Breaking into AI product management can feel intimidating, but Google AI product manager Marily Nika offers a counterintuitive yet practical strategy: “be like crabs.”
For aspiring PMs, this could be one of the best career advice if you’re planning to go on this track.
Your Experience Is an Advantage
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Speaking on The Growth Podcast with Aakash Gupta, Marily Nika emphasized moving strategically and leveraging existing experience to step into AI product roles.
Nika advised aspiring AI PMs to think laterally. She added that their experience is their “competitive edge.” Instead of attempting a giant leap into tech, consider roles adjacent to your expertise.
For instance, a student in Nika’s AI product management boot camp had a background in hearing aids and assumed he was too far removed from tech. By exploring roles aligned with his domain knowledge, he discovered a product manager position at Apple working on AirPods, where his hearing expertise became a unique asset.
Nika also said that bringing a previous experience is what sets people apart from others. She urged everyone to be open-minded to all the changes.
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Domain Knowledge Trumps Traditional Resumes
Industry-specific expertise often outweighs a conventional product résumé. Nika shared the example of a sports journalist aiming for an AI product role in sports. While he worried about his lack of traditional PM experience, Nika encouraged him to lean into his deep understanding of the field.
Product management skills can be learned, but intimate knowledge of users and industries is far harder to acquire, according to Nika.
Essential Skills for AI Product Managers
AI literacy is increasingly essential for product managers. Nika recommends understanding AI’s limitations, data dependencies, and how these factors influence product decisions. Beyond basic coding, aspiring PMs should learn APIs and the product development lifecycle.
Tech leaders echo this advice. A Dropbox VP of AI product and growth told Business Insider that PMs should explore AI tools for rapid prototyping, even without coding skills. These tools accelerate learning, refine decision-making, and enhance understanding of both physical and digital products.
In an AI-dominated era, everyone should adjust to all AI-related developments. It’s an upper hand that everyone should use and learn.
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