OpenAI is too big to fail… where have I heard that before?
Mostly Growth
AI's Impact on Headcount and Engineering Productivity
Kyle shares survey findings that AI reduced planned hiring, often affecting engineering, and explains nuances between layoffs and hiring slowdowns.
In this episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar dig into what it means to be useful rather than just right at work, exploring how communication, empathy, and impact matter more than technical precision as careers mature. They share candid lessons from their own paths—CJ’s focus on making others look good to earn promotions and Kyle’s evolution into a domain expert through public writing—before unpacking what separates good from great VPs of Sales with insights from Pavilion founder Sam Jacobs. The conversation then shifts to OpenAI’s “too big to fail” claims, the economic ripple effects of AI infrastructure spending, and how finance leaders can stay grounded in reality. Rounding out the episode, the hosts preview their latest research—CJ’s “Agentic Finance” report on AI in the finance stack and Kyle’s 2025 SaaS Benchmarks—and close with lighthearted banter about founder age stats, home maintenance mishaps, and the price of professional Christmas lights
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LINKS:
Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/
Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/
Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/
Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/
Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/
https://sarahcharlton.substack.com/p/from-being-right-to-being-useful
https://www.highalpha.com/saas-benchmarks
https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-state-of-the-agentic-financial-stack
https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/finance-in-2030
https://worksinprogress.co/issue/the-algorithm-will-see-you-now/
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/your-pricing-is-broken
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RELATED EPISODES:
Getting fired 4 times made me a founder | Sam Jacobs of Pavilion
How To Win at Early Stage Sales With the Guy Who Helped Take Snyk From $0 to $100M+
996 Culture, Exploding AI Bills & SaaS Chaos
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Preview and Intro
00:01:43 Sponsors – Pulley and Metronome
00:04:03 Flight Cancellation and Airport Chaos
00:07:23 Being Right vs. Being Useful at Work
00:09:33 Career Paths – Expert vs. Manager
00:10:42 Getting Promoted and Making Others Look Good
00:14:50 What Separates a Good VP of Sales from a Great One
00:17:22 The CFO Mindset Behind Great Sales Leaders
00:21:58 Is OpenAI Too Big To Fail?
00:24:32 AI Investments and Economic Growth
00:26:30 Accounting Games and Useful Life of AI Infrastructure
00:27:38 Agentic Finance and the AI-Driven Finance Stack
00:31:07 2025 SaaS Benchmarks Report Highlights
00:33:24 Realistic Growth Rates by ARR Tier
00:34:15 Efficiency Gains and Headcount Reduction
00:35:05 AI’s Impact on Engineering Teams
00:37:09 Age and Startup Success
00:39:54 The Power of Networks and Mature Relationships
00:40:50 Something You Tried This Week – HVAC Cleaning
00:46:13 Credits – Mostly Growth Closing Remarks
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SPONSORS:
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