PLG + AI: The New Sales Engine

Product-Led Growth (PLG) has long been the go-to strategy for scaling SaaS businesses. But as AI continues to evolve, a new model is emerging: PLG combined with AI-powered sales representatives.

In this hybrid approach, AI handles routine, low-value sales tasks, allowing human sales teams to focus on complex, high-value interactions. This shift addresses the growing challenge of sourcing top-tier sales talent, as highlighted by Gartner's finding that 61% of sales leaders struggle to build the teams they need.

However, for this model to succeed, products must be designed with AI in mind. They need to be easy to deploy, integrate, and use, as AI can only operate within the parameters set by the product's design.

The integration of AI into the PLG model isn't just a trend—it's a necessity. As Jason Lemkin notes, "More and more founders will optimize around a PLG + AI AE motion."(SaaStr)

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, April 30). 2026 Will Be a World of PLG+AI. PLG plus AI Sales Reps. We Have No Choice. SaaStr.

The End of the AI Upsell?

Atlassian has made a bold move: it's no longer charging most customers extra for AI features. Their AI platform, Rovo, is now included at no additional cost for all but the heaviest users.

This shift signals a broader trend in the SaaS industry. As AI becomes integral to software products, the practice of upselling AI as a premium add-on is losing traction. Customers expect AI capabilities as part of the core offering, not as an expensive extra.

The takeaway? AI is transitioning from a novelty to a standard feature. SaaS companies may need to rethink their pricing strategies, focusing on delivering value through AI integration rather than viewing it as a separate revenue stream.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, May 6). Atlassian: “We’re Not Going to Charge More Customers Extra for AI Anymore”. The Beginning of the End of the AI Upsell? SaaStr.

⚡ How to Become an AI-Native Employee

Inside the mindset that’s redefining speed, ownership, and success in the age of AI.

If you want a glimpse of the future of work, you need to pay attention to what Elena Verna just revealed from inside the lightning-fast, AI-fuelled startup Lovable.

In just seven months, this tiny powerhouse of ~35 people has hit an eye-watering $80 million in ARR. And no—it’s not just because of some magical AI product.

It’s because of the people.
AI-native employees.

They’re not just using AI.
They’re thinking, working, and building through it.
And it’s changing everything.

🤔 Wait, What Is an AI-Native Employee?

Elena thought “AI-native” referred to the product. GPT-powered, agent-based workflows. Smart automation. That kind of thing.

But once she stepped inside Lovable, she saw the truth:

"The product being AI-powered is only half the story. The real shift is how people work."

An AI-native employee doesn’t use AI like a tool in the shed.
They live in it. They solve problems with it.
It’s not Plan B. It’s Plan A. Always.

🧠 The AI-Native Mindset: A Shift in Operating System

Traditional tech teams operate like bureaucracies wrapped in Jira tickets. Want to ship a new idea? Prepare for a parade of planning docs, check-in meetings, budget approvals, and cross-functional coordination headaches.

By the time anything launches, it’s barely recognisable—and six months too late.

But inside Lovable, something else is happening.
Elena describes it as default-to-done.

Someone wants to launch a campaign? They build it.
Need an internal tool? They spin it up.
Marketing, dev, ops—all moving at breakneck speed, powered by AI and unshackled by layers of permission.

No waiting. No asking. Just doing.

💡 How You Can Become AI-Native

You don’t need to work at Lovable to adopt this mindset. You just need to embrace a few key behaviours:

1. Default to Action

Don’t ask if it’s possible—try it.
Use AI to sketch ideas, prototype solutions, write code, create content, automate workflows. Whatever the job is—start it with AI.

2. Own It All the Way

At Lovable, if you build it, you own it.
No passing the baton. No hiding behind process.
This is the future: you = maker, manager, and multiplier.

3. Shrink the Cost of Failure

With AI, iteration is free.
Mistakes don’t cost months.
Test. Learn. Adjust. Fast.
The AI-native employee treats failure as part of the feedback loop.

4. Ditch the Legacy Process

Process has its place—but not up front.
Don’t build for alignment. Build for outcomes.
When something starts working, then systematise.

🧬 What Makes This So Powerful?

AI-native work isn’t just efficient—it’s magnetic.
The velocity creates momentum. The ownership builds trust. The speed becomes a cultural advantage.

As Elena points out, these aren’t just tech whizzes. Many are straight out of school. They haven’t been soaked in corporate politics or paralysed by approval workflows.

They see a problem. They fix it.
They use AI as a co-creator—not an assistant.

And when everyone works this way, your company moves as one organism, not a pile of silos.

