"We don't play golf, we play software"

The last two weeks of the All-In podcast brought up an interesting quote from the CEO of Palantir, Alex Karp (interview from 2024):

"We don't play golf; what we do is we play software... if you want to compete, compete on your product. And what's very special - and yes, do I enjoy humiliating people with better steak dinners, sharper knives, and better golf swings? Yes, I do. You know what I like? That we win in that way."

It also comes on the back of a comment from Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, that the apps of the 2000s and 2010s were just CRUD apps (pretty much saying that the apps just created, read, updated, and deleted data in a backend database with a nice front-end UI, and thus not that complex), and that AI is going to replace these:

"They're going to update multiple databases, and all the logic will be in the AI tier, so to speak. Once the AI tier becomes where all the logic is, people will start replacing the back ends."

This aligns with Karp's philosophy because:

• It moves away from selling complex, bloated enterprise software solutions that require extensive sales and relationship-building (and steak)

• It focuses on the actual functionality and efficiency of the product rather than the sales process (which is how it should be)

• It suggests a fundamental shift in how enterprise software will be built and sold, favoring those who can deliver real value through superior technology rather than superior sales tactics

Chamath agrees with all this in the episode, and so do I.

We're witnessing a paradigm shift from the 2010s (relationship selling) to the AI and Product-Led Growth movement in the 2020s (product selling).

You used to have such a head start in software due to a higher barrier to entry. Now, it's easier than ever to start a company. With this comes much competition, but people aren't buying from (and having their narrative shaped by) sales reps.

They are trialing the product independently and making decisions based on their research on the Internet and in their backchannel conversations with people they trust.

They don't want to be wined and dined anymore, and they don't play golf to be swayed. They’re sick of buying a ton of shelfware that people barely use for anything more than a CRUD app.

What I take away from both Satya and Alex is that the software landscape is changing, and for the better, for GTM professionals. I am super pumped about this movement. It's why I was excited to get back into sales after being in consulting.

We will be seen as consultants rather than sleazy steak/golf Willy Lohmans and as more of a product sherpa who knows how to navigate a crowded software landscape.

This will force companies to:

• Build an amazing product, FIRST, as Alex Karp says, "play software,” before anything else

• Make customers so successful and love it that they act as their initial marketers through word of mouth. Then hire a demand gen person to help be where their customers are, explaining the problems they solve

• Hire sales when they are dropping plates / hiring sales as evangelists rather than uninformed, pushy top-down reps

It's no surprise that Palantir is the talent hub they are (I can confirm, as many folks from Metronome came from there, and they're incredible).

I am excited about this shift and have been for quite some time now.