Agency

Overview

Agency is both a product-management capability and, in the newsletter context, the name of an open-source AI tool associated with AI agent orchestration. As a capability, it refers to a PM’s ability to take initiative, make decisions under ambiguity, and independently drive outcomes. In AI product management, this concept expands further: AI can act as an amplifier for research, synthesis, planning, and execution, allowing PMs to move faster with greater leverage.

Agency matters to AI Product Managers because modern PM work increasingly depends on coordinating models, tools, and workflows rather than just writing specs or prioritizing roadmaps. The term appeared in two distinct but complementary ways: first as a future-defining PM skill highlighted by Lenny Rachitsky, and later as one of several open-source AI tools used to streamline agentic systems. Together, these mentions position Agency as both a mindset and an operational layer for AI-native product work.

Key Developments

• 2026-01-11: Lenny Rachitsky identified Agency as one of four essential future PM skills, alongside Intuition, Clarity, and Taste. In this framing, agency means proactively creating momentum and driving results rather than waiting for direction.
• 2026-03-14: Agency was featured as one of seven open-source AI tools demonstrated for streamlining AI workflows, particularly around AI agent orchestration. It appeared alongside Prompt Fu, Mirrorish, Impeccable, Open Viking, Heretic, and Nano Chat.

Relevance to AI PMs

• Operationalizing agentic workflows: If Agency is used for orchestration, PMs can apply it to prototype multi-step AI systems, test how agents hand off work, and better understand where automation creates value versus complexity.
• Upgrading PM leverage: As a capability, agency is a reminder that AI tools should not just save time; they should help PMs independently generate options, pressure-test decisions, and move initiatives forward with less dependency on manual coordination.
• Evaluating AI product design tradeoffs: Agency-like tools can help PMs explore when agentic systems are appropriate, what level of autonomy is safe, and how much human oversight is needed before shipping AI-powered features.

Related

• Prompt Fu: Closely related through prompt testing and evaluation; useful for validating prompts and exposing vulnerabilities in systems orchestrated by Agency.
• Mirrorish: Mentioned alongside Agency as part of an open-source AI tooling stack; likely complementary in prediction or model-behavior workflows.
• Impeccable: Connected through AI-assisted UI design, which may sit downstream from orchestration and product prototyping workflows.
• Open Viking: Related via context management, an important dependency for reliable agent orchestration.
• Heretic: Another tool from the same set, associated with model de-censoring and experimentation at the model layer.
• Nano Chat: Connected through custom LLM training, which can complement orchestrated agent systems.
• Lenny Rachitsky: Source of the PM-skills framing that defined Agency as a core future capability.
• Intuition, Clarity, Taste: Companion PM skills that, together with Agency, describe a broader model for next-generation product leadership.