What is the difference between a Product Owner and a Product Manager?
A Product Owner owns the backlog and sprint-level execution within a Scrum team; a Product Manager owns the broader product strategy, market positioning, and cross-team roadmap — many small companies merge both into one role.
Full Answer
The Product Owner role is defined by the Scrum framework: they own the product backlog, define acceptance criteria, and are accountable for maximizing the value of the team's output sprint over sprint. It is an execution-focused, team-embedded role.
The Product Manager role is broader and framework-agnostic: market research, pricing, competitive positioning, and roadmap across multiple teams. In larger organizations these are distinct roles reporting differently; in startups, one person frequently does both — which is worth naming directly if asked in an interview.
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