Beyond the buzzwords: The 2025 product lessons you need to win in 2026
Let’s be honest: By the end of 2025, it felt like we’d reached peak AI hype. Every tool suddenly became “LLM-powered.” Every roadmap pitch featured “agentic workflows,” “AI copilots,” and “context engineering.” Across the industry, teams were pressured to “implement AI” everywhere, whether or not it solved a real problem.
We’re going beyond the buzzwords to unpack what actually happened in 2025, and to discuss what product teams need to prepare for in 2026.
What's covered?
The buzzwords that defined 2025
The industry’s most overhyped concepts, from “agentic workforce” to “LLM-powered,” unpacked by leaders who lived the consequences.
The uncomfortable operational truths of 2025
Why AI crushed micro tasks but collapsed on strategy, and what that reveals about your systems.
The 2026 product leadership playbook
What winning teams will do differently: portfolio direction, insight-linked roadmaps, systems unification, governance, context engineering, and conversational UX.
What it means to win in 2026
Not building more AI, but creating the conditions where AI and humans succeed together.
About this eBook
This report gathers insights from three product leaders to look at what from 2025 is worth carrying forward, what should be left behind, and what new trends we expect to shape product leadership in 2026. Not just as buzzwords, but as practical, strategic realities that can put your teams ahead. Featuring:
Lauren Kearney, Director of Health & Platform Products at Twitch
Chris Butler, Director of Product Operations at GitHub
Malte Scholz, Head of Product at airfocus by Lucid
