Founder-Market Fit Through PM Archetypes
by Peter Dang on June 22, 2025
Peter Dang believes that product leaders need to understand their natural strengths and find environments where those strengths can flourish rather than trying to force themselves into a standard mold. Through his experience across Facebook, Instagram, Uber, and OpenAI, he's observed that different types of product managers excel in different contexts.
He identifies five distinct PM archetypes, each with their own natural tendencies and strengths: Consumer PMs (half designer, obsessed with craft and details), Growth PMs (data-driven skeptics who love experimentation), Business/GM PMs (focused on business models and value creation), Platform PMs (builders of tools and systems that help others move faster), and Research/AI PMs (bridging product with technical research).
Dang emphasizes that everyone has a primary and secondary archetype, and this natural wiring significantly impacts where they'll thrive. As he explains, "If you put a consumer PM into a really boring regulated industry, they're probably gonna get frustrated and they're probably not gonna see it through." Conversely, when you find founders whose natural tendencies align perfectly with their market, "you look at the pitch and you're like, 'Wow, this is you. You are really passionate about this problem.'"
For product people and founders, this perspective suggests taking time to honestly assess your natural tendencies rather than trying to emulate a standard "great PM" archetype. The best product work happens when your inherent strengths align with what the business needs. For investors and hiring managers, this means evaluating not just skills but whether someone's natural orientation matches the challenges they'll face, as this alignment creates the resilience needed for the inevitable difficult periods in building products.
Types of Product Managers
Consumer PM: Half designer, obsessed with craft and user experience Growth PM: Half data scientist, skeptical and experiment-driven Business/GM PM: Half MBA, focused on business models and value creation Platform PM: Loves building tools and systems for others Research/AI PM: Bridges product thinking with deep technical understanding
The right PM type for a given product depends on the market, company stage, and specific challenges being faced. The most effective teams include a mix of these archetypes creating productive tension between different perspectives.