What do you mean "keep in check"? In my experience people caring about the product and value that it brings to the world and having real visible impact on it don't need "keeping in check". It is important to screen for that during interviews, yes, and it won't work in feature factories and bullshit adtech that no one actually cares about, but when it's smart people in a small team working on something generally good for the world it just happens on its own. There is nothing paternalistic about it.
Maybe when it's a large dysfunctional org, yes. Ideally PMs exist to facilitate, not to "shield".
Maybe when it's a large dysfunctional org, yes. Ideally PMs exist to facilitate, not to "shield".