#38 Saumya Bhatnagar: Redefining the Product–Engineering Partnership in the Age of AI

Saumya Bhatnagar is a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, Co-founder and CPO of involve.ai, and one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech. She has built her career at the intersection of product, engineering, and AI—helping companies scale smarter and predict customer needs through data-driven insights. Saumya is also a Stevie Gold Entrepreneur of the Year award winner and a two-time honoree among the Top 50 Women CPOs in the U.S.

In this episode, Saumya shares how AI is transforming the relationship between product and engineering. She explains how these two disciplines, once siloed with limited communication, are now converging into a single, agile, and highly collaborative unit. Thanks to tools like Vibe coding, Cursor, and Lovable, product managers can test, prototype, and validate ideas independently—giving engineering teams cleaner starting points and more freedom to focus on system design and scalability.

We dive into the biggest misconceptions product leaders have about engineering, including the mistaken belief that certain features are “quick wins.” Saumya highlights how this gap in understanding used to create mistrust, but AI is now bridging that divide by making technical feasibility and effort more transparent. She emphasizes that trust is built when both sides share the same data, context, and clarity.

The conversation also explores the evolution of design in the AI era. Designers, once responsible for building from scratch, are now shifting toward optimization. With product managers able to generate first-pass prototypes, designers can focus their expertise on enhancing UX, refining workflows, and identifying edge cases that product may overlook. This not only accelerates development but also elevates the quality of user experience.

Saumya makes a strong case for why modern product managers must become more technical. AI may lower the barrier to creating prototypes, but it also raises the expectation that product leaders understand system design, databases, microservices, and technical trade-offs. As she puts it, “Just because someone gives you a rocket doesn’t mean you can fly it.” Product leaders don’t need to write production-ready code, but they do need enough technical depth to make critical decisions alongside engineers.

Throughout the discussion, Saumya shares practical frameworks her teams have used, such as premortems, ruthless prioritization of features, and ensuring product owners can clearly articulate “why this problem and not another.” She stresses that clarity from product is non-negotiable—if engineers are confused, it’s the product owner’s fault.

We also explore the future of building with AI. Saumya believes that while AI can automate repetitive tasks and accelerate workflows, humans remain firmly in control.

About Saumya Bhatnagar

- https://jeeva.ai

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00:00 Introduction to Samya Bhatnagar

01:05 The Evolution of Product and Engineering Collaboration

04:49 Misconceptions Between Product and Engineering

07:12 Understanding User Behavior and Engineering Metrics

11:28 The Importance of Clear Communication in Product Development

13:32 Structuring Product Requirements for Success

17:17 The Role of Designers in Bridging Gaps

20:32 AI's Impact on Product Development Processes

26:17 The Challenges of Product Requirement Documents (PRDs)

29:21 The Limitations of Traditional PRDs

30:55 The Need for Technical Knowledge in Product Management

35:47 Bridging the Gap Between Product and Engineering

42:52 The Evolving Role of Designers with AI

47:04 The Mantra for Modern Product Development