Cagan argues "product owner" is not a legitimate standalone job title — it was popularized by agile coaches without real product backgrounds, layered onto delivery-focused Scrum practice rather than the broader Product Model (vs. Roadmap Model) competencies of Product Strategy, Discovery (Product Discovery Process), and the Product Leader Role Definition.
The only legitimate use of the term is narrow: a specific delivery-team responsibility resembling Scrum's Certified/Professional Scrum Product Owner (CSPO/PSPO) role, not a substitute for an actual product manager. Treating "product owner" as equivalent to "product manager" is one contributor to Cosplaying the Product Model, since it lets a company claim product-management coverage without the underlying competency.
Cagan singles out CSPO/PSPO (Certified/Professional Scrum Product Owner) training as covering only backlog-prioritization mechanics — a narrow delivery-side slice — not the broader value/viability work of a real product manager. Quote: "just contrast that with what they teach in a cspo class — I mean, we're not even in the same planet." Treat CSPO/PSPO as insufficient preparation for the PM role when designing role expectations.
Cagan locates the source of bad "product owner" practice not in Scrum's original definition of the role, but in agile coaches without real product backgrounds teaching it — they taught the ceremony (backlog grooming, story writing) without the substance (discovery, business viability, strategic context) because that's what they themselves knew. The framework isn't the culprit; the transmission mechanism is.
Cagan notes many people carrying the "product owner" title were certified by agile coaches with no actual product experience, reinforcing that the title names a role inside a delivery process, not a job or a discipline.
Cagan traces part of the confusion to certification: many people holding the 'Product Owner' title were certified by agile coaches with no product management experience, reinforcing 'Product Owner' as a career identity rather than a role inside a delivery process (implicitly Scrum).
Avoid listing 'product owner' as a job title on a résumé/LinkedIn; treat it as a process role rather than a career identity.
Из тем: The Product Operating Model