A product manager at Meta says vibe coding has changed what it means to do his job — even though he has no technical background and still finds code “terrifying.”
Zevi Arnovitz said in an episode of “Lenny’s Podcast” released Sunday that discovering AI coding tools in mid-2024 marked a turning point in his career.
It felt like he was handed “superpowers,” Arnovitz said.
Understanding how to use AI intentionally is “one of the biggest game changers that will make you much better as a PM,” he said, referring to product management.
Arnovitz joined Meta in September last year after about three years as a product manager at website-building company Wix, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Arnovitz said he has rebuilt his workflow around AI. He uses vibe coding tools like Cursor alongside models from Anthropic and Google to explore product ideas, generate build plans, execute code, review it, and update documentation.
The shift reshaped his role as a product manager. Instead of merely acting as a coordinator between engineering and design, Arnovitz operates more like a product owner with the capability to execute.
“Everyone’s going to become a builder,” he said. “We’re going to see that a lot in the next coming years.”
Still, Arnovitz said there are limits to what non-technical product managers should take on. He said he doesn’t think product managers should be shipping complex infrastructure changes or big projects.
AI has enabled product managers to take on smaller UI projects by building the feature and then handing the code to a developer for final review and completion, he added.
As AI tools improve, Arnovitz said titles and responsibilities are likely to “collapse,” and product managers should treat vibe coding as a “collaborative learning opportunity” with their engineering teams.
Product managers becoming builders
The rise of AI coding tools is blurring the lines for traditional roles, making it easier for non-technical workers, including product managers, to build products directly.
Figma CEO Dylan Field said in October on “Lenny’s Podcast” that AI has pushed many workers to experiment with building products.
Tasks that once required deep engineering expertise can now be done with vibe coding tools, he said.
“I think that we’re seeing more designers, engineers, product managers, researchers, all these different folks that are involved in the product development process dip their toe into the other roles,” he said.
“We’re all product builders, and some of us are specialized in our particular area,” he added.
That same thinking is showing up in how companies train new hires. LinkedIn replaced its long-running associate product manager program with an associate product builder track in January.
“We’re going to teach them how to code, design, and PM at LinkedIn,” said the company’s former chief product officer, Tomer Cohen, in an episode of “Lenny’s Podcast” published in December. It’s more about training people “who can flex across,” he added.
Cohen, who spent nearly 14 years at LinkedIn, left the company in January and now works as an advisor, according to his LinkedIn profile.
