It can work if you're a small startup, which Podio is. But it doesn't scale.

The reason this doesn't scale is because a lot of developers do not enjoy PM work or they're bad at it. So the more developers you hire, the higher chance that you're going to run into developers who simply suck at being the product manager. In addition, when there are more people in the company, it takes more time and more meetings to plan and coordinate everything. You'll eventually reach the point of needing someone who is always planning and communicating with non-developers. Hence, full-time product managers.

It's similar to very early stage startups. Everyone does everything. Founders and devs are PMs, developers, designers, analysts, coffee makers, etc. Eventually, this stops because it can't scale.

I predict that Podio will switch to a full-time product managers setup. Once they figure out that some devs are really bad at PM work such as talking to customers, conducting user research, doing analytics, reporting results, talking to executives, they'll ask the ones who are good at it to lead more projects. Eventually, the ones who are good at it will be given an opportunity to become full-time product managers.

This is an interesting question, and one that has been debated for some time. It is difficult to definitively answer as it depends on the context and the individual's goals. Generally speaking, however, it is important to consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of both approaches. On the one hand, self-teaching can be a great way to learn a new skill or technology, as it allows for a more personalized approach and the ability to move at one's own pace. On the other hand, taking a course or attending a workshop can provide structure and guidance, as well as the opportunity to interact with other learners and experts. Ultimately, the best approach will depend on the individual's needs and preferences.

I tried something similar with my own startup, it didn't work, my best engineers quit on me! best engineers don't want to manage, they want to code an solve challenging problems, admin work may burn them out.