Crypto exchange Coinbase has sharply redefined the role of managers as it restructures around artificial intelligence. It will not have “pure managers” dedicated only to management, and all leaders must also take part in hands-on work.

Business Insider reported on Tuesday that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (브라이언 암스트롱) set out the new principle in a layoff notice sent to employees.

Armstrong said “there will be no pure managers at Coinbase.” He wrote that every leader must be a strong and active contributor, and that managers should move like “player-coaches” who take on work directly with their teams. It means the company will demand practical contributions as well as organisational oversight from managers.

The message aligns with a broader shift in which AI adoption is changing workforce management. As companies use AI to make organisations leaner and adjust cost structures, managers are being asked to take on roles that differ from the past. Alongside its layoff announcement, Coinbase set out standards that also change the manager profile itself.

The change is not limited to Coinbase. Meta has begun changing the titles of some managers to “organisation lead,” and Block has embraced the term “player-coach.” The titles differ, but the common point is clear. Companies are moving away from giving managers only instruction and coordination roles and are making actual work-execution capability a core evaluation standard.

The number of people overseen by each manager is also rising. Data Gallup released in January showed the average number of direct reports per manager increased to 12.1 in 2025 from 10.9 in 2024. As organisations shrink, the scope each manager is responsible for widens, and management methods are forced to change.

The standards Coinbase presented show that pressure more clearly. Armstrong said managers should “get their hands dirty” working with their teams. The demand is that leaders not only set direction but also enter directly into deliverables and execution. In an environment where layoffs and AI adoption are progressing at the same time, it is read as a signal that Coinbase will shift to a hands-on leadership system rather than maintain managers as a separate layer.

In this flow, corporate organisational design is also changing. Cutting the number of managers or reshuffling roles is not enough, and a model is spreading that demands both a wider management span and higher practical contributions from remaining leaders. The cases of Meta, Block and Coinbase show that after AI spreads, the manager role is shifting from a job of managing people to a leader who directly creates results.

A key point to watch is whether the change will remain a temporary cost-cutting measure or settle as a standard organisational model across the tech sector. Based on the trend confirmed so far, as AI adoption expands, pressure on managers to deliver both hands-on skills and execution responsibility is growing.