Last Friday I was a Senior Product Manager at a corporate consultancy. Today, I’m unemployed and more powerful than ever. Here’s why that matters for your career.
It's going to be really interesting to see where corporations are in a few years. It feels like they don't start adapting, they're going to be left behind.
So much of this reminds me of that phrase "This meeting could have been an email." lol...
That means the world coming from you Kim! ❤️ Writing that line was scary because it meant admitting my "safe" job was actually a trap. Having people like you in my corner makes the leap feel a lot less crazy.
Corporations think they are protecting value by moving slow but they are really just protecting their own obsolescence. The ones that don't adapt aren't just going to be late they are going to be gone. It is going to be a wild few years to watch!
I totally agree - the ones that don't adapt won't be there in a few years. I'm working with a client who decided to shift her business strategy because of AI - she's leaning on me for the AI stuff, but she absolutely sees the opportunity.
The ability to create bespoke solutions for businesses (and educate them) is truly needed!
p.s. Finished my DraftKit sign-up today! It looks great! I'm going to jump into CampaignDays in March (traveling in February for a couple of weeks)
That client is smart to lean on you! You nailed it with "bespoke solutions." We used to settle for generic software because custom was too expensive. Now custom is becoming the default.
And huge thanks for the DraftKit sign-up! 🙌 March is perfect timing. Enjoy your travels in February and we can geek out on CampaignDays when you get back!
“Prompt-Led Product is the new reality. Not because the name is cooler (though it is to me 😂). But because it represents the actual work I do now. Building products where the prompt is the logic. Where clarity is the competitive advantage. Where velocity matters as much as strategy.”
Wow. First of all, good for you. It's insane that we can prototype something so quickly while others debate the wording on a ticket. The mindset shift is SO huge. It highlights a giant divide rolling out before our eyes. I had a similar moment: I was AI-forward at my last corporate tech job. I got super impatient to the point where I had to find a new job at a place that understands how transformative AI already is. I have no doubt your brilliance is and will be appreciated.
"Debating the wording on a ticket." 💀 I felt that in my soul!
It is wild how much energy goes into talking about the work versus doing the work. I am so glad you found a place that understands the new velocity. That friction is impossible to ignore once you see it.
You are a true inspiration, Elena! The AI Advent Challenge was just a teaser to many more great products you will ship and tools that you will build— at a velocity that no bureaucratic corporate job can match. I am already excited for the two product tools you are testing out!
Raghav, thank you! That means the world coming from you.
You are correct! the Advent Challenge was just the warm-up. 🙌 Once you unlock this velocity, the old corporate speed limits just feel like drag. I am heads down on those new tools now, can't wait to get them in your hands!
I know this sounds weird to say about a layoff story, but...congratulations! 🎉 I see you out there winning build contests and creating real products. You're obviously a creative, brilliant and adaptable human...not a corporate "resource."
It's scary (I've been there, I am there), but you will learn a lot and have so much more fun! ❤️ 🤗
Karen, this made me smile so big. Thank you for seeing the "builder" in me even when I was stuck in the corporate box! ❤️
You are right! it feels like a graduation, not a funeral. 🍾 And yes, DraftKit is officially getting the love it deserves now. Can't wait to show you what's next!
I totally relate to so much in this post Elena! Orgs need to adapt to this new speed—less bureaucracy, more hands-on action—or risk losing talent to outdated standards. I once showed a resistant team how I crushed a full sprint's work in just 2 days with AI tools. Best of luck crushing your new challenges! 🎉
That "2 days vs a full sprint" metric is the perfect example. Once you see that kind of speed difference it is impossible to go back to the old way. Thanks for the support, Just! 🫶 ☺️
Wow Loretta. That hits hard because I am actually considering them right now. Is it really that bad? I think I am still holding onto the romanticized version of the "old Google" in my head. 😅
well it’s not bad, especially comparing with the other big techs. but afterall it’s still a corporate so all reasons for you to leave your job still valid here 😂
I feel this one in my soul. I'm a former B2B SaaS PM and though I quit for reasons not related to AI, I also happened to do so as AI was becoming really useful. Struck out on my own, and now I am having so much fun because I can move so fast.
I even worked at early stage startups, so definitely faster-paced than your corporate consultancy would've been, but there was still endless writing of specs and tickets. Now I just write myself a stream of consciousness set of notes about whatever I'm thinking of and just start asking Claude to build it.
