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Are we the baddies?

(geohot.github.io)
693 points AndrewSwift | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.349s | source
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fnordpiglet ◴[] No.44480320[source]
I worked on the original browsers and modern internet infrastructure. I worked on building the hyperscale cloud infra that enables the modern internet. I’ve had my fingers on so much of what is happening. And I felt genuinely like I was helping build some thing better. Then the role of product manager was invented and I regret everything I’ve done.
replies(1): >>44481197 #
1. davidee ◴[] No.44481197[source]
Would you be willing to expand on that?

Context: built a viable business which I ran for many years. Eventually got seduced and went to work for big(ish) tech as a product manager. It was so divested from what I understood about building great products - however I was fantastic at doing things my way and getting shit done; largely based on what I learned from doing "all the things" at a small business. I had lots of success while also suffering with burnout and anxiety almost constantly.

Worked on incredibly popular cloud and OSS software. Hated most of it - especially what product management and the product-management-industrial-complex was distorting that role to be (divorced from much of reality but also expected to fix bullshit founder/c-suite/old-guard behavior). Oy the Miro boards and endless GDocs comment threads.

I left product (and some wild comp) to go back to building things.

So, I'm not disagreeing, I am just hoping you could expand a bit more on your own personal experience with rise of the product manager role.

Nevertheless, I also don't think PMs and PM-centric culture, are to solely to blame. I've not yet met a leadership team who's behavior and decisions I respect and/or can live with (and yes, it's highly possible I'm the problem).