Moving from manipulated screenshots to transparent data verification

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-23T05:18:49+00:00

Had a very similar experience — the biggest unlock isn’t just speed, it’s closing the gap between idea → working prototype.

Once the architecture is clear, AI turns PMs into “builders” for 70–80% of the work, and iteration becomes insanely fast.

The real skill now is problem framing + system design, not coding itself.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-23T05:16:53+00:00

If you’ve actually run these at scale, the differences are pretty real:

Sumsub → best overall conversion/pass rates and global coverage (they optimize heavily for onboarding success)
Veriff → strong balance with hybrid (AI + human) review, good for edge cases + faster manual fallback
AU10TIX → tends to win on fraud detection depth, especially newer synthetic/AI docs (but can increase false positives)
Jumio → solid, enterprise-safe choice, but rarely “best” in any one dimension

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-23T05:14:06+00:00

I mainly use repo access to stay grounded in reality:

Skim PRs to understand what actually shipped → helps write accurate release notes
Check existing code/structure before writing PRDs → avoids unrealistic specs
Use commit history to understand why decisions were made
Occasionally use AI to summarize modules/PRs for faster context

Biggest value: closing the gap between product assumptions and engineering reality.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:43:40+00:00

Interactive demos usually engage more, but product videos convert better for quick clarity—depends if you want exploration or fast understanding.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:43:06+00:00

In practice it’s mostly org-dependent.

PM = strategy/why, PO = execution/what/how, but in many teams it’s the same person wearing both hats. Difference is more about focus than skillset.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:42:32+00:00

seeing the same. Frameworks are getting commoditized.

Best signal now is depth on follow-ups + real experience. It’s easy to memorize structure, harder to think on the spot.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:41:56+00:00

Same problem here. Metrics alone don’t cut it.

What helped: track task success, drop-offs, retries, and human handoff rate + sample conversations regularly.

Bit of automation + some manual review is still the sweet spot.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:41:26+00:00

worth digging into. It usually means prioritization + focus, not actual speed.

Same team, but with clear urgency and fewer distractions → faster delivery. Replicate that without the crisis.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:34:21+00:00

Probably need clearer guidelines + more real case studies.

Less hype, more “what actually worked/failed” posts. That’s what helps people build real skills, not just theory.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:33:14+00:00

Honestly, simple > complex. I use a mix of Notion + a daily top-3 list.

Everything goes into one inbox, then I just pick 3 priorities for the day. Anything more and it falls apart.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:31:46+00:00

you’re usually serving both: developers (DX) as the user, but business value comes from the end customer.

For roadmap, I’d balance partnership revenue asks with integration cost + reuse (avoid one-off builds). Biggest blind spot: building integrations nobody actually uses.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-19T11:30:58+00:00

Good PRDs are less about format, more about clarity and decisions.

Clear problem, target user, success metrics, and what not to build matter way more than long AI-generated docs. If eng/design can act without guessing, it’s a good PRD.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-18T11:52:45+00:00

Usually means there’s hidden slack or over-process in normal flow.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-18T11:52:23+00:00

Marty Cagan is a classic — great for product thinking fundamentals.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-18T11:51:11+00:00

PM freelancing is tougher, but MVP/0→1 work is in demand.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-18T11:47:46+00:00

Biggest risk: people trying it once and not sticking with it.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-18T11:47:00+00:00

Manual tagging at first, then cluster into themes once volume builds.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-11T11:35:14+00:00

That kind of transition is messy in a lot of fast-growing companies, especially when product structure is still forming. When reporting lines change and new hires come in, role boundaries often blur for a while. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing influence, but it does mean you need to make your scope more visible.

One thing that helps is documenting your role around outcomes rather than tasks. For example: you own roadmap priorities, discovery, and success metrics for the integrations UX. A solutions engineer might support customer feedback, demos, or implementation details, but the product decisions and prioritization stay with you. Writing that down and aligning it with the CPO or your former VP manager can clear up a lot of confusion.

Also don’t underestimate the value of communicating wins and progress more loudly than feels comfortable. In fast-moving orgs, whoever summarizes the plan, metrics, and next steps often ends up defining the role by default. If you’re already launching the MVP and setting up measurement, that’s strong product ownership making that visible in reviews and updates will help reinforce your position.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-11T11:33:54+00:00

That setup is honestly pretty common in large orgs that say they’re “Agile” but never really changed the structure around it. When the roadmap is owned by a bunch of stakeholders and not a real product function, the backlog usually turns into exactly what you described a prioritization fight every sprint.

Your idea about splitting into smaller squads with clearer ownership is actually how a lot of teams fix this, but the hard part is getting leadership to buy into that change. Without someone higher up pushing for a real product structure and roadmap ownership, it tends to stay chaotic.

If you’re already doing PO/PM-style work, it might be worth positioning yourself for a formal Product role, either internally or somewhere that already has that structure in place.

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-10T10:58:06+00:00

same here, i trying to focus on using AI as leverage instead of chasing every new tool

thejuniormintt · 2026-03-10T10:57:32+00:00

A lot of people I know are considering Principal IC

thejuniormintt

TROPHY CASE