At work I always had to make sure I had things as clear as possible before handing it off to eng, because eng time was the most constrained resource we had. Now I can throw ill-defined requirements at Claude, see what it comes back with and iterate from there. It's infinitely more enjoyable. I can try an idea, realize it was actually dumb and toss it with zero guilt.
Alex you nailed the single biggest economic shift in our industry!
We were trained to treat engineering hours as the most expensive resource in the building. Every spec and ticket was designed to "protect" that resource from waste.
Now that code is abundant we can afford to be wasteful. We can throw "ill-defined" ideas at Claude and just see what happens.
That shift from "Code is expensive" to "Code is disposable" is exactly why it feels so fun again. We are back to playing with clay instead of writing instructions for a sculptor.
I also love your point about the "stream of consciousness" workflow. Skipping the translation layer of Jira tickets is the biggest productivity unlock I have found.
The velocity gap is real and the frustration is valid. What I'd add from enterprise retail: the 6-8 week process often exists because the undocumented complexity underneath is genuinely hard to surface.
Prototyping fast is possible but getting stakeholders to surface the edge cases, exceptions, and rules that nobody wrote down - that part doesn't compress as easily.
Congrats! and onward to new adventures. I admire your attitude and resilience. It’s not easy being laid off (been there), and yet that sometimes create the best new opportunities.
You’re created a wonderful community on Substack! Lots of people have your back.
Thank you so much, Denise. It is definitely not easy, but you are right: it feels like the "best new opportunity" was just waiting for me to have the time to grab it.
I am so grateful for the Substack community. Having that support makes the "onward to new adventures" part much less scary!
Inspiring and realistic take Elena. Thankfully I heard sometimes layoff doesn’t mean anything the negative rather a reflection to correct individual. Your grit and motivation to learn publicly and showing vulnerability is so genuine.
I understand the velocity gap and in all other orgs and companies as well we see it but cannot change in day 1 rather it is a journey to influence for adoption. Only at 1% of companies the velocity is mature and realized using AI tool.
Hoping to see more and more with all of us brining into enterprises.
Love this statement - “That gap, between the speed you can actually move and the speed the structure allows, that’s the velocity gap” . This puts everything into perspective. The velocity gap is not for everyone, you either get institutionalized or grow out of it.
"Institutionalized or grow out of it" is the perfect framing. And it's a hard truth!
Once you see that gap, you cannot unsee it. You have to pick a side. Staying in the structure when you know how fast you could be moving just becomes too painful eventually for some.
The velocity gap you describe is going to be the defining tension of the next few years. Organizations were optimized for when building was expensive and mistakes were costly. All those meetings, PRDs, and approval layers made sense in that world.
But when you can validate an idea with a working prototype in 48 hours instead of theoretical discussions over 3 weeks, those safety mechanisms become friction. The fascinating part is that both approaches are rational - just for completely different cost structures.
What's striking about your story is the two-monitor moment. You literally saw yourself operating in two different paradigms simultaneously. Most people only experience one at a time, so they don't feel the dissonance as sharply. But once you've experienced moving at 10x speed on your own projects, corporate velocity feels like running in quicksand.
The organizations that figure out how to close this gap - or at least narrow it - will have an enormous advantage. The ones that don't will keep losing their fastest builders.
You are exactly right. The old process wasn't "bad." It was just optimized for a world where building was expensive. Now that prototypes are cheap, the "safety mechanisms" cost more than the build itself.
That "running in quicksand" feeling is the perfect description. Thank you for this analysis!
Elena, phew! Thankfully you lost your job in the best possible way.
Exactly like you said, once you see that velocity gap, experience the potential you could unlock (reliably!), there's no going back.
It really was the best possible way. I needed that push! You are so right about the velocity gap. Once you see it you can't unsee it.
Honestly I should have started looking back in October. But at least that steady income funded my recent builds. It was just so safe to stay. 😁
Thank you for always been here, Jenny!
It's going to be really interesting to see where corporations are in a few years. It feels like they don't start adapting, they're going to be left behind.
So much of this reminds me of that phrase "This meeting could have been an email." lol...
That means the world coming from you Kim! ❤️ Writing that line was scary because it meant admitting my "safe" job was actually a trap. Having people like you in my corner makes the leap feel a lot less crazy.
Corporations think they are protecting value by moving slow but they are really just protecting their own obsolescence. The ones that don't adapt aren't just going to be late they are going to be gone. It is going to be a wild few years to watch!
