SaaStr: AI Transforms GTM Roles In 10 Months
AI has taken over many go-to-market roles, but the CRO remains crucial, according to SaaStr. Other roles are being redefined as AI agents assume responsibilities.
Original reporting · saastr.com
Original: “10 Months Into AI for GTM That Actually Works: The CRO Matters More Than Ever. Every Other GTM Role Is in Flux.”
Read “10 Months Into AI for GTM That Actually Works: The CRO Matters More Than Ever. Every…” at SaaStr →How this was written. Hustle Bucks wrote this article with a language model from SaaStr’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from SaaStr’s report
- AI has taken over many go-to-market roles, but the CRO remains crucial
- SDR roles are being replaced by AI agents, with some companies reducing their SDR function to almost zero
- Marketing operations, revenue operations, and finance operations are being consolidated into a few agents
- Self-serve models are closing enterprise deals, with some companies seeing significant success with this approach
- Companies will need to adapt to the changes brought about by AI in go-to-market roles to remain competitive
About 10 months into the implementation of AI for go-to-market strategies, significant changes have been observed, SaaStr reported. AI agents are now handling real motions in production, booking meetings, and closing deals. This shift has led to the absorption of various roles, including parts of sales, support, marketing operations, and revenue operations.
The CRO or VP of Sales role has become more critical than ever, while other roles are being reevaluated, according to SaaStr. The organization's experience with 3 humans and 20+ agents in production, as well as insights from GTM leaders, has shown that the CRO's role is as vital as ever. Other positions, however, are undergoing significant changes.
Five key changes have been identified in 2026, including the decline of SDR roles, the transfer of first-line support and customer success tasks to agents, and the consolidation of marketing operations, revenue operations, and finance operations into a few agents. Self-serve models are also closing enterprise deals, with 54% of Anthropic's new enterprise logos being closed through self-serve.
SaaStr's own sales team has been reduced to 1.5 people, with revenue remaining higher than before. This was achieved by replacing outbound and SDR work with agents, which now send around 3,200 emails a month. The agents' ability to write everything back has also enabled the team to concentrate on the best opportunities and trust the agents' output.
Vercel, another company, has also seen significant changes, with its SDR function being reduced from 10 people to about 1.25 people, at a cost of around $5,000 a year in infrastructure and tokens. The company moved the 10 people into higher-value roles instead of cutting them. Similarly, Vercel's support agent now handles 93% of total case load, with the hard 7% still being handled by humans.
Marketing operations, revenue operations, and finance operations are also being consolidated into a few agents. SaaStr's AI VP of Marketing, 10K, now covers finance and revenue operations as well, handling tasks such as contract signing, invoicing, and commission calculations. The operational side of customer success is also moving to agents, with the revenue side being handled by the CRO.
Anthropic, another company, has seen significant growth in sales hiring, with 117 open sales roles currently available. The company has also built an enterprise self-serve motion, which has resulted in 54% of new enterprise logos being closed self-serve. The mix of roles at Anthropic shows where the sales organization is headed, with a focus on enterprise AEs, customer success, and partners and channel.
The changes brought about by AI in go-to-market roles are expected to continue, with the CRO remaining a critical component. As AI agents assume more responsibilities, other roles will need to be redefined, and companies will need to adapt to these changes to remain competitive.
Questions and answers
What is happening to SDR roles with the implementation of AI?
SDR roles are being replaced by AI agents, with some companies reducing their SDR function to almost zero, according to SaaStr.
How are marketing operations, revenue operations, and finance operations being affected by AI?
These functions are being consolidated into a few agents, with tasks such as contract signing, invoicing, and commission calculations being handled by AI.
What is the impact of AI on customer success roles?
The operational side of customer success is moving to agents, with the revenue side being handled by the CRO, according to SaaStr.
