Introduction

The moment I knew

I was sitting in my home office on a Tuesday evening, struggling with a product strategy document. The kind I had written dozens of times before. Market analysis, competitive positioning, three-year roadmap. I knew the formula. But I was tired, and the words weren't coming.

On a whim, I opened Claude and described what I was trying to do. Ten minutes later, I had a first draft that would have taken me half a day to produce. It wasn't perfect. But it was 80% there, and the structure was better than what I had in my head.

I sat back in my chair and felt something I hadn't expected: fear.

If I can do this, I thought, so can everyone else. What happens to all the expertise I've built over fifteen years? What happens to my team? What happens to the craft of product management itself?

That was eighteen months ago. Since then, I've watched AI tools become embedded in every phase of product work. I've seen teams of three ship what used to require teams of twelve. I've had conversations with junior PMs who produce work that rivals what senior people delivered just two years ago.

And I've come to a conclusion that might surprise you: the role of Product Director has never been more important. It's just not important for the reasons it used to be.

Who this book is for

You're probably a Product Director, Head of Product, or VP of Product. You've spent years learning your craft. You know how to ship products, build teams, and navigate the politics of growing organizations.

But lately, something feels different. The ground is shifting. Tools that didn't exist two years ago are now part of daily workflows. Your team is asking questions you don't have answers to. And you're wondering whether the playbook that got you here will get you where you need to go.

This book is for you.

It's also for senior Product Managers who want to understand what leadership looks like in this new era. And for founders and executives trying to figure out how AI changes the product function.

You don't need to be technical. But you do need to be curious and willing to question how things have always been done.

The question at the heart of this book

Here's what kept me up at night after that Tuesday evening:

When AI can summarize user research in seconds, generate design prototypes from descriptions, write and debug code, analyze data at scale, and draft strategy documents... what exactly is a Product Director for?

This isn't a theoretical question. It's the question that will separate product leaders who thrive from those who become obsolete.

I've spent the past eighteen months thinking about this. Talking to other product leaders. Experimenting with new ways of working. Watching what works and what doesn't.

My answer is this: the value shifts from execution to judgment. From doing to orchestrating. From being the expert to amplifying the intelligence of your entire team.

Let me explain what I mean.

In the old world, you created value through accumulated expertise. You knew how to run a design sprint. You could build a financial model. You understood the nuances of user interviews. Your value came from knowing how to do things that others couldn't.

In the AI world, much of that execution capability becomes available to everyone. A PM with six months of experience and the right prompts can produce a decent first draft of almost anything.

So what's left?

Judgment. Knowing what's worth building in the first place. Asking the questions that AI can't generate on its own. Making decisions when the data is ambiguous and the stakes are high. Building teams that work well together. Aligning people around problems that matter.

The tools get more powerful. The human skills become more valuable, not less.

What you'll find in this book

I've organized the book around the core jobs of a Product Director, reimagined for this new era.

Part I: Foundations covers what doesn't change. Vision, strategy, decision-making. These become more important when everything else speeds up. If AI helps you move faster, knowing where to go matters even more.

Part II: The New Operating Model explores how the day-to-day work transforms. Research, roadmapping, design, analytics, and documentation. Each of these looks different when AI is part of the process. I'll share practical approaches you can use immediately.

Part III: Leading Humans + AI is about the people side. How do you build teams when AI augments everyone? How do you evaluate PMs when their jobs are changing? How do you communicate in organizations that are simultaneously excited and anxious about AI?

Part IV: Technical Fluency gives you the foundation you need to have credible conversations with engineers and make informed decisions. You won't become a machine learning expert. But you'll understand enough to lead effectively.

Part V: Advanced Topics covers branding, portfolio management, and ethics. The ethics chapter might be the most important one in the book. AI gives us new capabilities. It also gives us new responsibilities.

How I suggest you read this

You can go cover to cover. Or you can jump to whatever chapter addresses your most pressing challenge. Each one is designed to stand alone.

I've included practical frameworks throughout. And in the appendices, you'll find prompts and templates you can use directly with AI tools. Think of them as a starter kit for your own experiments.

A word about timing

I started writing this book several years ago. Life got in the way, and it sat unfinished. When I came back to the manuscript in 2025, I realized the delay was a gift. The book I would have written then would already be outdated.

What we're experiencing now isn't a preview of some future state. It's here. Claude Code is changing how software gets built. AI assistants are woven into every part of product work. Some companies have figured out how to use this. Many haven't.

This book is my attempt to help you be among those who do.

Let's get started.