🧨 But… What About Jobs?

Elena doesn’t sugar-coat it:
Roles that exist solely to manage chaos or coordinate tasks across teams are disappearing.

• Ops roles? Shrinking.

• Managers with no domain depth? Fading fast.

This isn’t about losing jobs.
It’s about cutting the organisational fat that slows down innovation.

If you have real skills—sales, product, marketing, engineering—your future is bright if you embrace AI.
But if your job is just to “check in,” approve, and schedule? You’re in trouble.

🔥 Why Legacy Companies Will Struggle

Here’s the harsh truth: you can’t bolt AI onto a broken org chart and expect magic.
You can’t form an “AI taskforce” and hope people suddenly start thinking differently.

The AI-native mindset is caught, not taught.
It spreads through culture, trust, and example.

And if someone dares to work differently in a legacy system? Bureaucracy will bleed them dry with 1,000 cuts:

“Did Legal approve this?”
“Let’s revisit in Q4.”
“Run it through governance.”

Spark: extinguished.

🎯 Final Word from the Frontlines

The future of work won’t be defined by who has the best AI tools.
It will be defined by who has the guts to use them without asking permission.

AI-native employees are the new 10x team.
They move fast.
They think independently.
And they don’t wait to be told.

Elena’s insight is clear:
✅ Companies will shrink.
✅ Middle managers will fade.
✅ Process will become lightweight and optional.
✅ AI-native talent will lead the charge.

The good news? You don’t need to work at Lovable to be one of them.

You just need to start thinking like one today.

📝 Based on the original article by Elena Verna, “The Rise of the AI-Native Employee” published on June 28, 2025.

AI Is Already Changing Sales

If you think AI is a future trend, think again. It's already transforming the sales landscape.

According to Jason Lemkin's article, "10 Ways AI Will Change Sales Forever. It’s Already Happening, In Fact," AI is poised to revolutionize B2B sales within the next 12–18 months. One of the most compelling insights from the article is:

“AI will join your sales calls – Within 12–18 months, your AI will be on every call, knowing your product cold and eliminating ‘I’ll get back to you’ moments.”

This means that AI won't just assist with administrative tasks; it will actively participate in sales calls, providing real-time, accurate information, and enhancing the overall customer experience.

Furthermore, AI is expected to handle up to 50% of routine sales, especially for transactional deals under $10K. This shift will allow sales professionals to focus more on complex, high-value interactions that require human intuition and relationship-building skills.

The integration of AI into sales processes is not a distant future—it's happening now. Sales professionals who embrace AI tools will be better equipped to meet increasing customer expectations and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, April 28). 10 Ways AI Will Change Sales Forever. It’s Already Happening, In Fact. SaaStr.

AI Surprises: From Chatbot to Product Guru

SaaStr's AI assistant, initially designed for basic support, has taken on unexpected roles. In just five weeks, it has conducted over 30,000 conversations with B2B executives, offering insights beyond its original scope.

Notably, the AI has:

• Reviewed hundreds of VC pitch decks and board packages

• Drafted compensation plans for sales leaders

• Rewritten outbound sales scripts

• Coached founders through business slowdowns

• Evaluated candidates and advised on hiring decisions

• Assessed speaker submissions for SaaStr events(SaaStr)

Perhaps most impressively, it has begun making unsolicited product recommendations, such as comparing tools like Clay and Apollo, despite not being programmed for this function.(SaaStr)

This evolution underscores a key insight:

“A great AI can do many things. Perhaps especially, do things you never expected it to do.”

The takeaway for sales professionals? AI's capabilities are expanding rapidly, often in unforeseen ways. Embracing these developments can unlock new efficiencies and insights in the sales process.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, April 24). Our AI is Now Making Product Recommendations. And Many Other Things We Never Expected It Would. SaaStr.

From Zero to Unicorn: The Codeium Playbook

In just under a year, Codeium skyrocketed from a three-person sales team to a $1B+ AI powerhouse. Their secret? A blend of founder-led sales, strategic hiring, and a culture that rewards performance.

Graham Moreno, VP of Worldwide Sales, shared in SaaStr’s CRO Confidential:

“Before hiring their first sales reps, the founders personally closed millions in revenue.”

This hands-on approach laid a solid foundation for scaling. By bringing in proven talent from companies like MongoDB and Snowflake, they ensured a high-performing, culturally aligned team. Their compensation models? So effective that 70% of early hires exceeded annual quotas, with some on track for seven-figure earnings.

