The AI era has catapulted Chief Product Officers (CPOs) from behind-the-scenes operators to the most influential leaders in the C-suite. In 2020, just 4% of Fortune 1000 companies had a CPO—today, nearly 50% do. By 2027, we expect that number to reach 70%.

At Products That Count, we’ve spent the past year interviewing nearly 1,000 CPOs—from hypergrowth startups to giants like Salesforce, Walmart, and Microsoft. The verdict? The companies winning with AI aren’t just using it to speed up workflows—they’re reinventing product leadership itself.

Here’s how the best CPOs are outmaneuvering competitors in the AI age.

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1. They Treat AI as a Launchpad, Not Just a Shortcut

While others fear job displacement, top CPOs see AI as a force multiplier.

• They ask: “How can we build something revolutionary in half the time?”
• At one global retailer, PMs using internal generative AI tools are nearly doubling efficiency—running competitive research, drafting specs, and even coding prototypes without waiting for engineers.
• The old 10:1 engineer-to-PM ratio is crumbling. AI isn’t replacing teams—it’s turning PMs into full-stack strategists.

“AI lets us punch above our weight. We’re not just optimizing—we’re reimagining.”
—CPO, Fortune 500 Retailer

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2. They Hire ‘Super PMs’—Not Just Tech Experts

The best product leaders today aren’t former engineers—they’re business-savvy generalists who know how to ask the right questions.

• “A CS degree was key 20 years ago. Now? Only one of my PMs has one.”
  —B2B SaaS CPO
• The new “Super PM” blends:
  • Product intuition
  • Customer obsession
  • AI fluency
• These leaders thrive in ambiguity, drive cross-functional alignment, and deliver business impact fast.

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3. They Lead M&A—Not Just Product

AI moves too quickly to build everything in-house. 75%+ of CPOs say M&A will be critical in the next 1-3 years—and they’re not just approving deals, they’re driving them.

• “AI and data are the new battleground. M&A is how we assemble the right arsenal.”
  —Healthcare CPO
• “As CPO, I don’t just weigh in—I sponsor acquisitions.”
  —Fintech CPO

This marks a power shift: M&A is no longer just a finance play—it’s product acceleration.

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4. They Measure What Actually Matters

Revenue still rules, but winning CPOs track deeper metrics:

✅ Time-to-value (How fast do customers see ROI?)
✅ Retention & engagement (Do they stick around?)
✅ Experimentation velocity (How quickly can we test and learn?)

“NPS won’t tell me if our pricing is right—but time-to-value will.”
—Ilan Frank, CPO at Checkr

This focus fuels agility: Smaller bets, tighter feedback loops, and faster pivots.

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The Bottom Line: AI Isn’t Changing Product—It’s Changing Leadership

The best CPOs aren’t just adopting AI tools—they’re rewriting the playbook:

🔹 Prioritizing adaptability over pedigree
🔹 Betting on generalists, not just specialists
🔹 Leading M&A as a growth lever
🔹 Measuring outcomes, not just output

The companies that empower this mindset aren’t just surviving the AI revolution—they’re defining it.

Are you leading—or lagging behind?

(Insights from Products That Count’s 2024 CPO Survey, featuring leaders from Salesforce, Microsoft, Walmart, and more.)