Why LinkedIn is turning PMs into AI-powered "full stack builders" | Tomer Cohen (LinkedIn CPO) - Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth Recap

Podcast: Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

Published: 2025-12-04

Duration: 1 hr 8 min

Guests: Tomer Cohen

Summary

LinkedIn is transforming its product development strategy by adopting the Full Stack Builder model, which leverages AI to empower individuals across functions to become multi-faceted builders. This approach aims to enhance speed, adaptability, and creativity in product innovation.

What Happened

LinkedIn's Chief Product Officer, Tomer Cohen, has introduced a revolutionary Full Stack Builder Program at LinkedIn that aims to transform how products are developed. This program, which replaces the traditional Associate Product Manager program, empowers individuals from any function to become Full Stack Builders, who are capable of executing end-to-end product development with the aid of AI.

The Full Stack Builder model is designed to enable a fluid interaction between human creativity and AI capabilities, allowing builders to take ideas from concept to market more efficiently. Cohen highlights that by 2030, 70% of the skills required for jobs will change, necessitating a reimagining of how products are built to keep up with the fast pace of change.

Cohen emphasizes that while AI will automate many aspects of the product development process, human traits such as vision, creativity, and judgment remain critical. LinkedIn has developed internal tools and agents, such as a trust agent and a growth agent, to streamline the development process and ensure high-quality outputs.

The program is currently being piloted in various parts of the organization, with significant success in reducing time spent on development while improving the quality of insights and discussions. Cohen notes that the adoption of these tools has been most successful among LinkedIn's top performers, who are eager to leverage AI to enhance their work.

Cultural change is a critical component of the program's success, with LinkedIn focusing on redefining performance expectations and celebrating wins to encourage broader adoption. The company is also launching an Associate Product Builder Program to train new talent in this model, indicating a shift towards a more flexible and adaptive workforce.

Cohen shares that the initiative is still in its early stages, but the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The program is expected to evolve continuously, with a focus on improving the tools and expanding their use across the organization.

Overall, LinkedIn's Full Stack Builder Program represents a significant shift in product development strategy, leveraging AI to empower individuals to become versatile builders capable of innovating rapidly in a changing landscape.

Key Insights