The first product manager for your developer tools startup

If you're building tools for developers, you know setting a good, technically credible product direction is very important. Yet, when hiring your first Product Manager, sometimes it isn't so clear: is a technical or non-technical one better?

When a startup is technical at its core, especially when founders are developers themselves, it may seem like a good idea to balance the team with someone who brings fresh, non-technical perspectives. The idea is that a non-technical product manager will be better at focusing on broader business goals and translating user needs into high-level requirements. But in practice, a non-technical PM in a highly technical environment can struggle to bridge the gap effectively.

Why a technical PM might be a better fit

The first product manager needs to be deeply attuned to the product's technical aspects as well as deeply understand what your users are trying to do. A technical PM with coding experience and a strong grasp of engineering principles can engage in meaningful, productive discussions with developers, identifying potential roadblocks and creatively troubleshooting issues before they reach users. They're equipped to understand the technical challenges and limitations, making trade-offs in the product roadmap that account for real technical constraints rather than relying on broad, sometimes impractical requirements.

A technical PM can also serve as an effective bridge between the engineering team and stakeholders, translating technical needs into business terms and vice versa. They understand the intricacies of timelines and resource allocation in a way that a non-technical PM might not fully grasp. This knowledge becomes especially valuable when prioritizing features: they can evaluate requests not just by user value but also by technical feasibility, often resulting in a more efficient path to product maturity.

Building for developers? A technical PM speaks their language

When the end users of the product are developers, having a technical PM becomes an even greater advantage. Developers have specific needs, nuanced preferences, and high standards for tools they rely on to be reliable, efficient, and seamlessly integrative with other software. A technical PM can act as a proxy user in many ways, understanding these pain points intuitively and advocating for solutions that truly resonate. If you're still early enough that you don't have marketing and sales teams validating messages, this can be even more valuable.

Not only that, but a technical PM can better evaluate feedback and requests from your early users, distinguishing between issues that are minor nuisances and those that could lead to significant adoption or retention issues. With their background, they can dive into discussions with users and dig out insights that help guide the product's evolution without overloading the engineering team with non-essential feature requests.

Avoiding creating silos

When a startup brings in a non-technical PM, there's a risk that developers may view this as a signal to double down solely on code, relying on the PM to handle all user-facing and strategic concerns. This “division of labor” mindset can inadvertently create silos, where developers focus narrowly on technical execution, while the PM is expected to fully translate business and user needs to the engineering team without hands-on technical insight.

In contrast, a technical PM is positioned to act as a unifying force, bridging technical execution with user and business perspectives. Since they speak the language of the developers, they're able to foster a more collaborative environment, encouraging developers to stay engaged with the product's larger vision and user impact. This reduces the likelihood of a handoff mentality, where developers delegate user understanding solely to the PM. Instead, with a technical PM, engineers are more likely to participate actively in discussions about product direction, user experience, and strategic priorities, creating a well-rounded team aligned on both the "how" and "why" of product development.

Early-stage means wearing many hats

Startups inherently involve wearing multiple hats, and the first product manager is no exception. In the early days, product managers often have to step into roles that would otherwise be handled by an entire team at a larger company, including UX research, data analysis, customer support, and project management. A technical PM who's comfortable with this diversity of responsibilities can often fill these roles more effectively, thanks to a baseline understanding of each domain's technical demands. For example, they might not be UI/UX designers, but they can make intelligent design decisions based on their technical understanding of what can be built efficiently.

A technical product manager can also contribute directly to code, set up automated reporting, build early prototypes, or conduct data analysis without always needing to lean on engineering resources. This autonomy is invaluable in fast-paced startups, where time is of the essence and every team member's contribution counts toward rapid iteration.

In the end, at startups every hire counts. Your first PM hire will shape not just the product, but the entire company's direction. With a technical product manager leading the way, you best position your startup to maintain technical integrity, bridge the gap between user needs and development realities, and ultimately, find product-market fit.