Cagan distinguishes two genuinely different competencies that get flattened into a single buzzword, 'data': decision-support data analysts — an established function roughly 20 years old, functionally similar to Product Ops — versus engineers who build data- or ML-powered features into the product itself. Treating 'data' as one emerging competency conflates a mature analytical support role with a newer, product-facing engineering discipline.
When a team says it needs 'more data people,' clarify which of the two roles is meant — the answer changes who you hire and where they sit.
Из тем: The Product Operating Model