What does the future of PM as a GM in an AI-driven world look like? In this webinar hosted by Denise Hemke, Checkr Sr. Product Director Pratik Shah, former Product Lead at Lyft & Airbnb, will discuss the evolving path from PM to GM, focusing on the skills, mindset, and business acumen required to take on broader ownership. He will share insights on navigating P&L responsibility, driving cross-functional alignment, and making strategic trade-offs beyond product decisions. Tune in to learn how PMs can expand their scope, think like GMs, and position themselves for leadership in an increasingly business-driven world.
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Show Notes:
- AI is rapidly reshaping the role of Product Management, freeing up time for more strategic work.
- Product managers can now use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to quickly draft PRDs, strategy logs, and competitive analyses.
- Prototyping tools like Bolt, Lovable, Cursor, and Triplet are revolutionizing product development by creating clickable prototypes in hours.
- The traditional EPD (Engineering, Product, Design) workflow is becoming more collaborative and iterative with AI assistance.
- Product managers should focus on customer discovery, creativity, ecosystem development, and P&L thinking.
- AI can help synthesize customer research, meeting summaries, and user feedback more efficiently.
- The future PM will act more like a General Manager, owning broader business metrics and strategic thinking.
- AI literacy is becoming crucial – understanding how to use AI tools effectively is a key skill for product managers.
- Smaller development shops can now quickly launch disruptive products using AI prototyping tools.
- Product managers should block dedicated time for strategic thinking and customer insights.
- When using AI, be cautious about confidential information and use it as a thought partner, not a complete solution.
- AI can help accelerate product market fit analysis by providing deeper insights from user data.
- The roles of PM, design, and engineering may become more fluid with AI tools.
- Product managers should develop skills in financial modeling and understanding business metrics.
- AI tools can help create more collaborative workflows across engineering, product, and design teams.
- The ability to ask the right questions to AI tools is more important than deep technical knowledge.
- Product managers can now focus on high-leverage work by offloading routine tasks to AI.
- AI opens up opportunities in industries that have been traditionally starved of innovation.
- Creativity and customer understanding remain critical – AI is a tool, not a replacement for strategic thinking.
- Continuous learning and experimentation with AI tools will be key to staying competitive in product management.
About the speaker
Sr. Director of Product with 10+ years in consumer/marketplaces & SMB/commerce. Led consumer product lines at Lyft & Airbnb, managing $B+ portfolios, scaling new bets from $0 to $100M+ product lines and managing teams of 100+ XFN.
About the host
As the Chief Product Officer at NEOGOV, Denise leads the strategy for public sector HR and Public Safety software, driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and excellence. Her experience at Checkr as Chief Product Officer saw her delivering customer-focused products and promoting a fairer future. Denise’s notable career spans over two decades, with significant roles including GM for Analytics at Workday, where she launched new products and grew the business to over $200 million in ARR. Her background includes leadership positions at Platfora, Salesforce, HSBC, and AT&T, showcasing her expertise in enterprise product development and a commitment to technological advancement and customer success.