The rise of the tech generalist: Who’s leading the next wave of innovation?

The clear-cut lines between engineering, product, and AI roles are blurring. Gone are the days when people climbed straight up the ladder in one direction. What’s emerging now is something more dynamic, with opportunities that mirror the complexity of modern tech itself. 

So we want to talk about the tech generalist: the cross-disciplinary leader who can connect dots, solve multidimensional problems, and power the next wave of innovation.

Why career paths are evolving from ladder to lattice 

The traditional career path was straight up a single ladder. But it’s becoming less and less relevant, because it’s a model built for a different time. 

Now, the career lattice is taking hold. It’s a growth model where you move vertically, sideways, or diagonally through roles and sectors. 

Large organisations including Cisco, Deloitte and Thomson Reuters are already embedding career lattices into their frameworks, to enable employees to diversify and pivot. And as well as providing flexible opportunities for employees, it’s also a strategic move for the companies themselves – with the potential to increase retention significantly. 

Why? Because people don’t stay in the same role for their whole working lives these days. In the US, research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that adults have held, on average, 12 jobs by the age of 55. And according to a career progression survey by Lattice, 76% of employees would leave their job if they felt stuck – highlighting the reality that career flexibility is no longer optional.

But what’s the case for generalists in modern tech? 

It’s clear that people want options. But what does that mean for tech development? Don’t we need hyper-specialists to innovate, iterate, and drive the industry forwards?

We’d argue yes; we do need specialists who are laser-focused on one thing. But as technology changes, we’re probably going to need fewer of them – and we’re definitely going to need more people who can do a whole range of things. 

Tech today is about systems, integration, and acceleration. Investing in AI, steering product development, and scaling startups – they all demand breadth, not just depth. One 2025 report by SignalFire even predicts generalist engineers might outshine specialists, thanks to powerful AI tools that allow them to do incredible things without deep tech knowledge. 

Generalists bring a holistic view. They connect product-market-fit insights to engineering solutions, and embed ethics, UX, and AI responsibly. Going forward, in terms of revenue growth, businesses that emphasise adaptability have the potential to outperform those that rely on specialists. And a 2024 LinkedIn report highlighted ‘adaptability’ as the top skill of the moment, reflecting the rising demand for flexibility. 

How to spot and support generalist talent 

If you want to empower generalists in your team, start with these four steps: 

1. Enable skill mobility and cross-role learning. Let engineers shift into product roles (even if it’s only temporary). Let product managers shadow data analysts. Encourage knowledge-sharing and collaboration between roles in your team.
2. Be a champion of triangulated learning. Give people access to cross-functional training. That might be AI fundamentals for product managers or UX for engineers. The skill half-life in tech is relatively short – and a lattice helps your organisation stay ahead.
3. Reward cross-team collabs. Place real value on collaboration by making inclusive metrics part of your performance reviews. Reward your team for product-led innovation, engaging in knowledge-sharing initiatives, and working together to develop tech from multiple viewpoints.
4. Create funding and sandbox spaces. Maybe you can put together an internal incubator or innovation workshop series that enables generalists to take on a challenge from end-to-end; so they can bring an idea right through to deployment. 

Does the tech industry have a bias towards specialists? 

Specialisation does still matter, and particularly in certain segments. But the industry-wide preference for hyper-specialists is, necessarily, shifting. 

If we want an industry that can take hold of emerging technologies and integrate them into industries and society in meaningful ways, we have to embrace the work of the generalists. They’re the people who can see the bigger picture and spot use cases that specialists simply can’t see – because they don’t have the time to look up and assess what’s happening in the wider world. 

The generalist edge lies in flexibility and longer-term adaptability; and generalists will be key to enabling the next wave of innovation. 

So now is the time for tech leaders to build a generalist-ready culture. Map out your career lattice, to clarify all routes for progression; rotate talent across roles and learning opportunities; and actively support cross-functionality by pairing people with mentors outside their expertise. 

The next wave of genuinely impactful innovation won’t come from silos. It needs visionaries who can span tech, product, data, ethics, and business. If you want to future-proof your organisation and empower real change, start building the structures that support these flexible paths – where talent can leap across domains and add value in ever-changing ways.