The Product role also has Producer responsibilities. This is necessary in a startup but not so much after two acquisitions. It reduces the amount of time available to focus on Product items and stunts growth as a Product Manager. Separate these responsibilities into two roles.
I found the negativity (or lack of positivity) from some middle managers to be disappointing. The negativity breeds doubt, questions about one's value at the company and about the exec team or company itself. Some things should/should not be said around their teams or other teams! This doesn't mean they can't be transparent; it just means that they need to position the truth from a different angle (I.e. glass half full) and remember that some people are really impacted by negative rumors. I heard multiple rumors about my project that I knew were half truths, but it was still annoying to hear this from my peer, who should not have been spreading rumors without all the facts.