[hn_throwaway_99]

I actually think this other comment on this thread says it best: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36326151. I've worked with a bunch of "Tom from Office Space" product managers in my career.

I've seen lots of product managers who basically just "facilitate" between stakeholders (e.g. between engineering, business execs, and customers) but don't actually add much value to the primary job of product management, which should be defining, in detail, how the product should actually work.