The engineering manager role is splitting in two

2026-06-09 · Source: LeadDev · Field: Technology & Digital — Software Development & Engineering, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation · Depth: Intermediate, medium

Summary

The traditional engineering manager (EM) role is splitting into two distinct paths by 2026, driven by AI's impact on team structures and productivity. Historically, teams comprised a product manager, EM, designer, and 6-7 engineers. However, companies like Meta are experimenting with flattened structures, such as a 50-to-1 employee-to-manager ratio in its applied AI engineering team, far exceeding the <10 optimal range cited by Gallup and Happily.ai. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy mandated a 15% increase in IC-to-manager ratio, and Gartner predicts 20% of organizations will use AI to eliminate over half of middle management by 2026. This shift, coupled with product managers generating prototypes with AI tools like Claude Code, reduces the need for large engineering teams. Consequently, the EM role is evolving into either a tech lead manager (TLM) who remains close to code on small 3-4 person teams, or a multi-team EM managing many smaller teams across product areas with a non-technical focus, potentially reaching ratios like 50-to-1.

Key takeaway

For engineering managers or senior engineers considering a management path, you must assess your company's trajectory regarding EM roles. Determine if your organization is leaning towards a tech lead manager model, requiring deep technical judgment and coding, or a multi-team EM model, demanding cross-domain people management skills. Your preparation for career advancement will differ significantly based on this assessment, so actively seek signals like manager-to-IC ratios or leadership's terminology to align your skill development.

Key insights

The engineering manager role is bifurcating into technical lead managers and non-technical multi-team managers due to AI-driven team flattening.

Principles

• AI adoption flattens organizational structures.
• Optimal manager-to-IC ratios are shifting.
• EM career paths now require distinct skill sets.

Method

Companies are restructuring EM roles through layoffs and reorgs, or by building selective learning programs for multi-team managers, or by creating tiered EM levels based on team count.

In practice

• Lead small workstreams to gain TLM experience.
• Develop strong AI-generated code review skills.
• Practice 1:1s with technically diverse reports.

Topics

• Engineering Management
• Organizational Flattening
• Tech Lead Manager
• AI Impact on Management
• Manager-to-IC Ratio
• Career Development

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Executive, Software Engineer, Director of AI/ML

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by LeadDev.