Who Will AI *Really* Replace in Tech?

I was looking at some data with a few colleagues a few months ago on the makeup of SaaS companies built on AI (meaning they've woven AI into all their processes and built their company this way from the ground up) and SaaS companies not built on AI.

A couple take-aways:

The departments where AI replaces all/most people:

• Marketing
• Sales
• Success/Support
• Finance
• HR
• Executive leadership
  

We were musing that cutting way back on finance and HR can't be sustainable due to legal liabilities that are bound to ensue. The thought is that these companies expect to be acquired fast and early. Though if you have so few people in your org, there are fewer people to manage/pay.

Also there is something to be said about that personal touch 👩🏻 in customer-facing roles, especially revenue generating ones, so as revenue grows, those departments start slowly ticking up which, in-turn, causes operational departments to slowly grow.

Executive leadership is interesting... it's way too optimistic to think that AI could be the great equalizer in wealth, but it's a nice dream to have. Also, this is against my best interests since I'm in executive leadership 😬🙈🤣.

Engineering was leaner at the AI-first companies, but not non-existent. This tracks with my take, which is that AI is not at the point where it can replace engineering and GenAI never will be. It can augment engineering and make them more efficient, but IMHO, GenAI will never be able to build secure, maintainable SaaS applications.
- Websites: yes.
- E-commerce Sites: maybe.
- Prototypes: sure, but only if you are OK that it will be mostly throw-away code.

My unpopular take (and you can quote me on this):

😱 AI prototypes are today's vaporware 😱

But here's the most interesting part

The one department that had no material difference in staff between AI-first and non-AI-first companies:

💪🏼Product 💪🏼

This surprised me at first, but after some thought, it made complete sense:

♟  GenAI can help refine, clarify, and enhance strategy, but it can't create new strategy.

🧠  GenAI can help brainstorm, but it can't determine what's worth pursuing.

👩🏻‍🔬  GenAI can help innovate to make something that exists better, but it can't invent new things.

I'm going to pack this innovation versus invention concept away for now, but it's important because it's a common thread that I'll come back to again and again. The important thing to note now is that product management requires real human thinking, which requires real humans. I'll add here that product management is also usually undervalued and understaffed, which may also account for fact that there was no difference in product headcount in AI-first and non-AI-first companies. I firmly believe that AI can absolutely make product management more efficient, potentially reducing necessary headcount. The AI-first companies are probably the only ones that are adequately staffed.

And so with that,  if you are lucky enough to have found yourself in product management, congratulations! 🙌🏽 🍾🥳 You have picked one of the most AI-proof careers... that is IFF all companies value product management and not all do, but those that try to replace us with AI will undoubtedly fail and then we can all feel smug in their downfall.