Anthropic’s growth team was recently advised to hire more product managers to keep pace with a significant shift caused by Claude Code, which has essentially tripled engineering productivity. The bottleneck in software development has shifted from coding speed to deciding what to build, necessitating a deeper product focus within engineering teams.
Historically, engineers followed a linear process: learning deeply about technology, writing code, and escalating issues as needed, while product managers managed the project funnel. This traditional division is now outdated as recent innovations compressed and transformed the engineering workflow through several eras—from relying on Stack Overflow to AI-enabled IDEs and spec-driven development.
Today, engineers produce code faster than ever, but the need for clear product direction and decision-making has intensified. Companies like LinkedIn and Anthropic are adapting by blending product management skills with engineering roles.
Fundamental technical skills remain critical in verifying and reviewing AI-generated code to prevent costly mistakes. Furthermore, successful engineers now engage directly with product funnels—interacting with customers, understanding use cases firsthand, and proactively contributing to idea generation and prioritization.
The future rewards engineers who can identify valuable projects, validate them, and manage rapid delivery through AI-assisted workflows. Those who rely solely on traditional tickets risk being left behind.
