Corey Salzer exploring Product Manager roles & how to level-up with AI's influence on the workforce

Product Management in Tech: Prioritization, Influence, and How AI Is Changing Work (with Corey Salzer)Priyanka Mahankali hosts a special in-person guest episode of the Early Career Podcast with her best friend Corey Salzer, a product manager at the edtech startup ParentSquare who previously worked in software engineering, AWS Solutions Architect, and product management at AWS. Corey explains what product managers do—deciding what to build by working backwards from customers—while influencing engineering, design, sales, marketing, leadership, and customer success, often amid role ambiguity. They discuss asking “why” (including the “five whys”), building trust through communication, transparency, documentation, and mechanisms like shared trackers, and avoiding overpromising by underpromising and overdelivering. Corey shares how product priorities connect to company OKRs, how to learn strategy through managers and internal networking, and the need to balance tactical execution with strategic thinking. They also explore AI’s impact on planning and software delivery, the need for human context, review, and ownership, and advice to embrace AI responsibly while staying curious and open.00:00 Pre-Show Setup01:01 Podcast Intro01:19 Friendship Catch-Up05:25 Meet the Guest06:38 What Product Managers Do08:36 Influence Without Authority14:02 Ask Why Like a Pro16:27 Customer Discovery Tactics20:14 PM Challenges and Priorities21:52 Company OKRs and Strategy23:51 Finding Priorities Internally26:20 Leading Early in Career27:17 Balance Strategy Execution29:54 Prioritizing Stakeholders33:34 Transparency Trust Mechanisms35:14 AI Shifts Workforce38:04 Human Oversight Ownership42:51 Back Another Day45:44 Advice Responsible AI52:05 AI ROI Use Cases54:45 Mindshare Different Views58:27 Closing Advice Farewell