The Impact of Airbnb’s Move to Eliminate Product Managers

Airbnb recently announced that it would be eliminating its traditional product management function in favor of a more market-driven approach. This move has been met with mixed reactions, with some people praising Airbnb for its boldness and others criticizing it for abandoning a tried-and-true approach to product development.

What does this mean for product managers? It’s still too early to say for sure, but there are a few potential implications.

• Product managers may have to become more specialized. In the traditional product management role, product managers were responsible for a wide range of tasks, from defining the product vision to gathering requirements to managing the product development process. However, in the new market-driven approach, product managers may be more focused on specific areas, such as user experience or growth.

For example, a product manager who is focused on user experience might be responsible for understanding the needs of Airbnb’s users and designing products that meet those needs. A product manager who is focused on growth might be responsible for identifying new markets for Airbnb and developing strategies to grow the business in those markets.

• Product managers may have to work more closely with other teams. In the traditional product management role, product managers often worked independently, but in the new market-driven approach, they will need to work closely with other teams, such as engineering, design, and marketing. This will require product managers to have strong communication and collaboration skills.

For example, a product manager who is working on a new feature for the Airbnb app might need to work closely with engineers to design the feature, with designers to create the user interface, and with marketers to promote the feature.

• The role of product managers may change over time. According to a survey by the Product Management Association, 60% of product managers believe that the role of product managers will change significantly in the next five years. So, it’s possible that the role of product managers will continue to evolve as Airbnb experiments with the new market-driven approach. It’s also possible that other companies will follow Airbnb’s lead and eliminate their traditional product management functions.

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The move by Airbnb to eliminate its traditional product management function is a bold one, and it remains to be seen how it will play out. However, there are a number of potential implications for product managers, including the need to become more specialized, work more closely with other teams, and be more data-driven. It will be interesting to see how the role of product managers evolves in the years to come.

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