Topline

Sam, Asad, and AJ are back to debate the hard numbers shaping the GTM landscape in 2026. The consensus? The freeze is thawing, but the rules have changed.
Sam predicts we've entered the "Year of the Deal." Investors are exhausted, founders are tired, and the market is finally ready to clear—even if that means restructuring cap tables to take the win and move on.
Asad brings the sobering data on the "Great Concentration," revealing that almost half of venture capital went to a surprisingly small number of companies, while AJ argues that without a compelling AI narrative, traditional SaaS assets will face a brutal valuation ceiling.
 
Chapters:
00:36 Welcome to 2026: Intro and Hosts
02:30 Quiz Pro Quo
08:56 Sam's Prediction: The Year of the Deal
13:53 AI-Native vs. Traditional Investment Trends
16:42 Founder Exhaustion and the Acceptance of Lower Exits
19:40 The VC Perspective on Clearing "Vintage" Funds
24:00 Advice for Seed Founders: Shut Down or Sell?
28:22 Sam's Bearish Take on OpenAI's Financials
31:12 Testing the Stickiness of AI Models
38:03 Asad's Prediction: The Era of Capital Concentration
43:21 Why 2026 Will See Increased Layoffs
46:37 The Confusion of a High-Churn Job Market
50:19 Shoutouts and Personal Reflections

MIT reports that 95% of AI initiatives are failing to show ROI. Pablo Dominguez, Operating Partner at Insight Partners, joins the show to explain how to escape that group, and be in the 5% of companies that succeed.
Pablo opens the playbook on "Dylan," Insight's internal system of 13 autonomous agents that cut their due diligence process from 35 hours down to 14.
Other high points:
How Insight used tools like Relevance AI and Gong to build an agent swarm that handles research, analysis, and data cleaning.

Why Engineers aren't necessarily who you'd want to build these workflows (and who you need instead)

How the CEO of a successful SaaS company is aiming for 5x developer productivity in 2026

Plus the "why" behind some spicy 2026 predictions like: the death of the traditional CRM, Sam Altman's potential exit from OpenAI, and the coming consolidation of "vibe coding" platforms.

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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Pablo Dominguez and Insight Partners
04:57 Insight's Structure and Value Creation Engine
08:12 Why Most Companies Fail to Get AI ROI
11:05 Case Study: Automating Diligence with AI Agents
15:39 Resources Required to Build Autonomous Systems
21:23 Managing Hallucinations and Accuracy in AI
31:09 Scaling AI Literacy and Organizational Fluency
37:15 Measuring Engineering Productivity and Cloud Coding
43:14 Balancing AI Automation with Human Authenticity
52:23 Market Trends: Buyer Behavior and Churn Risks
57:18 The Spectrum: From Workflows to Agentic Systems
01:01:13 Why Retention Issues Are Always Product Problems
01:04:35 Bold Industry Predictions for 2026
01:05:43 The Potential Death of the Traditional CRM

Wade Foster (CEO) built Zapier into a profitable powerhouse without traditional VC funding—just $1M post-YC, then profitable ever since. On this episode, the co-founder and CEO shares how that capital discipline shaped their ability to pivot hard when AI hit.
Wade also dishes on:
The GPT-4 moment that shifted Zapier's roadmap

A tested formula for AI agents that actually work

How to incentivize internal AI adoption

 
Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!
 
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Wade Foster and the Age of Agents
02:38 Zapier's Origin: Solving the SaaS Integration Problem
04:14 From Zaps to Agents: The Evolution of Automation
05:07 How GPT-4 Changed Zapier's Internal Strategy
06:43 Unstructured Data and the Rise of Vibe Building
09:56 Why Long-Term Product Roadmaps Are Now Obsolete
13:00 Transitioning from PLG to Enterprise Amidst Competition
17:58 What Actually Works: Defining Successful Agentic Workflows
20:59 Building an AI-Literate Company Culture
26:18 Future Outlook: AI Bubbles vs. Product Reality
27:38 Navigating Board Expectations During Technology Shifts
30:23 Zapier's Capital Efficiency and Fundraising History
33:58 Founder Advice: Prioritizing Long-Term Thinking

We are multi-million-dollar CEOs specializing in sales and go to market teams in tech. We've met more millionaire sales people than you can count. This is exactly how to explode your income in our favorite career path.
We are multi-million-dollar CEOs specializing in sales and go to market teams in tech. We've met more millionaire sales people than you can count. This is exactly how to explode your income in our favorite career path.
Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!
 
Chapters:
01:46 Sales Market Trivia: Headcounts and Income Statistics
07:14 CRO Compensation Realities and OTE Attainment
11:36 Can You Make $100k in Your First Year?
15:53 Essential Personality Traits for Top Sales Performance
21:25 The Timeline to Earning $200k and $300k
30:23 Strategies for Earning $1 Million in Sales
33:10 Executive Equity and Valuation Multiples in AI
38:10 Debate: Is OpenAI Too Big to Fail?
44:06 Kyle Poyar Joins: The State of AI Growth
45:17 Why AI Implementations Are Missing Expectations
50:32 Product Market Fit and AI-Driven Disillusionment
01:05:10 The Decline of Seat-Based Pricing Models
01:09:44 Emerging Pricing Models: Credits and Pass-Through Costs
01:17:48 The $500 Billion OpenAI Investment Question

In this episode of Top Line, Sam Jacobs, Asad Zaman, and A.J. Bruno dive into the economic and mental health crises facing young professionals, analyzing data on why entry-level opportunities are shrinking in the age of AI. 
Shifting to business strategy, the group also examines the nuances of pricing power, warning companies against raising rates without delivering commensurate value to the customer.
 Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday
Subscribe to Topline Newsletter.
Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech.
Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast!
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
00:35 Quiz Pro: Testing Knowledge with Fun Questions
02:40 Discussion on Young Professionals' Challenges
13:44 Advice for Young Professionals Entering the Workforce
15:43 Mental Health and Employment Challenges
20:50 The Impact of Technology and Inequality
32:57 Navigating Career Choices for Young Professionals
33:22 The Importance of Cultural and Historical Awareness
34:57 Balancing STEM and Humanities in Education
35:21 Building Community and Identity
36:35 Practical Advice for Job Seekers
38:56 The Challenge of Pricing in Today's Market
45:16 The Impact of Private Equity on Industries
51:57 The Role of Strategy in Business Success
58:49 Personal Reflections and Inspirations