Vigil #1 • Product Manager Kill Chain
I think I can offer a buzzkill with the best of them.
Let's try something new. On Thursdays, we keep vigil.
I have had a lot of positive feedback and seen a lot more interest than I expected from the eighty-six (so far) lessons I've written in Stoic Designer. They wander. They're meditative. What they aren't are pickaparts about engineering or design — but, honestly, I'm in a good position to pick things apart. I have thoughts.
I can't offer more comprehensive roundups than a Platformer. Rather, dubbed by
as the dandelion of doubt, I think I can offer a buzzkill with the best of them.Introducing Vigil
Vigil is for stoic designers. It is premeditatio malorum. The sea isn't calm. The winds have picked up. Let me point out the currents that catch my eye, the weather on the horizon, with respect to subjects we need to anticipate will affect our course.
So, welcome to the inaugural issue of Vigil, a weekly curated roundup of signals pointing to near to mid-term shifts shaping our world.
Bearing (Just the Links)
The Role of IP Law
Keel Pressure • An Influence to our Course
In-the-weeds engineers and designers likely aren’t paying close attention to intellectual property law, but you need to attune to its impact on your or your organization’s operational direction. Cory Doctorow makes the point that while venture capital contributes to the enshittification of the internet, entrenched intellectual property policies dictate who create, compete, thrive. Presently, they favor incumbents, and that’s to the detriment of those of us who aren’t at a MAANG. // Capitalist Unrealism by Cory Doctorow
IP law's growth has coincided with Facebook's ascendancy – the bigger Facebook got, the more tempting it was to interoperators who might want to plug new code into it to protect Facebook users, and the more powers Facebook had to block even the most modest improvements to its service.
Product Managers Take Warning
Red Sky • A Concern on the Horizon
Stalwart product-management functions like alignment, facilitation, and — let’s call it — low-to-mid-level strategy are being democratized. Automation, improved tooling, and evolving team structures are eroding the need for generalist PMs, and the window to adapt is closing fast. Companies are no longer looking for coordinators; they need domain experts with technical fluency and a bias for execution. Those who can’t deliver measurable outcomes will find themselves redundant, edged out by leaner teams that expect more with less. The writing is on the wall—adapt now, or risk watching your role disappear from beneath you. // Quo Vadis, SaaS & PMs? by
I cannot remember a time when we had this much of an overabundance of candidates for generic PM jobs and such an underserving for specialists.
Obsolescing Productivity
Crosswinds • A Bracing Gust
A 30% productivity boost from generative AI has executives convinced they can do more with less. What you measure becomes real. This isn’t even the latest in the trend — but the quarterlies are proving out. Leaderships believe. Engineering and design roles are under the microscope. The value of your work is being redefined right now. Brace yourselves. Prepare for the scrutiny. // Salesforce Will Hire No More Software Engineers by Henry Martin
And then, we will have [even] less support engineers next year because we have an agentic layer.
Kill Chain
Thunder • The Promise of a Storm
Our productivity increases are accelerating decision-making, pushing us toward a future where reaction overwhelms reflection. Opportunism is tightly coupled with reaction speed, and agile pivots are key to financial wins. So, the demand for reactivity is redefining how we work, how we govern, and — my concern — how we think.
We risk the erosion of deliberation itself. The space for careful thought, for weighing options and considering long-term consequences, is shrinking. // The Pentagon Says AI is Speeding Up Its Kill Chain by Maxwell Zeff
Furbelow
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