I totally agree - the ones that don't adapt won't be there in a few years. I'm working with a client who decided to shift her business strategy because of AI - she's leaning on me for the AI stuff, but she absolutely sees the opportunity.
The ability to create bespoke solutions for businesses (and educate them) is truly needed!
p.s. Finished my DraftKit sign-up today! It looks great! I'm going to jump into CampaignDays in March (traveling in February for a couple of weeks)
That client is smart to lean on you! You nailed it with "bespoke solutions." We used to settle for generic software because custom was too expensive. Now custom is becoming the default.
And huge thanks for the DraftKit sign-up! 🙌 March is perfect timing. Enjoy your travels in February and we can geek out on CampaignDays when you get back!
You're welcome! I'm excited to incorporate collaborations as a regular strategy.
And yes! I've got a few ideas brewing for CampaignDays. 😊
“Prompt-Led Product is the new reality. Not because the name is cooler (though it is to me 😂). But because it represents the actual work I do now. Building products where the prompt is the logic. Where clarity is the competitive advantage. Where velocity matters as much as strategy.”
+1 to this haha. it is a cooler name!
Haha thank you! I wasn't sure if it would be understood, but I definitely think it has a better ring to it. 😁
Not every loss is a setback. Some are a correction. This looks like one of those moments.
"Not a setback, a correction." I am printing that out and putting it on my wall. Thank you! 🙌
🩷
100 percent
Wow. First of all, good for you. It's insane that we can prototype something so quickly while others debate the wording on a ticket. The mindset shift is SO huge. It highlights a giant divide rolling out before our eyes. I had a similar moment: I was AI-forward at my last corporate tech job. I got super impatient to the point where I had to find a new job at a place that understands how transformative AI already is. I have no doubt your brilliance is and will be appreciated.
"Debating the wording on a ticket." 💀 I felt that in my soul!
It is wild how much energy goes into talking about the work versus doing the work. I am so glad you found a place that understands the new velocity. That friction is impossible to ignore once you see it.
Thanks for this great comment, Nicolle! 🙏
Wording on a ticket? I thought about that: https://www.leadinginproduct.com/p/user-story-cargo-cult
You are a true inspiration, Elena! The AI Advent Challenge was just a teaser to many more great products you will ship and tools that you will build— at a velocity that no bureaucratic corporate job can match. I am already excited for the two product tools you are testing out!
Raghav, thank you! That means the world coming from you.
You are correct! the Advent Challenge was just the warm-up. 🙌 Once you unlock this velocity, the old corporate speed limits just feel like drag. I am heads down on those new tools now, can't wait to get them in your hands!
I know this sounds weird to say about a layoff story, but...congratulations! 🎉 I see you out there winning build contests and creating real products. You're obviously a creative, brilliant and adaptable human...not a corporate "resource."
It's scary (I've been there, I am there), but you will learn a lot and have so much more fun! ❤️ 🤗
p.s., Looking forward to DraftKit!
Karen, this made me smile so big. Thank you for seeing the "builder" in me even when I was stuck in the corporate box! ❤️
You are right! it feels like a graduation, not a funeral. 🍾 And yes, DraftKit is officially getting the love it deserves now. Can't wait to show you what's next!
I totally relate to so much in this post Elena! Orgs need to adapt to this new speed—less bureaucracy, more hands-on action—or risk losing talent to outdated standards. I once showed a resistant team how I crushed a full sprint's work in just 2 days with AI tools. Best of luck crushing your new challenges! 🎉
That "2 days vs a full sprint" metric is the perfect example. Once you see that kind of speed difference it is impossible to go back to the old way. Thanks for the support, Just! 🫶 ☺️
Kudos to you ! I left Google because of similar reasons
Wow Loretta. That hits hard because I am actually considering them right now. Is it really that bad? I think I am still holding onto the romanticized version of the "old Google" in my head. 😅
well it’s not bad, especially comparing with the other big techs. but afterall it’s still a corporate so all reasons for you to leave your job still valid here 😂
Well, you just saved me! 😂 Thanks for the honest talk!
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
There's so much I recognize from your post Elena! I've written about it too - once you taste that speed and efficiency, there's no going back.
Knowing you, this change is a start of something extraordinary 🤗 You'll rock it!
