DustinOfDenver

+1 on the missing trust... needs to be addressed.

alternate Headline:

"Chinese start up finds innovative way to sell 300K umbrellas in just 3 Months - But in Silicon Valley style - does not understand unit economics."

So I think what you are saying:

(Good Manager + No Tech Skills) > (Bad manager + great tech skills).

I don't think that is the argument... I think it is:

(Good Manager + No Tech Skill) < (Good Manager + great tech skills)...

and on that point no one would disagree.

It is interesting how so many have tried to frame the argument the first way - perhaps they are more of a unicorn than one would hope... but it would still be better to have BOTH skills.

I wish I could disagree... but is more like: they heard something they thought sounded like the tech they have and they could sell quickly.

I agree... but it all depends on the role. Ideally, "management" can span the two buckets well. But, without understanding the technology, management is left standing on one leg.

If what you directly manage is technical... then you must be technical and be able to communicate those opportunities up. I don't think anyone is suggesting that the entire management chain must be technical.

I think you are correct and incorrect.. I am not suggesting "expertises". I am suggesting "Literacy"... at least enough to "detect B.S." of his immediate direct reports (and that part is also key).

In 4 levels of management the CEO is not to be the BS detector of the 1st level but most def. be "technical" enough to detect B.S. at the 4th and (maybe) the 3rd levels of management.

Those I admire and have studied: Disney, Elon, and Jobs (many others) could maybe detect down to the 2nd and 3rd levels. To do the impossible - you must have a grasp of the "possible"

Love this quote:

"They can also be a false signal to investors, who often look at how much money a company has raised as a signal of its success, when "in fact, it's the opposite,"...

I think this is definitely true of a physical product company... without a subscription model of some other way to generate MRR.

I agree... they once had a nice product, but failed to skate to where the puck was going, became a me too company... with no differentiating vision. Go-Pro already pretty far down the same path.

Excellent follow up!

I know a few product managers who think that managing a technical product can be reduced to entries in a backlog... and features are somehow separate from the technology that drives them. What the miss is... Technology "IS" the product.

Non-technical managers... needs to be a thing of the past.

No one considers a guide for "Managers who cannot read, but must supervise writers" as meaningful article worth writing.

Being "non-technical" should be synonymous with being illiterate (if you are in a technical field that includes supervising technologists). The topic is no longer something to be assigned to "nerds in the basement" is is the language of business and life.

White letters on black background... my eyes are still seeing those letters. Is it just me?

Wow... based on this list - Companies might consider hiring in Denver/Boulder... because SF looks like a mad house.

Great article! I have been working on my own Chatbot solution based on IBM's Watson (supposedly cutting edge tech)... it is cumbersome... it cannot do something simple like extract a full address from a conversation (I think cities are still in beta)... The good news, there is a definite opportunity for some start up. AI is all the rage and for solving a specific problem with clearly defined parameters (or if you have a team of a few 100 people working on it) it is getting pretty good. But interacting with a human is many things... "defined" is not one of them.

Your description of the companies you worked for - tell me a lot. Not that you are not a great developer, but the types of employers you like and filter you use to select your next job - that too is important.

My hope that someone who is passionate - cares more about building the best product they can (than even I do). As a result, they should welcome "valid" criticism.

That is why I don't ask for "open source" contributions. Ideally, the candidate built their project to make money!

Christopher Hitchens- "Long describing himself as a socialist and a Marxist..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens

I am a hardcore capitalist so he need not apply for my gigs :-)

lol - perhaps consider a job in growth hacking ;-)

Agree - code (the thing they built) + passion (they built it because they wanted too) + inquisitive (found a problem and developed an answer)

A person doesn't have to posses all these things to write good code. But they would be a great fit on the teams I like to work with.

Interesting take - How does one maintain Passion about something they are not good (or improving) at? I get that, day one a musician does not have the skills, but would they maintain that passion if they were not getting better?

Passion overtime + participation = improving knowledge.

A new person who is passionate, will quickly outpace the person who is not.

Great comments! I agree. A number of commenters have said, I would not want to work for a company like that and I think that is good. Who wants to take a job to, only 6 months later, realize they did not like the culture.

However, the point about 60/40 work life balance is not 100% accurate.

I am constantly reading Product Management literature not for work - but because I love it. I am finishing the Disney Biography because I love learning about leadership styles. In other words, I do a job that complements my "spare" time activities... and ANYONE who manages that is a good hire.

This is not to say - go to these things FOR work - that is not the gal/guy I am looking for. You should not do things FOR work that you are not paid to do (that is not fair). But, if you love the work you do and that extends into your life - all the better.

"What about developers who don't do side projects but give 120% to the company product, even at home?"

Excellent point! I would hope that would be the response to the question... It would still provide the value the question seeks.

If you LOVE something - you do it in your "spare" time. That was the core of my point. I will take a dentist, butcher, developer who LOVES their work in such a way that the line between work and fun is blurred over someone who is working for the weekend - any day!

You can be a fine developer who just clocks in and out. But if I had a choice (and sometime I don't). I would choose the guy who loves what they do and does it in their "spare" time.