What we talked about
Saranyaa Parthikumar shares her journey from Java developer to MBA, then Lead Business Analyst, and finally Product Manager. She explains how the switch happened through an internal move: raising her hand, talking to managers, taking on junior PM style projects, and building confidence by representing the customer and guiding delivery.
Show notes
Saranyaa Parthikumar hadn’t written code in 12 years when she started using AI-assisted coding tools:and found that watching the tool explain which JavaScript file it was editing and why made it feel like a peer rather than a black box. That shift in how a non-coder can engage with engineering work is central to how she thinks about what AI is actually changing in product teams.
What we covered
- In the last eight months Saranyaa has been building working prototypes before writing a single requirements document: using tools like Lovable and Cursor to create an interactive prototype first, then using that artifact to align designers and engineers, which she says has meaningfully increased team velocity and produced crisper documentation.
- She describes zero-to-one product work as detective work:you receive an ambiguous one-sentence problem, collect clues from data and users, run role-plays (which are prototypes), and assemble a 360-degree strategy narrative before marshaling the team for execution.
- AI has changed performance expectations in a specific way: where managers previously asked “how did you execute?”, they now ask only “what did you achieve?”:the assumption being that AI removes all execution constraints and infinite resources are available, so the only conversation is about outcomes.
- The most over-hyped AI claim, in her view, is that it will replace humans wholesale. LLMs are exceptional at processing existing knowledge:she compares them to going from one scholar to 10 PhDs to 100 PhDs:but they cannot do “creative decisioning,” like a mother coming up with 10 different games to pacify a crying child.
- On trust as the primary metric for any AI feature: she points to the way Alexa can resurface a question you asked two months ago and combine it with new context in a way that makes users wonder if it was secretly listening:that feeling of undisclosed behavior is what destroys product trust.
- Her advice to aspiring PMs: technical degrees are not required. The foundational skill is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and identify their pain. Build small side projects using generative AI tools now:a resume writer, a photo enhancer, anything:and use the experience of defining requirements, getting feedback, and iterating to demonstrate PM competency.
About Saranyaa Parthikumar
Saranyaa Parthikumar is a product leader working at the intersection of product management and AI, with a background spanning Java development, an MBA, and lead business analyst roles. She has specialized in B2C products and data-heavy platforms, including growth PM work and global platform development.
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/saranyaap
- Website: https://amazon.com
Episode 110 of the PreVetted Podcast.