I'm not a PM, but I partner closely with them and also interview them. At LinkedIn, most of our PMs have both an MBA and a technical background of some sort. Ma

I'm not a PM, but I partner closely with them and also interview them. At LinkedIn, most of our PMs have both an MBA and a technical background of some sort. Many have also started companies of their own in the past. We actually DO have junior PM roles -- "Associate Product Manager" positions that are designed to ease people into the PM path and let them grow into the full skill set. Key skills are ruthless prioritization (project manager skills) plus product vision. A great PM can look at a bunch of information (our current assets, market trends, internal and external data, etc), develop a vision of what our future should look like, convert it into a practical roadmap to get us there, and herd all the cats to actually make it happen.