Why Great Product Managers Are So Rare: A Real‑World Story

I once knew a product manager from Alibaba (originally from UC) who, after the acquisition, developed a habit of testing every newly released smartphone as soon as it hit the market.

He would purchase the latest phone within a week or a month, use it intensively for a period, then resell it. Financially the gains and losses balanced out, but the experience kept his sense of smartphone usability exceptionally sharp.

This continuous exposure gave him high industry sensitivity, an up‑to‑date feel for new products, and a deep understanding of user experience, which the author argues is essential for a product manager to have genuine evaluation authority.

The author reflects that he does not know whether the PM writes formal reports or shares the insights with leadership, but the mere persistence of hands‑on testing over many years, even after changing jobs, is a strong differentiator.

The same principle applies in the automotive field: a few enthusiasts buy and test‑drive the newest cars, sometimes swapping them after a few months, to maintain a fresh perspective on vehicle trends.

Thus, maintaining deep, ongoing product experience and staying sensitive to industry changes constitute the basic professional ethic of a product manager; doing so naturally leads to excellence.