Insights from industry experts

“The future is impossible to predict, hence I’ll not attempt to do it. However, we can look at the potential affected areas and talk about the potential benefits and challenges.

Potential benefits: Eliminating the product management function at Airbnb presents several potential benefits.

a. Firstly, by removing the role of product manager as the intermediary between the business and tech teams, there is an opportunity to streamline communication within the product teams. This reduction in layers of communication can enable more direct and efficient interaction between the internal customers (business users) and the development teams. Previously overlooked ideas or feedback from team members like John in the development team, which the product manager might not have deemed worth sharing with the business team, now have the chance to surface and contribute significant business value. While this is a simplified illustration, it highlights the potential for improved communication and collaboration throughout the development lifecycle.

b. Secondly, without the presence of a product manager, product teams and business users may be empowered to make more autonomous decisions. This newfound autonomy allows them to have a greater sense of ownership and a deeper understanding of the impact their input has on costs and timelines.

c. Although it may take multiple iterations for this shift to achieve optimal results, the increased decision-making authority has the potential to enhance efficiency and drive improvements over time.

Potential challenges:The absence of acting product managers in Airbnb's organizational structure may give rise to significant challenges.

a.One such challenge revolves around the absence of overarching prioritization and specific synergies, particularly in the context of multiple product teams. Without a dedicated product manager, it becomes more challenging to align and coordinate the efforts of these teams towards shared goals. The lack of centralized decision-making authority may lead to fragmented efforts and potential conflicts in prioritization.

b. Another notable challenge stems from the potential absence of a longer-term vision. Product managers typically play a crucial role in setting and communicating the strategic direction of a product. Without their involvement, maintaining a coherent and forward-looking vision may become more challenging. This lack of a unified vision can impede progress and hinder the ability to make informed decisions that align with long-term goals.

To overcome these challenges, new practices and approaches need to be adopted. The teams must enhance their communication and collaboration efforts to ensure alignment and synergy across product teams. This could involve implementing new communication channels, fostering stronger cross-team relationships, and promoting transparency in decision-making processes. Addressing the absence of a longer-term vision may require alternative mechanisms for setting and communicating strategic goals. This could involve senior leadership, setting up dedicated strategy-focused teams, or adopting frameworks that promote a shared understanding of long-term objectives.

In conclusion, determining whether the decision to eliminate the product management function at Airbnb is a good move or not is a complex matter. Its success or failure depends on multiple layers of parameters specific to the company, including its work culture, the presence and adaptation of agile methodologies, and the individuals involved in the process. Additionally, the future changes in the market can either positively or negatively impact this transition.
However, I personally believe in the value of experimentation. Trying out new organizational setups and ideas in a controlled manner can often lead to unexpected opportunities. Therefore, I commend Airbnb for their willingness to take this risk, regardless of the outcome. As the saying goes, "Who never tries, never succeeds.””

- Shaher Jamal Eddin (Product Ownership & Management)

“Airbnb is not getting rid of the product management function; they are merging the product marketing and product management functions. I believe that this is a logical move.
As far as my take goes, the PM function can be broken into 2 categories, Marketing Product Manager and Technical Product Manager.

Most of the time, a Technical Product Manager leads the development of the product and its features. In this case, the solutions to problems faced by users are more technical in nature, keeping in mind the efficiency of the system, the resources at hand and the urgency to solve the issue. Due to higher precedence being given to technical solutions, it sometimes becomes difficult to market the feature. When a Marketing Product Manager leads the development, the relevance to the end-user or the market is not lost. They most definitely know that the feature/product can be sold in the market. There can be some trade-off in terms of what can be achieved with the given set of resources and time.

What Airbnb has done is a master move to develop products that they are able to sell or market. Their product is completely user facing and any feature which is not solving the end-user problems is not a good investment for them. Merging both the roles keeps the product market friendly as well as up to date with technology.”

“When there are many teams, each one with its product, but those products are highly related/dependent between them, I would definitely NOT get rid of the product management layer. At some point, on really coupled products, it's crucial to have someone with a bigger vision. It's like the Product Owner of the Product Owners. Without that figure, it can be a real mess to get many teams coordinated in a common objective.

“Airbnb's decision to eliminate its traditional product management function seems to be a bold move that reflects the dynamic nature of the product management role and the evolving needs of a particular industry. Rather than completely discarding PMs, Airbnb is reshaping it into a product marketing (PMM) function, taking inspiration from Apple. (FYI, they still have many PMs at Apple ).

This shift recognizes the importance of aligning product strategy with business objectives and emphasizes the need for cross-functional collaboration, customer-centricity, and driving product success. The success of this delta will depend on how effectively Airbnb leverages the unique qualities and contributions of its product heads. By empowering them to collectively own product strategy and work closely with diverse teams, Airbnb can tap into their expertise in navigating complexity and building strong relationships. This shift can foster a more holistic approach to product leadership, where the focus extends beyond just managing products to driving business outcomes. However, it is important to acknowledge that product management is not a homogeneous role. It varies widely across organizations and even within them and often comes with myriad responsibilities as well.

The outcome of Airbnb's decision will largely depend on how well they define and communicate the new roles and responsibilities within their product organization. Clear demarcation of responsibilities and effective collaboration between product marketing, design, engineering, and other functions will be crucial for success. Ultimately, Airbnb's move signifies a shift towards a more flexible and adaptable approach to PM leadership. Time will tell how this would transpire, but IMHO, this could be just a particular industry or a company-specific development. There is still more than enough scope for a traditional PM role unless all those hats that they wear are judicially distributed among others.”

-Anonymous