GTM Trends: What's Changing in December
AGI fears, storytelling, and where GTM value actually lives
This post is part of the Hacking Sales GTM Trends series. If you’re new here, check out the Start Here page.
This week we’re breaking down the news and trends that GTM sellers, leaders, and operators should be paying attention to this December.
Here’s what we’re covering:
Is AGI here?
The rise of storytelling
Making yourself valuable in the Age of AI
The reality of implementing AI inside companies
Is AGI here?
On November 24th, Anthropic released it’s newest model: Claude Opus 4.5.
Reaction?
Blown. Away.
Followed by the unsettling feeling of … “it’s over”.
Credit Deedy
It doesn’t help that every earnings call sounds the same right now.
“Efficiency”
“Operating leverage”
“Headcount reduction”
We’ve covered similar themes in financial teardowns for Salesforce and Adobe.
Layoffs aren’t slowing down as we head into 2026.
Credit Only CFO
And yet - I don’t think “it’s over”.
I’m bullish on humans.
This also applies to GTM roles.
In my opinion, this is the right way to be think about AI.
But AI isn’t the most important shift happening right now.
The Rise of Storytelling
With the emergence of any new technology, the market adapts.
Jobs will be eliminated.
New jobs will be created.
New solutions will create new problems.
The internet commoditized access to information.
AI is commoditizing output.
The edge is hardcoded into human nature.
Enter storytelling.
This speaks to brand, editorial, and corporate - but don’t be mistaken. It directly applies to GTM teams.
Deals don’t close on logic.
They close on emotion.
The POV.
The narrative.
The story.
This is the ethos behind Hacking SaaS Sales.
It’s why frameworks like MEDDPICC, while still useful, no longer create separation on their own.
Process manages deals. Stories win them.
Credit Deal Director of Infraplay
Couldn’t have said this better myself.
If you’re in GTM you need to be thinking about what separates you from every single other seller.
Storytelling isn’t the only edge.
Making Yourself Valuable in the Age of AI
If the internet commoditized access to information and AI is commoditizing output, then where does value live?
When information and output become cheap - context, judgement, and insight become expensive.
Credit Sam Marelich of Offer Accepted
The takeaway?
Having such deep insight on an account, category, or domain does one thing for you:
Builds leverage.
Imagine someone walks into an interview.
One candidate shares the chronological order of their career written on their resume, like 99% of other applicants.
OR
The other candidate does what Sam’s guy did.
Who stands out?
That’s not interview advice.
The point:
You can AI a resume.
You can’t AI your value story.
The Reality of Companies Betting on AI
In theory, AI should usher in a golden age of efficiency and shareholder returns.
In practice, it’s harder than it looks.
Credit Nikunj Kothari of Balancing Act
Transformation isn’t easy.
Matt Harney touched on this reality in his earlier post this month, Is AI an Abject Disaster?
What stood out from Nikunj’s article was what companies need in order to be successful:
Conviction.
Talent.
Leaders having firsthand experience with tools.
The theme?
People.
Closing Thoughts
AI is going to continue to get faster, cheaper, and more accessible.
With it comes uncertainty.
But the GTM leaders who win won’t need to be the best at using AI. They will be the ones who understand them deeply enough to apply judgment.
As information and output converge into a commodity, a few things remain scarce:
Judgement.
Taste.
Context.
Nuance.
This is now where the leverage lives.