into clarity and either re-energize in your current role or confidently step into a new one.

AGENTS ARE BUYING, AGENTS ARE SELLING: WHAT THAT MEANS FOR GTM

AI agents are shifting from support roles to autonomous actors - researching, negotiating, buying, and selling.

CURE FOR HALLUCINATIONS

Adding probability-based prompts helps separate imaginative output from factual certainty.