Managers today spend most of their week fielding requests, chasing answers across teams and approving routine tasks. Huw Slater, founder of readywhen, says roughly a third of those activities can be handled by AI, reshaping the role of VPs who once rose on technical or commercial expertise. The shift threatens to replace craft with coordination. These inefficiencies inflate overhead and distract leaders from growth initiatives.

The most effective VPs juggle three modes: staying close enough to the craft to make informed decisions, coaching their teams, and driving execution. Leah Sutton of Balderton Capital observes that curiosity, communication and trust remain essential, but AI‑driven tools now consume the bulk of a manager’s time, leaving little room for those core modes. Without reclaiming focus, managers risk becoming bottlenecks that slow product cycles.

Companies that treat the freed time as a disciplined practice let VPs return to architecture decisions or customer negotiations, rather than becoming a digital post‑box. Lenke Taylor of Personio warns that a purely transactional workflow fuels burnout and drags productivity. Firms that embed AI to automate coordination can preserve senior talent for high‑value work, strengthening long‑term performance. Early adopters report faster decision cycles and higher employee satisfaction as a result.