Artificial Intelligence is rewriting the rules of software engineering.
The pace of change is so rapid that the very definition of "building software" is shifting. Agent-based coding, AI-assisted development, and top-down generation of code from natural language specifications are blurring traditional boundaries between roles. In this new environment, a surprising candidate is emerging as the most effective driver of product development: the Technical Product Manager (TPM).
AI Is changing software engineering — permanently
For decades, software engineering was grounded in a bottom-up approach: backend engineers optimized databases and scalability, frontend engineers refined user interfaces, and marketing/PM teams shaped customer-facing narratives. AI has upended this flow. Today, agents can generate full-stack code from high-level instructions, radically shortening iteration cycles and erasing clear distinctions between "backend" and "frontend."
The rise of top-down coding
AI coding agents don’t just automate tasks—they force a new mindset. Instead of assembling software feature by feature, teams can now describe a desired application holistically and let AI generate working components across the stack. This "top-down coding" shifts the bottleneck from code execution to use case definition and holistic design.
Where traditional engineers struggle
- Backend engineers often focus narrowly on performance, scalability, and architecture.
- Frontend engineers thrive with clear UX prototypes and defined APIs but rarely think about full system implications.
- Product marketing managers shape messaging but lack the technical context to translate vision into executable design.
Each role is invaluable, but none traditionally approach product development from the "whole system, customer-first" perspective that AI demands.
Enter the Technical Product Manager
In this environment, the TPM becomes the most efficient role to get a product built. Here’s why:
- Holistic Thinking – TPMs are trained to zoom out, think across the full application stack, and balance competing priorities.
- Customer Perspective – They anchor decisions in user needs, which aligns perfectly with AI-driven top-down development.
- Use Case Orientation – Instead of obsessing over APIs or databases, TPMs ask, “What problem are we solving, and how should it feel for the customer?”
- Technical Fluency – While not coding every line, TPMs understand enough about backend, frontend, and infrastructure to steer agents effectively.
- Agent-Powered Leverage – With agent-based coding, a TPM can now build and deploy functional prototypes—or even production-ready systems—without managing large engineering teams.
A word of caution: Engineers still matter
None of this diminishes the centrality of software engineers. They remain the most valuable assets in any technology organization. But the expectations on them are changing:
- Engineers can no longer afford to think only in their specialty.
- They must learn to think like TPMs—holistically, use-case driven, customer-first.
- In many ways, the engineer of tomorrow is also a product manager.
The age of AI has created a new equilibrium. Software engineers are still indispensable, but their roles are evolving. Technical Product Managers, once seen as facilitators, are becoming builders in their own right. With AI agents amplifying their impact, TPMs might just be the new software engineers of the AI era.
