How do technical product managers work at Amazon? What's the difference between a PMT and a TPM?
First of all, we need to address Amazon's terminology for these roles. A technical product manager at Amazon is generally referred to as a Product-Manager-Technical (PM-T). Whereas a Technical Program Manager (TPM) is a distinct role that sits at the intersection of product, engineering and program management. An Amazon TPM is a unique role that combines business ownership over delivery with high-level technical architecture. They are usually the program glue - that brings together PMTs, engineering teams and business stakeholders on all aspects of an initiative.
However, note that this AMA is focused on the technical product-manager role or PM-T. So please make that translation whenever you see "TPM" in these questions.
1 Answer
Amazon Head of Driver Products, Amazon Relay • May 31
First of all, we need to address Amazon's terminology for these roles. A technical product manager at Amazon is generally referred to as a Product-Manager-Technical (PM-T). Whereas a Technical Program Manager (TPM) is a distinct role that sits at the intersection of product, engineering and program management. An Amazon TPM is a unique role that combines business ownership over delivery with high-level technical architecture. They are usually the program glue - that brings together PMTs, engineering teams and business stakeholders on all aspects of an initiative.
However, note that this AMA is focused on the technical product-manager role or PM-T. So please make that translation whenever you see "TPM" in these questions.
5657 Views
Related Ask Me Anything Sessions

Workiva Vice President Of Product Management, Chris Omland on Technical Product Management

Salesforce Senior Director of Product, Einstein AI, Deepak Mukunthu on Technical Product Management

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Director of Product Management, Devika Nairon Technical Product Management
Related Questions
Sometimes roadmaps can get sidelined by emergent issues or new priorities. How does Amazon reconcile executing on strategic projects while reacting quickly to emerging opportunities? What skills or background should aspiring technical product managers consider?How do you measure success of a TPM? A product launch our a successful program run does not seem to the right way to measure. Do you believe EMs can easily transition to a TPM role, if they were leading cross functional execution? What does a day-to-day activity of a TPM look like?Are TPMs as respected as EMs?