About the Author

John Macias has spent over 30 years in product and engineering roles. He started as an engineer, moved into product leadership, and has spent the last decade helping teams adapt to AI-era changes. He's worked at startups and Fortune 500 companies, leading product teams, mentoring PMs, and building products used by millions.

His career path—engineer → product → founder→ mentor—gave him unique insight into both the traditional PM path and the emerging Product Engineer model that AI is enabling.

Why He Wrote This Book

His daughter Carlota was stuck in operations. She understood the product deeply, predicted bugs before they happened, and was frustrated by her lack of authority. She wanted to be a PM but faced the classic problem: "How do I get experience without having experience?"

John realized this problem affects thousands of people. So he did what any engineer-turned-PM does: he systemized his knowledge. The result is this book—everything he's learned in 30 years about becoming and being a great Product Manager.

Beyond This Book

John mentors PMs, advises startups on product strategy, and writes about the future of PM roles in the AI era. He believes the best PMs combine customer empathy with strategic thinking—skills that matter whether you're at Google or building a solo Product Engineer startup.

Connect

Reach out if you're breaking into PM, navigating your first PM role, or curious about the Product Engineer model.