Topline

In this week's episode, Sam, Asad and AJ reflect on Jeff Bezos' leadership style, how it has impacted Amazon's growth, and the lessons it holds for startup founders looking to foster a culture of innovation. They also check in on the state of the economy and debate whether companies should be looking to expand market share outside of tech.

The guys talk about level setting the way we assess business performance in the current economy, why multiples for AI companies are way up, how AI is fueling new categories of careers, and the pros and cons of hiring execs that have side hustles.

This week, Sam, AJ and Asad reflect on recent congressional testimony about whether and to what degree AI should be regulated, and share insights around how they're working to get their teams aligned, improve communication, and make better decisions using data.

Sam, Asad and AJ catch up on what's happening with the economy and the hiring market and talk through what the ideal profile of a seller is, what the right level of churn is, how to structure board meetings, and more.

In this episode of Topline, Sam, Asad and AJ speak with special guest, Jamie Barnett, who currently serves as the Interim CEO for Writer. Jamie shares some insightful information about generative AI and how GTM (Go-To-Market) leaders can begin incorporating AI into their strategies. Jamie emphasizes the significance of generative AI in various aspects of business writing, including research and analysis, as well as repurposing and transforming content, and explains that utilizing AI can result in a remarkable 30% increase in productivity. Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the role of AI in business writing, the benefits it brings to productivity, and how GTM leaders can start incorporating AI into their strategies while ensuring the right talent is in place.

Sam, AJ and Asad talk about the challenges that growth stage companies face when it comes to fundraising and company building. The conversation also touches on bridge rounds and the impact on common stockholders and options holders, as well as the current trends in tech, including AI and selling to non-tech sectors. The episode also covers the importance of finding a balance between being hard-driving and creating a healthy company culture, the pressure for CEOs to always be "on," and how experience changes when transitioning from a CRO to CEO. 

Sam, AJ and Asad are joined by Teampay CRO Andrea Kayal for a discussion about her career and the transition from CMO to CRO, the lessons she learned driving 70% QoQ growth at Electric while reducing sales and marketing costs by 90%, the impact that AI will have on revenue organizations, and the future of SDRs in an AI-powered world.

Is tech the canary in the Cole mine of the economy? And is this a good thing in the sense that we’ll recover first? Sam, AJ and Asad cover this, along with what the rate of change in AI means for how we work and what jobs will still be around in the future, the importance of staying focused as a CEO, opening new brick and mortar offices, what constitutes a great board meeting, and being deliberate about how you structure your day.

Are we really headed for a recession? How should tech entrepreneurs and GTM leaders be thinking about sales quotas, compensation, and valuations? Have the events of the last few years impacted your mental health - and if so, how are you dealing with it? On the first episode of Topline, Sam Jacobs, AJ Bruno and Asad Zaman tackle these questions and more.