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The rise of engineers who own both product strategy and execution
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Intro
Not long ago, Product Managers told Software Engineers what to build.
Engineers built it.
PMs shipped the deck.
And that was it.
That model is breaking fast.
The lines between product and engineering are disappearing, especially in early-stage teams and AI-first startups.
Why?
Because today, you can:
Build a prototype using Replit + GPT in a weekend
Ship a polished landing page with Lovable or Webflow
Test demand on Twitter or Reddit with no marketing team needed
Use AI to do market research, draft PRDs, or even generate code
A new hybrid role is emerging.
I call it the Tech Strategist, and it might be the most valuable skill set of this decade.
Who Is a Tech Strategist?
A Tech Strategist blends two worlds:
Product sense, customer insight, and business alignment (like a PM)
Technical execution, systems thinking, and ability to ship (like a SWE)
They don’t just build features.
They:
Choose the right problems
Validate ideas before investing months
Move from “0 → 1” with clarity and speed
They are neither specialists nor generalists
They are hybrid generalists.
And AI is making them more powerful every day.
Real-World Examples of Tech Strategists
1. Guillermo Rauch (Vercel CEO)
Started as an engineer, now runs a multi-billion dollar company.
Still prototyping ideas. Still writes code.
Also sets product direction with clarity most PMs would envy.
He said:
“The next generation of startups will be built by solo hackers, not teams.”
Guillermo is a Tech Strategist
2. Pieter Levels (Solo founder of Nomad List, Rebase, etc.)
No team. No PM. No designers.
Just ideas → MVPs → distribution → revenue.
He recently built an entire AI interview platform solo - from idea to revenue in days.
“AI lets me build entire SaaS tools in hours. This is the most exciting time to be a maker.”
Pieter is a Tech Strategist
I am in the process of becoming the same, and you should too
Why AI Makes This Role Even More Valuable?
AI tools are leveling the playing field
The old model is very different from the new model
Old Model
