From Engineer to Product: The 15-Year Lens

The Engineer's Curse and Blessing

Engineers solve problems. We see a challenge, and we immediately think about implementation. This becomes both a superpower and a handicap in product management.

The superpower: You can call out infeasible solutions early. You understand technical debt. You speak the same language as your engineering team.

The handicap: You sometimes skip the "why" and jump straight to the "how."

The hardest lesson? Learning to sit with ambiguity instead of rushing to a solution.

What Changes After 15 Years

Early in my career, I measured success by lines of code shipped. Today, I measure it by problems solved for customers.

The technical foundation doesn't disappear — it evolves:

The Bridge Role

Product managers with engineering backgrounds serve as translators. We bridge the gap between what's technically possible and what's commercially viable.

This isn't about dumbing things down. It's about connecting the dots that others might miss.

When I look at Agentic AI and LLMs today, I see them through both lenses — the technical possibilities and the product implications. That dual perspective is what 15 years of building has given me.