Frame AI Adoption As Continuous Progress

LinkedIn's full stack builder model reimagines product development for an era where the pace of change exceeds our ability to respond. The traditional product development process has become overly complex, with specialized roles and numerous sub-steps that slow down innovation.

Tomer Cohen believes technology should be about empowerment—what it enables us to do, not what it does for us. This perspective led to creating a development meritocracy where builders can take ideas to market regardless of their role. By 2030, the skills required for most jobs will change by 70%, making this transformation both an opportunity and a necessity.

The full stack builder approach collapses organizational complexity by focusing on five key human traits: vision, empathy, communication, creativity, and most importantly, judgment. Everything else is being automated through AI agents and tools. This creates nimble, adaptive teams that can match the pace of change with their pace of response—similar to how Navy SEALs operate in small, cross-trained pods focused on the mission rather than specialized functions.

For leaders implementing similar models, Cohen emphasizes three critical components: platform (rearchitecting systems so AI can reason over them), tools (building specialized agents for different functions), and culture (the most challenging but essential element). Cultural transformation requires changing performance expectations, piloting success stories, celebrating wins, and making tools accessible with feedback loops.

The most successful adopters have been top performers with a growth mindset who continuously seek to improve their craft. This contradicts the assumption that AI primarily helps less skilled workers—instead, those with agency, fluency with new tools, and a desire to grow benefit most regardless of their formal role.

For teams considering this approach, Cohen advises: "If you're waiting for a formal reorganization to start building differently, you're waiting too long." The incentives between individual career growth and organizational needs are aligned—both benefit from being at the cutting edge of how products are built. Progress should be viewed as continuous improvement rather than reaching a fixed end state, with the focus on becoming better than competitors in how you build.