Managers Must Be Builders in the Age of AI
I recently read a short post by Saastr Founder Jason Lemkin on X (Twitter) that made me pause. The point was simple but powerful: managers must be builders. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, it’s no longer enough to simply coordinate work or review outcomes. Leaders need to engage directly with the tools that are producing the work. That idea resonated with me immediately.
I started as a builder. My early years were spent writing code, debugging systems, and shipping features. The satisfaction came from turning ideas into something real that customers could use. Over time, my role evolved as it does for many engineers into management. As responsibilities grow, the expectation is that you scale impact through people rather than through your own technical output. My focus shifted toward setting direction, reviewing designs, helping teams make decisions, and delivering results through others.
AI is changing the shape of that relationship. The author makes two great points 1) Without a deep understanding of how people build and execute with AI, you will be completely clueless about what to expect from your team and how to guide them. 2) Without hands-on fluency with AI tooling, you will be fundamentally unable to do these things well. The idea that “managers must be builders” feels less like a slogan and more like a natural evolution of leadership in technology now.
Personally, I find this shift energizing. I began my career as a builder before moving into management. Over time, my work moved further toward coordination, planning, and execution through teams. But AI is bringing some of that technical curiosity back into the daily rhythm of leadership. It’s creating space to explore ideas, prototype quickly, and engage more directly with the mechanics of technology again.
Original: https://x.com/staysaasy/status/2032253132210667881