FOMO in AI Product Management
The Silent Productivity Killer & A Surprise Rooted in FOMO 😉
#beyondAI - Let me be honest: I've experienced FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) more times than I'd like to admit. Even with all my experience, FOMO still sneaks up on me. If you're feeling it too, you're not alone. We all go through it, and it's okay. Don't judge yourself for those thoughts.
Here's how it often happens: I'm in the middle of building an AI product with my team. We've had countless discussions, debated every angle, and made what we believed was the best decision at the time. For instance, we might settle on a specific machine learning architecture after weighing the pros and cons extensively. In that moment, it feels right. It feels like we've done our homework, knowing that it's about progress, not perfection.
The next day, I log onto LinkedIn, and there it is - a post about a newer, better architecture being the future of AI, or a company doubling their efficiency by using it. Suddenly, I question everything. Did we make the right choice? Should we have chosen this other architecture? Maybe we missed something crucial.
And just like that, the seed of doubt is planted.
It's surprising how quickly confidence can unravel because of a single event. In moments like this, I have to take a deep breath and remind myself: we made our decisions thoughtfully, using all the information we had. It wasn't rushed; it was rooted in careful deliberation. But FOMO doesn't care about logic. It's relentless, whispering that maybe we got it wrong. If I don't address it, that seed of doubt turns into anxiety. I've had sleepless nights, with FOMO stealing my rest. It sounds dramatic, but FOMO is powerful. It's that lingering worry that you've missed out on something better, that haunts you in quiet moments. But acknowledging it, facing it head-on, is what helps me move past it and refocus on what truly matters.
After all these years, I've realized something that helps me find peace with those doubts: it's never been about technology.
But FOMO still hits me sometimes. I've learned to manage it. It's natural to feel drawn to the new and shiny, but what really matters is staying focused on the core problem we're solving. Today, I acknowledge those feelings without letting them dictate my decisions. Instead, I use them as reminders to reassess our choices thoughtfully, without losing sight of our goals. Staying grounded in what truly matters is the key to navigating the noise.
The Moment I Realized It’s Not About the Tech
For a long time, I thought success in AI product management was about staying ahead of the technology curve. The industry moves fast, and I felt I had to keep up with every new advancement to build successful products. But over time, I realized that wasn't the key. Take Facebook, for example. When they first launched, they didn't use the latest technology. They used older programming languages and frameworks, even though more advanced options were available. But that didn't matter - they still became successful. The same goes for countless other successful companies. Their early success wasn’t defined by whether they had the newest tech. It was defined by whether they were solving a real problem in a way that resonated with their audience. The technology could always be upgraded later, but the value was in the solution itself.
How FOMO Misleads You
FOMO can become dangerous for AI product managers. When you start chasing the latest technology, you risk losing focus on what really matters. I’ve seen this happen firsthand. Teams get excited about the latest machine learning models or the newest algorithm, but when you ask them, “How does this help the user?”, well, they stumble.
FOMO can mislead you into thinking that staying on the cutting edge is the key to success. But users don’t care if you’re using the most advanced AI model. They care about whether your product solves their problem. They won't ask if it was done in the best possible way.
I’ve worked with teams that spent months developing AI models only to realize later that they weren’t solving the right problem. Why? Because they were more focused on the tech than on understanding the user’s pain points. They fell into the FOMO trap of thinking that cutting-edge AI was the key to success.
And guess what?
It’s not.
Through the years, I’ve had countless conversations with fellow AI product managers, peers, and aspiring professionals - many of them through LinkedIn connections, phone calls, or conferences. One thing that stands out is that nearly everyone in the AI space has wrestled with FOMO at some point.
I’ve talked to AI leads who, after attending a conference, questioned their entire tech stack. They felt that since they weren’t using the “latest and greatest,” they might be falling behind. I’ve had LinkedIn chats with people who admitted that they had to fight the urge to overhaul their approach because they saw others hyping a new AI model on social media. The worry is always the same: What if I’m missing out on something better?
In one particular conversation at a conference, I spoke with a product manager who was hesitant about finalizing their AI solution because they’d read about an advanced new algorithm a week prior. Despite months of work, they felt pulled toward rethinking their entire approach just because of something new that popped up.
The truth is, these conversations reinforced what I’d already learned from my own experiences: that FOMO isn’t something unique to a few people. It’s a shared experience, especially in an industry where the pace of innovation is relentless. But every time we allow FOMO to make decisions for us, we risk losing focus on the real goal.
