Product Coaching and AI

This article by Marty Cagan (SVPG founder) advocates for using foundation AI models (Claude, Gemini, GPT) as personal product coaches for aspiring product managers and leaders. Cagan argues that while human coaching remains ideal, AI models configured with appropriate instructions and company context can now provide coaching quality that approaches or matches most managers—with 24/7 availability.

The piece addresses a critical gap in the product community: many organizations lack managers capable of providing effective product coaching, yet millions of product creators need upskilling. Key recommendations include using AI for developing product sense, learning the product operating model versus project model, and accelerating skill development. Cagan suggests human product leadership coaches should focus on company leaders navigating organizational transformation, while AI coaching serves product creators learning foundational craft.