growthunhinged.com · 2026-05-20
· 14d
Who's actually hiring in GTM right now
Analysis of H1 2026 GTM hiring trends shows overall job posts down 15%, but AI-native companies are bucking the trend by doubling SDR headcount and investing heavily in customer success and GTM engineering roles. The data reveals that despite massive AI funding, sales-led GTM is evolving toward upmarket enterprise deals with self-serve tools handling transactional business, resulting in healthier unit economics.
Metrics in this report
AE/Solution Engineer Composition
60percent of open GTM roles
Open GTM positions across analyzed companies
Customer Support Team Efficiency at AI-Natives
67percent smaller teams
AI-native companies automating customer support
GTM Engineering Headcount Growth
+100percent
US digital native companies, reaching 400+ total GTM engineers
GTM Job Post Change
-15percent year-over-year
US B2B digital native companies, H1 2026
SDR Headcount Growth at AI-Native Companies
+100percent
AI-native startups (Cursor, Decagon, OpenAI) during period of overall SDR hiring decline
SDR Job Post Change
-21percent year-over-year
Broader market across US B2B digital native companies