New line of responsibility between the marketing and engineering teams

Marketing teams now handle engineering workflows as AI tools blur traditional boundaries. Dave Steer, CMO at Webflow, explains how marketers are gaining developer superpowers while maintaining distinct responsibilities. He outlines how marketing owns vision creation while engineering ensures reliability and infrastructure. The discussion covers how no-code platforms enable marketers to build technical solutions while preserving the critical need for engineering expertise in enterprise environments.
About the speaker

Dave Steer

Webflow

- Webflow

Dave is is Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow

Episode Chapters

  • 00:37: Marketing Vision vs Engineering Reliability

    The division of responsibilities in the AI era, where marketing teams own the creative vision while engineering teams ensure system reliability and security.

  • 01:18: Marketers Becoming Technical Builders

    The evolution of marketing roles into technical positions, with marketers now writing code, handling error logs, and building engineering workflows instead of traditional creative work.

  • 02:14: Interco ected Team Dependencies

    How marketing and engineering teams have become more interco ected and interdependent than ever before, with traditional boundaries dissolving and roles converging.

Episode Summary

  • The Evolving Boundary Between Marketing and Engineering Teams

    Introduction

    Dave Steer, CMO of Webflow, brings over two decades of experience leading marketing at category-defining companies like GitLab, Cloudflare, Facebook, and Twitter. In his conversation with Benjamin Shapiro, Steer explores how the traditional boundaries between marketing and engineering teams are shifting in the age of AI and no-code tools, offering practical insights for navigating this transformation while maintaining enterprise-grade reliability.

  • The Blurred Lines of Modern Marketing Technology

    The rise of vibe coding and no-code platforms has fundamentally changed how marketing teams operate. Steer describes the relationship between marketing and engineering as "blurry," while acknowledging that distinct responsibilities remain. "Marketing owns the vision, engineering owns the reliability," he emphasizes, highlighting a critical balance that many organizations struggle to maintain. This division becomes especially important as companies move upmarket, where trust, reliability, safety, and security become non-negotiable requirements for brand success.

  • The Marketer as Engineer

    Benjamin Shapiro's perspective pushes this concept further, suggesting the line isn't just blurry—it's disappearing entirely. Modern marketers find themselves writing Python scripts, debugging JavaScript, analyzing log reports, and building engineering workflows. This evolution represents a dramatic shift from traditional marketing activities like creating billboards and slogans to becoming hybrid professionals who combine data science, engineering, strategy, creative, and design capabilities. The modern marketer has become "the cog in the middle of the wheel," touching every aspect of the business operation.

  • Interdependence Over Independence

    Steer offers a more nuanced view of this transformation, describing marketing and engineering teams as "more interco ected and interdependent than we ever have been." This shift moves beyond the traditional siloed approach where marketers and engineers operated in separate spheres with product management serving as the bridge. Today's reality shows these functions converging, creating new opportunities for collaboration while also introducing complexity in defining clear ownership and accountability.

  • Developer Superpowers for Everyone

    Webflow's mission to "give everybody developer superpowers" exemplifies this new paradigm. This democratization of technical capabilities enables marketers to execute their vision with greater autonomy while still relying on engineering teams for the infrastructure and reliability that enterprise customers demand. The key is finding the right balance between empowerment and expertise, ensuring that increased technical capabilities don't compromise the quality and security standards that protect brand reputation.

  • Conclusion

    The boundary between marketing and engineering continues to evolve, driven by AI advancements and no-code tools that put technical capabilities in the hands of non-technical users. While this convergence creates opportunities for faster execution and greater i ovation, successful organizations must maintain clear ownership of core responsibilities: marketers driving vision and strategy, engineers ensuring reliability and security. The future belongs to teams that embrace this interdependence while respecting the unique expertise each discipline brings to building exceptional digital experiences.
About the speaker

Dave Steer

Webflow

- Webflow

Dave is is Chief Marketing Officer at Webflow

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