You are so right Karo. Once you taste that speed the old way just feels like slow motion. Thanks for being in my corner! 🫶☺️
Of course! It's an awesome corner 😂
I feel this one in my soul. I'm a former B2B SaaS PM and though I quit for reasons not related to AI, I also happened to do so as AI was becoming really useful. Struck out on my own, and now I am having so much fun because I can move so fast.
I even worked at early stage startups, so definitely faster-paced than your corporate consultancy would've been, but there was still endless writing of specs and tickets. Now I just write myself a stream of consciousness set of notes about whatever I'm thinking of and just start asking Claude to build it.
At work I always had to make sure I had things as clear as possible before handing it off to eng, because eng time was the most constrained resource we had. Now I can throw ill-defined requirements at Claude, see what it comes back with and iterate from there. It's infinitely more enjoyable. I can try an idea, realize it was actually dumb and toss it with zero guilt.
Alex you nailed the single biggest economic shift in our industry!
We were trained to treat engineering hours as the most expensive resource in the building. Every spec and ticket was designed to "protect" that resource from waste.
Now that code is abundant we can afford to be wasteful. We can throw "ill-defined" ideas at Claude and just see what happens.
That shift from "Code is expensive" to "Code is disposable" is exactly why it feels so fun again. We are back to playing with clay instead of writing instructions for a sculptor.
I also love your point about the "stream of consciousness" workflow. Skipping the translation layer of Jira tickets is the biggest productivity unlock I have found.
Thanks for this amazing comment!
The velocity gap is real and the frustration is valid. What I'd add from enterprise retail: the 6-8 week process often exists because the undocumented complexity underneath is genuinely hard to surface.
Prototyping fast is possible but getting stakeholders to surface the edge cases, exceptions, and rules that nobody wrote down - that part doesn't compress as easily.
The bottleneck shifts but it doesn't disappear.
Congrats! and onward to new adventures. I admire your attitude and resilience. It’s not easy being laid off (been there), and yet that sometimes create the best new opportunities.
You’re created a wonderful community on Substack! Lots of people have your back.
Thank you so much, Denise. It is definitely not easy, but you are right: it feels like the "best new opportunity" was just waiting for me to have the time to grab it.
I am so grateful for the Substack community. Having that support makes the "onward to new adventures" part much less scary!
Inspiring and realistic take Elena. Thankfully I heard sometimes layoff doesn’t mean anything the negative rather a reflection to correct individual. Your grit and motivation to learn publicly and showing vulnerability is so genuine.
I understand the velocity gap and in all other orgs and companies as well we see it but cannot change in day 1 rather it is a journey to influence for adoption. Only at 1% of companies the velocity is mature and realized using AI tool.
Hoping to see more and more with all of us brining into enterprises.
I love that framing of a layoff as a "reflection to correct."
That is such a healthy way to look at it, Poojitha!
It definitely feels like I was pushed exactly where I needed to go.
You are also spot on about the patience required here. We are definitely in the "1% early phase." Turning a big ship takes time!
Love this statement - “That gap, between the speed you can actually move and the speed the structure allows, that’s the velocity gap” . This puts everything into perspective. The velocity gap is not for everyone, you either get institutionalized or grow out of it.
"Institutionalized or grow out of it" is the perfect framing. And it's a hard truth!
Once you see that gap, you cannot unsee it. You have to pick a side. Staying in the structure when you know how fast you could be moving just becomes too painful eventually for some.
Thanks, Soumya!
Absolutely! Your energy takes to places, just need to have patience and focus I think.
The velocity gap you describe is going to be the defining tension of the next few years. Organizations were optimized for when building was expensive and mistakes were costly. All those meetings, PRDs, and approval layers made sense in that world.
But when you can validate an idea with a working prototype in 48 hours instead of theoretical discussions over 3 weeks, those safety mechanisms become friction. The fascinating part is that both approaches are rational - just for completely different cost structures.
What's striking about your story is the two-monitor moment. You literally saw yourself operating in two different paradigms simultaneously. Most people only experience one at a time, so they don't feel the dissonance as sharply. But once you've experienced moving at 10x speed on your own projects, corporate velocity feels like running in quicksand.
The organizations that figure out how to close this gap - or at least narrow it - will have an enormous advantage. The ones that don't will keep losing their fastest builders.
Devesh, this is such a brilliant breakdown.
You are exactly right. The old process wasn't "bad." It was just optimized for a world where building was expensive. Now that prototypes are cheap, the "safety mechanisms" cost more than the build itself.
That "running in quicksand" feeling is the perfect description. Thank you for this analysis!