The hottest Product Management Substack posts right now

Balkanization refers to splitting a region into smaller, competing parts, which can cause issues. In tech, dividing teams can create confusion and inconsistency.
When tech teams work independently with different assumptions, it can lead to problems like bugs and compatibility issues. Teams should ideally work together to maintain a unified product.
Maintaining a single product vision is crucial, so it's important to ensure that all teams align on the same goals and methods. This helps prevent issues down the line.

Building an app using AI can feel easy with all the tools available, but it's crucial to clearly define the problem you want to solve before jumping in. If you focus too much on creating, you might miss the real issue that needs addressing.
Always aim for that 'Aha' moment for users while developing your product. If it doesn't bring joy or clarity to them, it may be worth going back to the drawing board and seeking honest feedback.
Developing a product can be emotionally challenging. Recognizing your feelings during the process is important for navigating both the technical and personal hurdles that come with entrepreneurship.

AI evaluations need to go beyond just accuracy. They should focus on how helpful the AI is to users and if it meets their needs effectively.
High-performance teams thrive on collaboration and quick feedback. Effective product managers should remove barriers and encourage teamwork to create innovative solutions.
Agentic software is changing how businesses operate by using smart pricing models that reflect the value AI delivers. Companies must start with smaller clients to build a strong foundation for growth.

The new Data Explorer is designed to be user-friendly and looks similar to a spreadsheet, making it easier to manage data. You can filter rows and propose changes quickly with just a few clicks.
A feature called 'Describe Changes' allows users to detail updates to data in simple language, like changing a customer’s address. The improvements also make it easier to view these described changes.
The founders encourage user feedback and suggestions for future updates, highlighting their commitment to improving the platform.

The newsletter is shifting focus from AppSec operations to building a new AppSec company. This change comes from a personal career transition from being a practitioner to a founder.
Authenticity in writing has become harder because daily problem-solving in AppSec is no longer a part of the new role. The writer has a list of topics but feels less connected to the daily challenges.
Future posts will explore industry insights, engineering challenges, and frameworks for solution thinking in AppSec. The style will stay casual, and there’s an aim to post more regularly.

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Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) is crucial for protecting valuable information while also providing a smooth user experience. Businesses need both security and ease of access for their users.
Many challenges exist with CIAM, especially around the variety of credentials like tokens and keys. It's important to find ways to manage these different types safely and effectively.
The future of CIAM looks promising with innovations that balance security and usability. There's hope for better management of roles and permissions across different systems.

Competing on price means attracting customers by offering the lowest cost. This often leads to a tough business environment where customers constantly look for cheaper options.
Competing on benefit focuses on providing more value or quality to the customer, even if the price is higher. Customers are willing to pay more if they believe they will get better results or experiences.
Most businesses don't only compete on price or benefit; they do both. They try to offer good value while also managing costs to appeal to customers.

Fixing problems quickly makes a strong impression on customers. If a hotel or service handles issues well, people remember that positively.
Customers are often less upset about mistakes if they see prompt and effective solutions. It's more about how you respond to problems than the problems themselves.
In today's tech world, many people face constant bugs and bad user experiences. If you can help them easily, you'll stand out and earn their loyalty.

People remember how problems are fixed more than the problems themselves. Good service during bad experiences leaves a lasting impression.
Quick and effective solutions are more important than just making better products. Customers appreciate when their issues get solved promptly.
It's okay to have flaws, but businesses should focus on helping customers recover from them. Making it easier to fix problems wins customer loyalty.

Choose the right tool: build core, domain-specific messaging yourself and use SaaS like PostHog only where it clearly adds value (surveys, A/B tests).
AI makes building fast and encourages scope creep, so keep your MVP narrow, put extras on an ideas list, and only implement features that solve the current problem.
Don’t keep perfectly clean code you don’t need because it creates a maintenance burden. Use simple, flexible patterns (global LiveView hooks and small function-based rules) so you can extend behavior later without heavy rewrites.

You work on more than just the technical code — the system includes users, support, competitors, and the market, and missing that context can make your work irrelevant, wrongly specified, or badly prioritized.
AI is lowering the cost of development, so developers are shifting from hand-coding everything to managing tools and judging agent outputs, which requires higher-level skills beyond writing code.
Spend time learning the greater system and move up the stack; understanding users, support, and market forces helps you build the right thing and make better tradeoffs.