Elias Torres

ARR was built for products. But what happens when your product starts acting like a person? In our latest [Un]Churned episode, Brett Queener dropped a spicy take: | “It's the end of ARR — and I feel fine.” If software behaves like a hire — an agent that actually does the work — then the old 12-month license model doesn’t make sense anymore. You wouldn’t sign a new employee to a two-year, prepaid, non-cancelable contract. You’d hire them at will and expect them to perform. That’s where AI agents take us. Software you don’t just buy — you employ. You pay for the work it performs and the capacity it creates, not the number of seats or licenses you own. For founders and operators, that means re-thinking: ✔️ Pricing → value delivered > seats sold ✔️ Renewals → prove impact every day, not once a year ✔️ Success metrics → how fast it delivers value > how long it retains revenue AI is pushing SaaS toward product purity — either it does the job, or it doesn’t. Would you feel fine if ARR ended tomorrow? How would you rebuild your model around outcomes, not contracts? Full episode with Brett Queener (Bonfire Ventures) and Chuck Ganapathi (Gainsight): https://lnkd.in/eaTaRbKH

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𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘆𝗽𝘀𝗲: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘼𝙋𝙄-𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 The "per-seat" SaaS model is facing a major evolution. This February, we’ve seen over $𝟭 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 in market fluctuations as investors react to a new reality: autonomous agents like Claude Cowork. When AI handles tasks that once required a team of human users, charging per "seat" no longer captures the value delivered. For engineers, this isn't just a business shift—it’s a move toward API-First Backend Engineering. We are no longer building workbenches for humans; we are building Business Execution Engines for agents. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗣𝗜-𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗣𝗜 𝗜𝗦 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁: In an agentic world, your primary "user" carries a token, not a mouse. We must design the API contract—using MCP (Model Context Protocol) or rigid OpenAPI specs—before the UI. If an agent can’t discover your logic, your product is invisible. - 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿": AI agents execute at machine speed, not human speed. This mandates absolute rigor in idempotency, concurrency control, and distributed locking. These are no longer "best practices"; they are the system's life support. - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀: As "headcount" pricing fades, the backend must evolve into an immutable ledger. Our engineering goal is now to programmatically prove and bill for verifiable business outcomes. The "SaaSpocalypse" is a return to backend engineering foundations. Read the full technical breakdown: https://lnkd.in/gmRKpCSg #SaaSpocalypse #BackendEngineering #APIFirst #SaaS #SystemDesign #AI #MCP #OBR

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Fixing GTM can unlock 50% faster SaaS growth in 2026, without adding headcount or ad spend. Teams that get GTM right scale faster with the same resources. Teams that don’t stay busy and stuck. This 2026 GTM Readiness Checklist helps you fix that before you scale. Quick GTM check: • One clear ICP (not 3) • Value explained without a demo • One dominant GTM motion • Sales that’s repeatable • Retention and expansion prioritized Avoid these 2026 mistakes: • Chasing multiple channels • Scaling sales before GTM fit • Confusing activity with traction Fix GTM first. Growth compounds after. Image Credit: Alexander Estner Comment “GTM” and I’ll send you the checklist link.

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Yesterday Clay hit $100M ARR and I shared a post on the GTM bets that got us here. Today, I'm sitting down with our Head of Finance to dive deep on the business - metrics, our view on the AI market, and the path to $1B. Karan often gets this question from candidates: "Look, I have to dedicate my livelihood to Clay. All the upside of my equity is baked into one asset. How should I frame the real risk/reward?" It's a great question! So I wanted to use this video to go beyond the tactics and share how we think about the business holistically. The fundamentals, market dynamics and where we're really going. Some of what we cover: - The AI market and why GTM is actually the least crowded - Cohort data that shocked even us (enterprises never churn!) - How we've built an entire economy around Clay - The three things that create our customer flywheel - Why we're not burning cash while growing at an insane rate - The vectors to $1B: new geos, personas, use cases, channels, and verticals At the end, we get candid about the real risks and why World of Warcraft helps explain them. Watch here 👇

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From thousands of conversations, most outbound teams don't lack tools. They lack a single layer that ties everything together. We fixed that this week by connecting Claude to the entire Forge Stack via the Salesforge MCP server. Here's what that actually means: Claude now has live access to: → Every campaign, sequence, and sending account → Inbox activity, warm-up behavior, deliverability signals → Lead segments, enrichment data, infra config → Performance gaps across the whole system Instead of jumping between dashboards, you ask a question. Claude organizes the data, surfaces what matters, and tells you exactly what to fix. Simply put, Salesforge MCP + Claude = More 🥓 made We built 5 core workflows around this: 1. Campaign Usage Monitor 2. Performance Analyst 3. Campaign Health Dashboard 4. Infrastructure & Inbox Monitor 5. Full Outbound Audit Report Each one is a single prompt. Each one replaces hours of manual review. This isn't reporting. It's your outbound operating system. Full guide with workflows, prompts, and setup guide prepped for you. Comment “Claude” below and I’ll send you the guide. P.S Repost for priority access 🥓

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