Product managers are saving hours with AI, yet feel more uncertain than ever about whether their products will succeed. What's going on?
In this episode of The Product Experience, Lily Smith and Randy Silver sit down with Axel Sooriah, product management evangelist at Atlassian, to unpack the findings from a large-scale survey into the state of product management today.
Axel shares why so many teams are stuck on the hamster wheel of execution, how cross-functional collaboration still breaks down in practice, and why 84% of product managers doubt their products will succeed despite loving the craft. The conversation explores the real reasons behind PM anxiety, the role of leadership in creating confidence, and how reframing work around customer progress can re-energise teams.
Chapters
Key Takeaways
Product managers are exhausted by execution, not strategy. Even when AI frees up time, that capacity is quickly consumed by more delivery work.
Cross-functional teams don't guarantee collaboration. Engineers are still excluded early, which kills creativity and confidence.
Doubt comes from lack of evidence. When teams don't have time for discovery, decision-making confidence collapses.
AI is a lever, not a solution. Its real value is reclaiming time and enabling better thinking, not just faster output.
Motivation comes from customer progress, not metrics. Revenue matters, but meaning comes from helping people move forward in their lives.
Agency matters more than permission. Product managers cannot wait for perfect conditions to do good product work.
Be intentional about the PM you want to become. Growth requires stepping off the hamster wheel and choosing where to invest energy.
