1 min lesson
Where PMM ends and adjacent roles begin
Explain the practical rule behind "On a flat team 'everyone does everything,' but the seams between roles still matter."
Step 1 of 3
On a flat team "everyone does everything," but the seams between roles still matter. Being crisp about where your charter ends signals you understand collaboration - a core JD requirement - instead of empire-building or stepping on a peer.
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Advanced table
Reference table
- Adjacent role
- Product Manager
- They own
- What gets built and in what order - the product itself.
- You own
- The market-facing narrative and GTM for what's built.
- The seam
- You push back on product thoughtfully; you don't own the build.
- Adjacent role
- Developer Relations
- They own
- Community credibility, hands-on advocacy, authentic presence.
- You own
- Positioning and launch strategy; the narrative the content serves.
- The seam
- You co-create developer content; DevRel brings the trusted voice.
- Adjacent role
- Growth
- They own
- Funnel mechanics - the experiments, the plumbing, the conversion machinery.
- You own
- The message and narrative the funnel carries.
- The seam
- Growth optimizes the pipe; you decide what flows through it.
- Adjacent role
- Customer Marketing
- They own
- Existing-customer lifecycle, advocacy, expansion, retention comms.
- You own
- Acquisition narrative and new-feature launch.
- The seam
- Cursor lists a separate Customer Marketing Manager - don't conflate the seats.
| Adjacent role | They own | You own | The seam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Manager | What gets built and in what order - the product itself. | The market-facing narrative and GTM for what's built. | You push back on product thoughtfully; you don't own the build. |
| Developer Relations | Community credibility, hands-on advocacy, authentic presence. | Positioning and launch strategy; the narrative the content serves. | You co-create developer content; DevRel brings the trusted voice. |
| Growth | Funnel mechanics - the experiments, the plumbing, the conversion machinery. | The message and narrative the funnel carries. | Growth optimizes the pipe; you decide what flows through it. |
| Customer Marketing | Existing-customer lifecycle, advocacy, expansion, retention comms. | Acquisition narrative and new-feature launch. | Cursor lists a separate Customer Marketing Manager - don't conflate the seats. |
Knowing the seams lets you say "I'd partner with X on Y" instead of claiming all of it.
The PMM-versus-PM line is the one the loop probes hardest, because it's where the "builder-writer who influences product" identity gets tested. You own the narrative and you're expected to disagree with product when the positioning reveals a gap. You do not own the roadmap. The honest framing is partnership with a strong point of view, not a turf claim.
Interactive diagram. Tab through its regions; each focused region shows its detail in the panel below.
Partnership with a point of view - not a turf claim and not a pushover.
The PMM-versus-DevRel line matters because both touch developer content and a clumsy candidate sounds like they'd absorb DevRel's job. The clean version: DevRel has the community's trust and the hands-on credibility; you bring the positioning and the launch architecture and the best content is co-authored so it's both credible and strategically sharp.
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Optional practice
Practice: Where PMM ends and adjacent roles begin
QHow should a PMM candidate describe the line between PMM and Product Management at Cursor without sounding like a turf-grabber or a pushover?