It’s not just hype—AI-native companies are building entirely new playbooks, and the go-to-market (GTM) world may never be the same.
In episode 117 of Topline, hosts Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and AJ Bruno explore new data from Iconiq that lays bare the emerging structural differences between AI-native organizations and their more traditional peers. From headcount allocation to talent strategy and organizational design, the contours of modern GTM are shifting fast—and permanently.
The Rise of the RevOps Powerhouse
One of the most striking insights from Iconiq’s data is the elevated role of RevOps in AI-native orgs. Companies born in the AI era are allocating 9% of their GTM headcount to RevOps, compared to just 6% in non-AI companies. This isn’t just a reallocation—it’s a transformation.
As Sam points out, what we’re seeing is a shift toward “technical orchestration.” These RevOps roles aren’t merely ops managers—they’re AI engineers, GTM technologists, and orchestrators of agent-led workflows. In AJ’s case at Quotapath, the AIOps leader isn’t just managing dashboards—he is the SDR team, directing AI agents to drive pipeline and learning from every experiment.
The future GTM team may be lean, but it will be incredibly sophisticated, built around technical talent with cross-functional orchestration capabilities rather than task-based execution.
Post-Sales Becomes the New Growth Engine
Another headline stat: AI-native companies dedicate 31% of GTM headcount to post-sales, compared to 22% in non-AI companies. This isn't just about customer success—it’s about commercializing value after the sale, building enterprise-grade onboarding, and expanding within accounts by showing real ROI.
AJ shared how companies like Codium are creating dedicated post-onboarding teams that go beyond technical implementation—they connect the dots between product usage and organizational impact. That shift reflects a broader understanding: in a world where AI tools are accessible and freemium models are ubiquitous, the true commercial advantage lies in activating and expanding real customers—not just signing them.
Marketing Gets Leaner (But Not Weaker)
Interestingly, AI-native orgs allocate fewer resources to traditional marketing—13% of GTM headcount vs. 17% in non-AI orgs. But this doesn’t mean they market less. Instead, they operate differently: optimizing for virality, founder-led storytelling, and unconventional distribution channels like vertical video and X-native media.
Founders of these companies aren't asking permission to build brand—they're becoming the brand. And the result is outsized reach with leaner teams, driven by real-time experimentation and culturally resonant content.
As Asad noted, “What used to be dismissed as unscalable—virality, UGC, and founder-led marketing—is now the moat.”
What This Means for Talent (and the Rest of Us)
This new GTM architecture is not just changing what org charts look like—it’s redefining what talent is valuable. AI-savvy professionals like Brandon Smith (Quotapath’s AIOps lead) are positioning themselves to be irreplaceable by mastering the tooling and strategy that defines this new era. Meanwhile, demand is skyrocketing for people who can orchestrate, adapt, and move quickly in ambiguous environments.
For operators, this moment is a window. As Sam put it, “You don’t need a playbook—ChatGPT can write you a playbook. You need a network. You need people who are doing the thing and sharing how.”
Listen to the Full Episode
Listen to E117 on Spotify or Apple. New episodes drop every Sunday and Thursday.
This episode also unpacks:
- The Figma S-1 and how revenue quality is being redefined
- Why SDRs are disappearing and agent-led GTM is taking over
- The war for talent between Meta and OpenAI—and what it signals about the next frontier in AI compensation and organizational value
Key chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction to Topline Podcast
- (01:44) - Social Media Attacks and Community Dynamics
- (10:08) - AI Native Companies vs Non-Native Companies
- (12:58) - Insights from Iconic Data on Go-To-Market Strategies
- (37:16) - Figma's S1 and Revenue Retention Metrics
- (53:02) - The Talent War: Meta vs OpenAI
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