Abdul Osama (عبدول أسامة) suggests choosing your place in an AI-era team by asking which stage of a product you can handle well. He describes five roles, from testing an idea to looking after a product once it is running and selling. They are a way to think about contribution, not a set of job titles every team must use.
“The value now is less in your job title than in the stage you can take on and manage.” — Abdul Osama
What are the five roles?
AI, or artificial intelligence, is a broad term for technology that performs tasks commonly associated with human intelligence. Abdul orders these roles by the stage of the product they address:
| Role | Contribution | |---|---| | Prototyper | Quickly turns a raw idea into an MVP—a minimum viable product, or early version suitable for testing—to check market interest and whether the idea solves a problem. | | Builder | Takes the tested idea and develops a stronger, more detailed product that can be used over the longer term. | | Sweeper | Organizes technical work after prototyping and building. Abdul mentions APIs—interfaces that let software systems exchange data or functions—and hosting, which makes the product available to run. | | Grower | Expands the ready product through content, advertising, sales, distribution and partnerships. | | Maintainer | Looks after the product once it is working and selling, tracking performance, improving efficiency, developing the product and sustaining sales and growth. |
In numbers
- Five roles make up Abdul’s framework.
- He places Sweeper third, after Prototyper and Builder.
How do you choose?
Abdul recommends trying all five roles while working on an idea. Notice which one you do well, enjoy and willingly explore in detail. His point is that being only “a programmer” or only “a marketer” may be less useful than knowing where you can contribute as the product develops.
“See which of these things you’re best at, and decide to focus on it from now on.” — Abdul Osama
