ProductLab

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗟𝗮𝗯 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱. But let me start from the beginning. On the 26th of September, I slid into Daniel Zherenkov’s DMs with an offer to organize an event for the ProductLab community at HeyJobs. I knew Daniel had strong expertise in his field and had mentioned he might be open to sharing it with the community, so I was optimistic. Plus, in this tough market, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 wants to hear insights from HR Tech specialists. Negotiations with his management, settling on the event date, approving the pizza order and the number of attendees — the process was rolling. But Daniel’s keynote alone wouldn’t be enough. Who else could bring a fresh perspective? We immediately thought of Fulvio Minichini — with his deep experience in product marketing management in the age of AI. And he agreed to be on stage. HeyJobs double jackpot. I visited the venue, walked through the run-of-show with Daniel, made a list of what we needed to think of — and then waited. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁. I had a dry-run call planned with Daniel and Fulvio to go through their slides and give feedback. The evening before, I caught a virus and spent the whole night awake 🫠 I asked the team to take over the meeting — and Daniele and Ahmed came to the rescue. A couple of days later I was back to normal. Keynotes: amazing. Final reminders: sent. Daniele walked me through the run-of-show again since I’d be moderating. We were all set. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁. An email from Fulvio: he had an emergency and wouldn’t be able to make it. Panic. We were 𝘯𝘰𝘵 all set. The team started brainstorming: Cancel the event? Postpone? Find a new speaker? No one could possibly jump in on such short notice… right? God bless Daniele and the fact that he knows every single person in the Berlin product community. Tural Nabizade — an experienced Senior PM from Parloa and a ProductLab community member — agreed to jump on stage and share his perspective on adopting an AI-first mindset in product management. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱. 40 (!) people actually showed up, listened carefully, asked thoughtful questions, got to know each other, and discussed the keynotes afterwards. They complimented my moderation, laughed at my jokes, and some even helped with the cleanup at the end. Huge thank you to HeyJobs, Daniel, Tamara, Tural and Fulvio. And thank you to the best team: Daniele Liubov Ahmed Veronika Leila Olivia Alessia. Forever grateful for this community — and for the opportunities (and chaotic challenges) I get to experience because of it. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 🥂 📸 : Multi-talented Ahmed

98% of companies in the US and more than 70% in Europe are already using AI-powered systems to manage applications. A number that honestly surprised many of us at the ProductLab event at HeyJobs last week We had two amazing speakers who approached AI from very different angles, and both brought a lot of clarity to how organizations (and people) can actually use it effectively. Tural Nabizade talked about something we often overlook: the huge role mid-management plays in bringing AI into a company. For him, AI is the biggest technology shift since the PC, and whether a company succeeds with it depends heavily on how mid-managers lead the transition and shape an AI-first culture. His main points: 👉 Make AI copilots part of daily work across the whole company 👉 Think in streams, not in traditional org charts 👉 Encourage teams to experiment with AI in their personal projects because that’s where people build confidence fastest Then Daniel Zherenkov took us into the job market side of things, and shared one few stats such as: recruiters spend just 6–8 seconds looking at a résumé nowadays He also broke down what actually works if you’re trying to land a Product Management role today: 👉 Getting referrals 👉 Building a personal brand on LinkedIn, going to events etc. 👉 And of course mastering interviews - both the technical and the soft skills Great job Elena Eremeeva and ProductLab team, it was a great event and thank you HeyJobs for hosting us! 📷 Ahmed Sulaiman

I thought I was going to an event about AI literacy for PMs. Instead, I got a brutally honest reality check about the hiring market. Last night’s meetup by ProductLab hosted at HeyJobs wasn’t the “how to learn AI” session I expected, it was a mirror held up to what AI-driven recruiting has actually become. And honestly? It was brilliant. And a bit bitter. Because when you see slides showing: - 800–1200 applicants per PM role, - 6–8 seconds per resume, - <2% interview rates if you apply cold… …it hits you: most of us are preparing for the wrong battle. The insights that stuck: - Referrals aren’t an advantage, they’re the only realistic path. - A strong personal brand now beats a strong CV. - Technical credibility is no longer optional for PMs. - Algorithms get you shortlisted. - Humans choose your story. Daniel Zherenkov delivered it with painful clarity and it reshaped how I think about positioning, signaling, and competing in an AI-saturated market. Huge thanks to ProductLab team: Elena Eremeeva Liubov Antonova Ahmed Sulaiman Veronika Morozová and people I also had a chance to chat Mojgan Behravan, Anastasia Buryak, Aleksandra Uriadova and Zulfiya Malyshenko ❓ What’s the most uncomfortable truth you’ve learned about AI-era hiring?

