The Punk PM #37

Hey there, punk!

It’s been a busy week so I haven’t had a lot of time to do much writing (or thinking).

As Donald Trump continues to push Europe towards a Hoth-style Battle For Greenland, though, one thing I have been thinking about is our relationship with American tech.

It’s hard to stand up to US fascism when you’re in bed with a bunch of Silicon Valley companies who are, let’s be honest, all in bed with the President.

Let’s dig into it.

Quote of the Week 🙊

Insight 🦉

Our entire digital lives run on American tech.

The phone in your pocket. The way you shop, watch TV, answer your front door. We've handed over our privacy, our security, our digital autonomy. All in exchange for convenience that only Big Tech can deliver.

We'll tell an AI chatbot things we wouldn't say out loud to our closest friends. We've convinced ourselves that Uber Eats is easier than calling the local takeaway. That scrolling through Instagram counts as spending time with people.

I grew up on eighties and nineties America. The Goonies, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones. A place where the good guys won and evil got what it deserved. Maybe it can be that again. Right now though, I'm not sure I want to sell my soul for next-day delivery.

So what's this got to do with product management?

Actually, quite a lot.

I'm not saying we should all go rogue and abandon American tech. If we did, most of us wouldn't have jobs for very long.

But we do need to be conscious of the choices we're making.

The post-war order is fracturing. Power's reshaping the world. And in that world, privacy, security, and personal ownership matter more than ever.

As product managers, we have a responsibility to keep people safe when they use what we build. That means thinking hard about what we do with their data, and who we share it with.

The world isn't going back. So it's time to put people before politics.

Action 🚀

Next week, take a look at the role Big Tech plays in your product.

Are you happy with it? What would you change?

Pick a platform or integration you use and see if there’s an European, privacy-centric alternative.

Inspiration 💡

How I'm Building a Trump-Proof Tech Stack Without Big Tech – Joan Westenberg makes the case for ditching US-based platforms before political instability forces your hand. As democratic norms weaken and legal safeguards crumble, data sovereignty isn't paranoia, it's pragmatism. The trade-off? Convenience for control. Read more

The Opt-out Project – Janet Vertesi's decade-long experiment proves you can stay digitally connected without handing Big Tech the keys to your life. This isn't about going off-grid, it's about reclaiming agency without sacrificing participation. Practical, tested, and refreshingly non-dogmatic. Read more

Why BlueSky Needs W Social To Succeed – Darnell Clayton warns that decentralisation means nothing if everyone's still using the same app. W Social and other AT Protocol alternatives aren't competitors to Bluesky, they're insurance against single points of failure. When geopolitics meets infrastructure, redundancy is resilience. Read more

Signing Off ✍️

If this resonates with you, hit reply and let me know. And if you think a friend or colleague would enjoy The Punk PM, feel free to share it with them!

Play it your way,

Toby