Why Product Managers Should Focus on Prioritization Systems, Not Coding at Scale
By
dmckinno
2mo ago· 2 min readenOpinion
75/100
Toasty
Bagelometer↗
Toasted just enough. A reliable bake, gently seasoned.
Score75TypeopinionSentimentnegative
Summary
A Meta employee argues that product managers (PMs) should not waste time writing and deploying production code ('landing prod diffs') at large tech companies like Meta. The author contends that PMs should focus on their core responsibilities of fixing prioritization systems rather than coding, as they typically code slowly like junior engineers while being paid senior-level salaries, and their pet features often create technical debt.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledPMs shouldn't waste time landing prod diffs at Meta scale
If the feature is actually important, fix the system for prioritization (your real job) rather than circumventing it.
You probably code like a slow E3 but cost the company an IC7 salary.
It is very easy to accumulate tech debt with random PM pet features.
I shared this internally at Meta in response to a deluge of clout-chasing posts celebrating PMs landing prod diffs. The response was positive and the message generalizes, so here we are on the open www. PMs shouldn’t waste time landing … Continue reading
