I read some articles this week coming up with cheeky ways to mention that Twitter is finally going to star “making money.” How, oh how, are they going to do this? Well, of course – by hiring someone. A product manager, in fact.
Har har har.
This really goes to show just how little people understand the role of PM’s in the tech space.
Twitter’s job description on the other hand is bang on. But honestly, people – do you really think they would hire a PM if they didn’t already have some idea of what they were going to do? Come on.
The senior managers / founders / VCs already have at least some idea (if not a very strong idea) of the business model they are going to put in place. They only need a PM to help them validate the vision and carry it out. Maybe recommend some new opportunities along the way / think outside the box. But actually make it come to life.
PM’s aren’t “moneymakers.” They can be. But I guarantee you – in this situation, they are looking for someone to come in, research and think the market opportunities they have already identified and then follow through on my favorite term – “productization.”
So, really – before writing all these crazy articles about how “Twitter has no idea how to make money – so they need to hire someone!” You should actually understand what it is PM’s do and how they work in start-up environments.
Do you think super smart people like Fred Wilson would have given them another 11mm if Ev and Biz and the rest of the folks didn’t already have some clue about how they were going to generate a positive cash flow?
