More companies are turning to fractional product leaders—experienced VPs and CPOs who embed with the team part-time—to help them build focus, momentum, and clarity without needing to make a full-time hire. And it’s not just startups trying to save on headcount. It’s Series B and C companies that need to scale fast. It’s founder-led orgs looking to shift decision-making to the team. It’s growth-stage companies realizing that having someone ‘own the roadmap’ isn’t the same as having strong product leadership.

When organizations flatten hierarchies and outsource key decision-making to AI, they create PMs who look like they know what they’re doing but lack the deep, nuanced understanding required for long-term success. AI-driven tools promise to exacerbate this further by making execution easier, reinforcing a cycle where PMs remain stuck in the mechanics of the role rather than engaging in deeper strategic thinking.

The problem with unchecked and unintentional complexity is that it gradually narrows the 'solution space' — the range of future improvements, adjustments, or innovations that can be realistically pursued. Picture the solution space as a playground where designers and developers have room to explore new ideas and tackle emerging challenges. As complexity accumulates without careful management, walls begin to form in this playground, limiting the freedom to experiment and improve. Changes become riskier, and small tweaks can lead to a cascade of unintended consequences. The more convoluted the system, the fewer opportunities there are to introduce meaningful, impactful updates without further complicating the product or alienating users.