On 25 November 2025, I had the pleasure of participating in the event that held at HeyJobs by ProductLab on Becoming an AI-Native PM: How to Build, Lead, and Stand Out”. Two amazing speakers Daniel Zherenkov, Tural Nabizade, talked about different aspects of AI in product management. Here are the key points I’m taking away from this event: Daniel Zherenkov’s presentation focused on insights about who AI PMs are and what makes them successful in a highly competitive market. 🔸 The traditional “AI-Adjacent” and “AI-Enabled PM” are obsolete. Today’s successful PMs operate at Level 3-5 (AI-Core, Platform, Data PM), mastering technical, platform, and data expertise. 🔸 Modern AI products require LLMOps, data infrastructure, regulatory compliance, complex vendor ecosystems, and risk mitigation. 🤯 While demand for AI PMs is high, the job market is extremely competitive, over 800 applications per role in big tech, and most resumes are filtered by AI before reaching recruiters. 🤯Over 98% of US and 70% of EU companies now screen job applications with AI. It seems that, as a result, job seekers must write their CVs for machines first and humans second. 🔸 Top PMs combine Technical Credibility, Product Judgment, Stakeholder Credibility, and Domain Expertise. 🔸 Success requires treating your own career as a product, leveraging referrals, portfolios, and mastering the interview process. 🔸 Only those who understand the “game of hiring” and actively differentiate themselves secure roles in this competitive landscape. Tural Nabizade’s presentation focused on the "AI-First Mindset" and the crucial role of Mid-Management in driving AI adoption within an organization. 🔹 AI as the Next Supercycle: AI is the biggest technology shift since PC, Internet, Mobile, and SaaS. Mid-management is the key driver for adoption. 🔹 Start Small, Bottom-Up: Foster an AI-first culture, integrate AI into the organization, and build trust while scaling mindfully. 🔹Actionable Practices: Promote company-wide AI Copilot usage, think in streams rather than rigid org charts, encourage AI for personal projects, and integrate Agentic AI across the business ecosystem. 🔹 Mid-Management’s Role: Connect vision to expectations, tactics to operations, and domain knowledge to ensure quality, making AI adoption successful. I also met some amazing people, with lots of aspiration and energy. Viktoria Repich (it was my pleasure to meet you in person) , Jung Hahn, Ashwani Singh, Dr. Peter Jankovics MD., Danial Darabi, Elena Eremeeva, Anna Agliardi. I gained a lot of new insights from each of you. It was great connecting with all of you. A special thanks to ProductLab and HeyJobs and everyone involved for making this event possible!🙏 #ProductManagement #AIProductManager #TechLeadership #ProductLeadership #CareerGrowth #LearningFromExperts #TechEvents #KnowledgeSharing

A really warm, insightful evening - exactly why I keep coming back to their events. I’ve been attending Product Lab meetups for a while now, and it’s always a mix of great talks and familiar faces. It was so nice to catch up with Anastasia Buryak, Franziska Beckert, and Julia Oehme - that’s the real value of being part of a community. You get past the usual small talk (“So… are you also a PM? Which company? How long have you been in Berlin?”) and jump straight into deeper, honest conversations.

Sometimes the best thing a founder can do is step back. Since summer 2023, I’ve been organizing 2-3 ProductLab events monthly, attending nearly all of them. But this time, I took a small leap of faith. Elena organized yesterday’s community meetup. Her experience? A year of supporting events and one conference under her belt. She tapped into her Russian-speaking community. Ahmed tested new approaches to invite people. We experimented with a small fee to keep the show-up rate high. Then came the curveballs: One speaker cancelled the morning of the event. Brief panic. Who in our network is a great technical AI PM? Tural came to mind. He graciously accepted… and we later discovered he was already planning to attend. The feedback? Friends told me the event was well-organized and energetic. Thanks Valerio van den Broek Julia Oehme and many more The ProductLab community is growing up. It’s learning to walk without me hovering over every step. And honestly, that’s exactly what needs to happen. Next step? Passing more of the stage to Leila, Veronika, and Ahmed while I focus on what I actually love most: learning, networking, and scanning tickets at the entrance. (Seriously, it’s the best moment to meet people.) Here’s to letting go, trusting your team, and watching them fly. ----- How does this feel?

What an evening, Daniel Zherenkov and Tural Nabizade discussed how you can leverage AI to standout in the market, not just ad am organization, but as an individual too. Stay tuned for the slides on our ProductLab newsletter. Also great organization by the one and only Elena Eremeeva 🔥