Tom Verrilli argues that traditional PM roles can infantilize engineers and designers, and that AI tools now enable teams to make decisions directly. He emphasizes hiring fewer, more senior PMs who focus on core skills like scoping and problem definition, rather than political alignment. At Whatnot, PMs are assigned as DRIs on a six-month cycle and frequently reassigned based on company priorities. Tom advocates for senior leaders to do IC work to stay grounded, and challenges the 'hire great people and get out of their way' mantra, preferring a 'verify then trust' approach. He also discusses how AI has transformed data science, allowing PMs to analyze data independently, and predicts a rise in hybrid tech lead/EM roles. Tom shares lessons from Twitter, emphasizing that true product-market fit can survive organizational chaos, and introduces his 'play the accordion' model for balancing strategic vision with fast iteration. He concludes by contrasting agentic commerce with live commerce, and advises aspiring CPOs to focus on truth-seeking and data-driven influence.