When we move into Staff+ roles, our responsibilities extend beyond just writing code. We need to understand not just *how* to build something, but *what* we're building, *why* it matters, and *what happens after we ship it*.

In a world where code is easier and faster to produce, AI is forcing us to confront what software engineering should have been about all along – it's even more important to understand what we're building and why.

In this talk, we'll explore three dimensions of product thinking for technical leaders:

• Build the right thing: Understand users, value, and priorities, and influence what gets built rather than simply implementing requirements.
• Build something that works in the real world: Think beyond your development environment to the people who deploy, operate, diagnose, and support your software.
• Build for a future you can't predict: Make technical decisions that preserve optionality, enable evolution, and don't unnecessarily constrain future decisions.

Product thinking doesn't mean becoming a product manager or abandoning technical depth. It means using your engineering expertise to shape products that deliver value, survive in the real world, and evolve as needs change.