Codeium’s AI assistant isn’t just a tool—it’s transformative. Generating 45% of developers’ code, it’s turning weeks of work into hours. And by investing early in RevOps and enablement, they built a scalable, data-driven sales machine.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, March 5). CRO Confidential: How Codeium Built A Billion-Dollar AI Company and a Winning Sales Machine with VP of Worldwide Sales, Graham Moreno. SaaStr.

Smarter Than 90% of Your Team

Here’s a bold claim: AI can’t sell (yet), but it’s already smarter than most of your sales team.

That’s the take from SaaStr’s Jason Lemkin—and it’s not just hype. Today’s AI knows your product better than your average rep, never forgets a detail, and can instantly pull from a knowledge base of millions of data points.

Here’s the line that really stings (or inspires):

“It probably already knows your product better than 90% of your sales team.”

What does that mean for sales leaders? You can’t afford to ignore the gap. The reps who treat AI as a threat will get left behind. The ones who treat it as a coach, assistant, and strategic partner will thrive.

AI might not close the deal today, but it’s setting the table, running the playbook, and prepping every rep to perform better—if they’re willing to lean in.

Want to stay valuable? Make sure you're doing what AI can’t—building trust, adapting on the fly, and influencing decisions. The rest? Let the machines handle it.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, April 15). AI Can’t Sell (Yet) — But It’s Probably Already Smarter Than 90% of Your Sales Team. SaaStr.

AI Is Disrupting B2B Startups

AI isn't just a buzzword—it's reshaping the B2B SaaS landscape. Traditional startups face mounting challenges as AI becomes integral to product offerings.

Jason Lemkin outlines six reasons why AI poses a threat to conventional B2B startups:

1. AI as a Baseline: Customers now expect AI capabilities as standard. Without them, products seem outdated.

2. Increased Competition: AI tools have lowered entry barriers, leading to a surge of new competitors.

3. Elevated Customer Expectations: Users demand smarter, faster, and more automated solutions.

4. Pricing Pressures: AI-driven efficiencies are pushing prices down, challenging traditional pricing models.

5. Feature Parity: Even basic AI features can sway customer decisions, making it essential to keep up.

6. Innovation Acceleration: AI is fueling rapid innovation, and startups must adapt quickly to stay relevant.

The message is clear: integrating AI isn't optional—it's imperative for survival and growth in the evolving B2B SaaS market.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, April 13). 6 Practical Reasons AI is a Threat to Traditional B2B Startups Today. SaaStr.

AI Will Join Your Sales Calls

If you think AI is coming someday, think again. It’s already here—and it’s stepping into your meetings.

According to Jason Lemkin, we’re just 12–18 months away from AI attending every sales call. Not just listening in—but actively contributing, answering questions, and eliminating those awkward “I’ll get back to you” moments.

Here’s the quote that hits hard:

“AI will join your sales calls – Within 12–18 months, your AI will be on every call, knowing your product cold and eliminating ‘I’ll get back to you’ moments.”

But that’s just one part of the shift. AI is also expected to handle up to 50% of all low-value sales—especially deals under $10K. That frees you up to focus on the bigger stuff: strategic selling, deeper discovery, and building real trust.

AI isn’t here to replace top salespeople. It’s here to empower them. If you can adapt and embrace the tools, you’ll move faster, close more, and stay miles ahead of reps stuck in manual mode.

The message is clear: start working with AI now—or risk being left behind.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, April 28). 10 Ways AI Will Change Sales Forever. It’s Already Happening, In Fact. SaaStr.

Otter.ai’s $1B Sales-Free Growth Hack

Imagine building a billion-dollar SaaS empire without a single sales rep. Otter.ai did just that.

Their secret? A bold, bottom-up strategy powered by AI, virality, and a freemium model that felt almost too generous.

Here’s the standout insight:

“In AI SaaS, your free tier should be uncomfortably generous if you want rapid bottom-up adoption.”

Otter offered 600 free minutes of transcription—while competitors charged $1 per minute. That’s not just generous; it’s strategic. By owning their AI infrastructure, they made this model sustainable.

But they didn’t stop there. By encouraging sign-ups with work emails and calendar integrations, Otter unlocked a goldmine of enterprise data. This allowed them to map usage patterns, identify decision-makers, and target enterprises effectively—without a traditional sales team.

Every meeting became a growth engine. Shared notes introduced new users, who then brought Otter to their own meetings, creating a viral loop that fueled exponential growth.

The takeaway? In the AI era, building a product that sells itself isn’t just possible—it might be the smartest play in the book.

Reference: Lemkin, J. (2025, March 25). From 0 to 1 Billion Meetings: How Otter.ai Built a Bottom-Up AI SaaS Without a Single Sales Rep. SaaStr.