AI Talent Wars: OpenAI, Thinking Machines & Meta Fighting For Breakthroughs
Topline
The AI arms race is getting ugly. With top talent bouncing between Thinking Machines and OpenAI, the guys debate a critical question for every leader: Is loyalty dead, or has Silicon Valley just stopped pretending? Sam, Asad, and AJ discuss the ethics and dangers of the "secure the bag" mindset and what it means for building enduring companies. They also pivot to the tactical side of leadership, breaking down why most managers wait too long to fire and the hard truth that "what you allow, you encourage." Key topics: The Thinking Machines exodus: Performance issues or corporate sabotage? Do...
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The Job Market Just Completely Flipped (Nobody's Talking About It)
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AJ and Asad talk about one of the most insane job markets we’ve ever seen, the rise of AI agents, and the future of AI’s talent wars. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Hosts 00:32 The Golden Age of Sales 00:55 Sales Roles and AI 12:30 Branding vs. Performance Marketing 21:05 The Role of Brand in B2B Tech 30:18 The Notion Dilemma 40:40 The...
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These Charts Explain 2026
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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...
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The 13 AI Agents Inside a $90 Billion Machine
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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...
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He Built a SaaS Monster with $1 Million (And Refused to Raise More)
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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 to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect with...
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$50k vs $500K vs $50M Sales People - How to WIN In Modern Sales
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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 to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect...
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How AI Killed the Ivy League Advantage
Topline
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 to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect with 600+ revenue leaders...
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The $7 Trillion AI Buildout Has a Problem
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We did a comprehensive study on the state of data centers. Where is money going? Where should you be betting? Everything you need to know about data centers, all in one place. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Intro and Cold Open 01:18 Quiz Pro Quo: AI Infrastructure Stats and Energy Costs 06:14 Market Volatility and the "AI Bubble" 09:42 Navigating a Brutal Executive Job...
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The Ranking Expert: How to DOMINATE AI Search in 2026 (ChatGPT, AI Overview)
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The Topline team interview Ethan Smith, founder of Graphite, an San Fransico-based growth and SEO agency with clients like Notion, Webflow and Rippling. As well as Rahul Jain from Noble, a consultant who writes and speaks about AI. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday. to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions 00:41 How Well Do You Know AI Search? 08:14 SEO vs. AI: The Changing...
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Big Tech Will Lay Off 1M People In 2026. Are You One of Them?
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We ran a comprehensive model to predict how many layoffs may happen in 2026. To see our math, and try to predict what’s next, tune into this full episode of Topline. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Sunday to Topline Newsletter. , the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:43 Show intro & what we’re covering today 01:31 Setting the stage: big layoffs & what’s coming 01:54 Quiz Pro Quo: the tech ecosystem trivia segment...
info_outlineSam, 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