For years, startups relied on traditional playbooks when launching their products. But AI is now reshaping how companies approach go-to-market strategies.

Figure 1. AI’s Impact on Go-to-Market Strategies: Insights from OpenAI and Google.

“You can do more with less than ever before,” said Max Altschuler, general partner at GTMfund, at last month’s TechCrunch Disrupt. Figure 1 shows AI’s Impact on Go-to-Market Strategies: Insights from OpenAI and Google.

The challenge for founders and operators, however, will be striking the right balance. While some startups are hiring developers familiar with AI and letting them tackle typical go-to-market problems, Altschuler noted there’s still a strong need for domain-specific expertise.

“When you have great advisors around, you can learn some of the tried-and-true playbooks. Those things haven’t gone out the window. I think it’s still necessary to have a general understanding of how and why certain marketing strategies work,” he said.

Alison Wagonfeld, vice president of marketing at Google Cloud, emphasized that marketing skills remain essential.

“You certainly need AI knowledge, curiosity, and technologists, but also an understanding of marketing’s purpose: understanding customer insights, conducting research, and recognizing great creative,” Wagonfeld said.

Teams that embrace AI, she added, can move faster. “You can just get out there with many more messages more quickly, and then think more holistically about what metrics you’re driving for.”

“There’s a movement of, yes, you can do more with less, but you can also be very focused with how you do it,” he said. “The degree of personalization and signal-following that AI enables is now a true differentiator.”

He noted that lead-generation tools have become far more sophisticated. Instead of simple database queries, AI prompts can help startups identify prospective customers who meet highly specific criteria. Inbound marketing has evolved as well, with AI allowing startups to qualify and score leads with much greater precision than in the past.

“Previously, hiring focused on specialists—people who really knew a subfield of marketing or sales,” she said. “Now it’s about curiosity and understanding. That’s almost the top quality to look for today.”

Reference:

1. https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/28/how-openai-and-google-see-ai-changing-go-to-market-strategies/

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025), How OpenAI and Google Expect AI to Transform Go-to-Market Strategies, AnaTechMaz, pp. 329