Lately, things have been changing at work. Our teams are now smaller and faster, and there’s no product manager in sight. As engineers, we’re the ones deciding what to build, why it matters, and how we’ll know if it’s working.
It’s a big shift. The expectation isn’t just to write solid code anymore. It’s to think like a product person: to weigh trade-offs, prioritize ruthlessly, and understand the humans on the other side of the screen. Honestly? It’s exciting. But also intimidating.
Some days I feel energized by the autonomy. Other days I wonder if I’m missing something crucial, like an insight a PM would’ve caught. Or I second-guess whether I’m thinking "product" enough to keep up.
👀 So I’m wondering:
Is this happening where you work, too?
Are engineers around you stepping deeper into product decisions?
How are you making that transition, and staying sharp as the role evolves?
P.S. A friend and I are playing around with a tiny tool to help devs strengthen their product thinking through quick, low-lift prompts. It’s still early, but if you’re curious, here’s a 5-minute preview: https://inmindlab.hyperskill.org
(Not a pitch — just sharing.)
But more than anything, I’d love to hear your take. Does this resonate?
Top comments (11)
Absolutely not. Nothing like what you''ve described is happening work I work. It's lots of managers and PMs all over, with multiple meetings every day to make sure that "work is getting done" because without at least 4 meetings per day, then how do you know anything is getting done?
I envy you, Tanya, what you've described sounds great. I wish I were there.
Thanks for sharing, sounds like a very different setup from ours.
I’m curious, though: how is it perceived if a developer wants to get more involved in product decisions?
Is that encouraged, or not really supported?
Simple. Its a case of, "Do NOT GET OUT OF YOUR LANE!!!!!!!" So, you can't get involved because your title doesn't include product decisions.
I work in State Government. Everyone has their place and need to stay there. Anyway, we don't produce products, we offer services.
That sounds really frustrating. Thanks for sharing, it’s a good reality check for me. Sometimes I complain about “too much freedom,” and then I read something like this and I realize what a luxury that freedom actually is.
Hope you still find space for small experiments, even if unofficially
As per my point of view India-based 2D game development company succeeds with small, fast teams where engineers make product choices—focusing on what players want and measuring success. It mixes coding and strategy, giving freedom but also challenges. Quick tools help improve skills.
It’s great to hear that small, fast teams are working for you. We’re trying to get better at this too. Would you be up for sharing what’s helped your devs grow on the product side?
Personally I've always gravitated towards that mindset, for me being neck-deep in code and not thinking about what exactly am I doing this for is very discouraging and boring.
But I totally get what you mean -- smaller companies nudge yesterday's "strictly technical" developers to learn more about product side. It's only natural to cut costs where possible; and if you can't really lay off important engineers, you can at least make them do and think about more stuff. Maybe for huge corporations it's not the case (yet) but startup devs certainly started to feel it.
The only question is: if an engineer is tech-savvy enough, has a good understanding of a product building, and has great ideas, why are they still working for hire? Maybe it's better to just ditch your employer and go make great products alone. We can manage without them (and they're pushing us to do so), they can't manage without us.
I’ve had that thought too - “why not just go build something myself?” But honestly, the idea of going solo also scares me. I like having a team, bouncing ideas around, feeling like I’m part of something bigger
Have you ever actually tried going solo?
Totally feel this - I've started keeping a quick doc after every feature shipped with what worked, what didn't, and what we'd try differently next time. How do you avoid getting stuck in 'analysis paralysis' when you don't have a PM to bounce ideas off of?
Same here, it’s so easy to get stuck replaying every option in your head.
Sometimes I just set a timebox: 1 hour of thinking, then I choose a direction and stick with it. Better a small step than no step
Sounds fairly normal to me. Most development jobs I've had over 30 years have been like that. The ones with PMs and stuff have been awful.
Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments. Some comments have been hidden by the post's author - find out more