Founders Should Shun Early Product, Data Hires, Says Surge AI CEO
Debate Rages Over Essential Startup Roles
Early-stage startups aiming for explosive growth should bypass hiring product managers and data scientists, according to **Edwin Chen**, CEO of Surge AI. He argues these roles are only beneficial once a company has scaled significantly.
The Case Against Early Hires
Speaking on the “No Priors” podcast, **Chen**, a former data scientist himself, expressed surprise at founders listing these positions among their initial hires. He believes early ventures need to focus on substantial leaps, not incremental optimizations.
“Data scientists are great when you want to optimize your product by 2% or 5%, but that’s definitely not what you want to be doing when you start a company.”
—Edwin Chen, CEO of Surge AI
He elaborated that the goal at the outset is to achieve “10x or 100x changes,” not to get bogged down in minor percentage point improvements that can often be insignificant.
Engineers Drive Early Product Vision
Chen also contends that product managers are unnecessary in a company’s nascent stages. He suggests engineers should spearhead product direction, bringing their own innovative ideas to the table.
“Your engineer should be hands-on. They should be having great ideas as well. Product managers are great when your company gets big enough, but at the beginning, you should be thinking about yourself, about what product you want to build.”
—Edwin Chen, CEO of Surge AI
He believes the product manager role becomes valuable only when engineers no longer have the capacity to guide product strategy, a situation that typically arises in larger organizations.
Polarizing Views on Product Management
Chen’s remarks feed into an ongoing discussion within the tech industry about the true value of product managers. Often dubbed “mini-CEOs” of their products, they traditionally bridge gaps between engineering, sales, and customer feedback.
However, some tech professionals argue that these “mini-CEOs” often add minimal value. Companies like Microsoft are reportedly shifting their focus to increase the proportion of engineers relative to product or program managers. Similarly, Airbnb and Snap have recently re-evaluated their need for such roles. In 2023, Airbnb’s CEO **Brian Chesky** merged product management with marketing, and Snap reportedly laid off 20 product managers to expedite decision-making.
Despite these trends, others foresee an expanding role for product managers, particularly in the era of artificial intelligence. Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer, **Kevin Scott**, recently highlighted their importance in creating effective “feedback loops” for AI agents.
Data from LinkedIn’s 2024 Emerging Jobs Report indicates a significant rise in AI specialist roles, underscoring the industry’s pivot towards AI integration (source: LinkedIn). This growing emphasis on AI could redefine the responsibilities and necessity of traditional product management functions.
