What a successful product looked like in the past is different than what they do today. The space is hyper-competitive, and even more-so now that AI is helping less technical people jump into the mix.
The bar has lifted, and continues to lift. Execution changes entirely. What you used to put 90% of your time into is now 10% (or even less). I used to type away translating designs into coded screens, consuming an exorbitant amount of my execution time. Now, I prototype, solve complex programming problems that AI struggles to work through, and do more thought-work than I ever have before.
But, what does this mean for a product built in 2026?
Here’s where I think leaders will focus even more on:
- Compounding should be our core focus - only do work that compounds over time. Everything that you do should multiply, not be additive. (more of a reminder, and something to keep leaning into)
- Systems over everything - placing smart bets, building powerful systems that make work more impactful, and focusing on systems that produce outcomes.
- Teammates are no longer isolated workers - every single person in an organization needs to have a level of business understanding; a stake in the result of the business. There has to be a high-level understanding and tight-knit collaboration between everyone.
- You have to bite off more than you can chew - remember that crazy idea that the CEO had (or possibly, yourself)? Well, with AI, we might actually be able to boil the ocean (no pun intended).
What does this mean for products?
- Products will have more batteries included, more features, larger systems, and cooler stuff.
- AI-native functionality will be a piece of every business. There are too many automations, time savings possibilities, and opportunities for people not to leverage.
- Custom agents for specialized workflows - these are already being built, and my guess is that this will continue to increase. We’re still extremely early here.
- People jumping on the AI trends now will lead the way for 2026+. Lots of opportunities have opened up. Agents have use cases for every single business out there. Just like the web, lots of people will require help integrating.
I’ve become a bit more AI-native over the last year and I’m starting to get a good sense about how a lot of this will unfold. The technology is crazy, products are changing, and it’s a very exciting time to be alive!
Let me know if there are any other things that I missed. Curious to see what other people are thinking!
