PMD #16 - on the end of remote jobs

Welcome back, product enthusiasts! ????

After a holiday ?? hiatus, I am back to tackle the hot topic of remote jobs fading away, diving into the latest AI trends, and—since it’s the start of a new quarter—looking at how to nail your product strategy. Plus, some quick tips at the end to boost your career. Let’s jump in!

1) The End of Remote Jobs?

It looks like the remote-work honeymoon is officially over. Amazon is following the trend with its return-to-office (RTO) mandate, claiming that company culture and innovation thrive in the office (and apparently, cubicles). This isn’t new—back in March Elon Musk sent a lovely memo to all Twitter employees letting them know that the office is not optional. In his State of the Product job market, Lenny Rachitsky paints a bleak picture: remote PM roles have plummeted by 35%. But not everyone’s on board. Arkadiy Birger notes that Atlassian’s CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes called Amazon’s RTO mandate “draconian,” claiming flexible work policies boost productivity. Annie Dean, also from Atlassian, adds that forcing people back won’t solve communication issues.

So, while remote work may be fading, Mathias Frachon reminds us that full-remote positions are still in demand—for now.

Now, let’s be real—remote work isn’t all sunshine and working with no pants on.

Gilles Bertaux reminds us that managing fully remote teams means adjusting everything: admin, communication, and management. After three years of working fully remote, I can say it works—if you invest in doing it right.

Remote isn’t just office work done at home; it needs new processes, stronger communication, and real discipline.

Sure, face-to-face can help, but most people in the office are still joining Zoom calls. The issue isn’t remote work—it’s not adapting to make it work. Done right, remote easily beats the daily office grind.

2) AI Trends & the Product Management Industry

The good news is AI isn’t here to steal your job (yet). In fact, Aakash Gupta says AI PM roles are growing fast—and they pay better than traditional PM roles . So instead of prepping for a robot apocalypse, maybe it’s time to brush up on those AI skills.

Honestly, “AI product manager” feels vague. It could mean building AI models with deep technical skills, or just using tools like ChatGPT APIs, which I was able to do with hardly any. So, what’s the real trend? Are we just using AI to improve our work, or expected to build complex models? The level of expertise seems to vary a lot, and some “AI experts” have zero data science skills. It’s all pretty confusing.

But here’s the bad news: Hugo Geissmann points out that PMs are 2.6x more likely to be laid off than engineers. Why? Well, during the pandemic, companies overhired in product roles. Now, engineers—who keep the infrastructure running—are more protected, while PMs are more easily let go.

On the upside, Mathias Frachon sees early signs of tech recovery. Layoffs are dropping, job offers are rising, and growth is slowly returning. So there’s light at the end of the tunnel—just not quite yet.

3) Defining a Strong Product Strategy

With September ending, it’s time to refocus on product strategy. Dr. Else van der Berg says it best: turn your strategy into actionable goals and make sure your product metrics align with business outcomes. Ed Biden also reminds us that good PMs balance delivery vs. results—because if stakeholders don’t see progress, you’re in trouble.

Pawe? Huryn adds that a strong strategy isn’t just about goals or features; it’s about defining a long-term vision. However, Timothé Frin warns that many startups misuse their roadmaps by stuffing them full of features with no connection to business goals. And what’s missing from all of this? Mehdi Ayouche points out that many product leaders, especially in France, lack a solid grasp of profit and loss (P&L). Without understanding the financials, creating impactful strategies is nearly impossible.

To be a successful PM or Head of Product, you have to understand how the company makes money and how your work ties into that. It’s all about aligning product goals with company OKRs and keeping an eye on ROI. Yes, there’s more to it than immediate revenue, but at the end of the day, the company needs to be financially healthy. A solid roadmap should solve real user problems and support company goals—otherwise, good luck getting C-level buy-in! As a Product Manager, I ask myself:

“How do I support the company OKRs by solving user needs and pain points?”

4) Best Practices & Career Tips

Now for some quick tips to make you a sharper PM:

Frameworks:

• ? Bü?ra Co?kuner suggests Reverse Impact Mapping to make sure everything you work on ties back to business goals.

• Siddharth Arora says pick your North Star Metric to focus on what really matters

• Yahia Hassan warns against getting lost in processes and?too many frameworks: "Remember, you’re here to build what customers need."

Best practices

• Do discovery right: Francesca Cortesi says stop over-researching—form a hypothesis and get moving .
• Don't focus only on pain points: Stephane Delbecque reminds us that identifying triggers is where the real magic happens .

Career Tips:

• Alex Rechevskiy advises mock interviews and CV refinement to land your next PM role.

• Once you get the offer, Colin Lernell says negotiate hard—you could be leaving money on the table.

That’s it for this edition of PMD! Let’s keep the conversation going—what’s your take on the future of remote work? Drop a comment below!