FOMO is also prevalent among aspiring professionals. A few months ago, I had a call with a young aspiring professional who asked me how I deal with the numerous tech innovations in the field of AI and how I keep pace with these advancements. Sure, I was proud that someone wanted to hear my strategy, but I also knew that I hadn't entirely figured it out myself. I told him: "I don't. That's a game we can't win, I guess."
In our field, we will inevitably feel overwhelmed. We'll constantly ask ourselves: What should I learn first? How deep should I go? Many of us fall into this trap because we spend so much time on social media. The constant exposure to the latest and greatest can easily affect our daily decisions, making us feel like we're always behind. Social media isn't just a threat to teenagers' self-esteem. It also impacts us as professionals, creating unrealistic expectations and distractions that pull us away from what truly matters.
Real-Life Examples That Prove the Point
Let’s dig deeper into some well-known examples to illustrate how FOMO can lead us astray and how focusing on the problem is what really matters.
Example 1: Amazon’s Early Days
Amazon didn’t start with the most sophisticated AI systems in its early days. They didn’t have cutting-edge recommendation algorithms right from the get-go. What they had was a simple website that solved a key problem: it made buying books online easier than going to a physical store. Once they nailed that user experience, they scaled and optimized with advanced algorithms. But that came later.
Imagine if Amazon had focused on building the most advanced technology first, without addressing the basic pain point of ease and convenience. They might never have gotten off the ground.
Example 2: Netflix’s Transition
When Netflix began, it was a DVD rental company—not exactly a technology disruptor. They weren’t using bleeding-edge AI or machine learning models. But they identified a crucial problem: people wanted movies delivered to their homes, no late fees attached. Only after they solved this problem did they pivot to streaming, and eventually, into sophisticated AI-powered recommendation systems.
Once again, the focus wasn’t on technology but on solving a problem that mattered to their users.
Why FOMO Affects AI Product Managers More Intensely and Strategies to Manage It
AI is a field that evolves rapidly. New models, architectures, and techniques are constantly emerging, and it’s easy to feel like you need to keep up with every single one. Social media amplifies this feeling, with everyone sharing the “next big thing” in AI.
As AI product managers, we have to resist the urge to chase every trend. Instead, we should stay focused on the fundamentals: What problem are we solving? How are we delivering value to our users and our business? And can we do it sustainably?
It’s tempting to jump on every AI bandwagon, but doing so can lead to wasted time, resources, and effort. In the end, success in AI product management isn’t about being the first to use the latest technology.
Over the years, I’ve developed a strategy to manage FOMO. Here’s what works for me:
Stick to your decision, but stay open to learning.
When my team makes a decision about a specific architecture or model, I trust that we’ve done our homework. But I also stay open to learning about advancements. I don’t change course just because there’s a shiny new tool on the horizon - I only revisit our decision if there’s a compelling reason to do so, grounded in solving the user’s problem.
Focus on the problem, not the technology.
I remind myself constantly that users care about solutions, not the technology behind them. If our product solves their problem effectively, that’s what counts. The technology is just the means to an end. If simpler tech can do the job, then that’s the right choice.
Success isn’t about being first with new tech.
This was a big one for me. I used to feel like we had to be at the forefront of every AI advancement to stay competitive. But that’s not true. Some of the most successful products didn’t start with the best tech—they started by solving the right problem. The tech can always be improved later, once you’ve found product-market fit and are scaling.
Technology should evolve, but only after the solution is proven.
It’s important to understand that technology will naturally evolve as your product matures. But you don’t need to chase every new development before you’ve proven that your solution works. Let your technology mature with your product, not the other way around.
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Now, as I said, I'm still struggling with FOMO. I realized that the more I'm on social media, the more it happens. But well, especially in the last year, I needed to be more often on LinkedIn as I had committed myself to creating a new habit: the habit of regular writing and overcoming my fear of publishing my thoughts to a larger audience. Every achievement has its cost. But it seems that one of those costs also led to discovering groundbreaking AI products.
One particular product caught my attention lately. And since this issue is all about FOMO - and because FOMO is human, and I’m human too - I couldn’t resist experimenting with the latest AI hype:
So, maybe FOMO isn’t entirely negative?
Maybe it enables us to discover new things, have new insights, and find new approaches to reach our ambitions?
Yes, maybe.
If FOMO leads us to discoveries without distracting us from our main goals, and if we use those discoveries thoughtfully instead of just consuming information, then perhaps FOMO can have a bright side.
Listen to my discoveries and experiments rooted in FOMO:
My very first AI-created podcast.
Enjoy listening 😊
JBK 🕊