Should You Buy an AI SDR?

The Signal

If you were forwarded this newsletter, consider joining over 1,600 weekly readers—some of the smartest GTM founders and operators—by subscribing here:

---

Hey y’all!

Happy $100K bitcoin day (to all those who celebrate). Higher.

Let’s get right into today’s post (it’s short and sweet… for now).

Should You Buy an AI SDR?

The most efficient communications distill down dense amounts of information.

For instance, instead of requiring a 30 minute zoom, just send one, succinct Slack message. Or instead of a long blog post, create a pithy tweet. Or maybe not even a tweet, but instead—my favorite marketing method—create a meme.

Today’s post is an attempt at distilling a complex and nuanced question into a single chart.

Does it leave a lot of questions unanswered? Yes. But is it a good starting point if you’re considering using an AI SDR? Also yes.

My framework to decide if you should buy an AI SDR

Here’s the 4x4 matrix I sketched the other night at my kitchen table, using my 2-year old’s markers:

I posted this on LinkedIn and have seen several people mention it since then. So, I’ll take that as a sign that it resonated. It’s worth poking through the comments in the post if you want to learn more.

Are all AI SDRs bad?

No, I don’t think all AI SDRs are bad.

However, I do think “spray and pray” is bad (duh). And many AI SDRs are deployed in a way that spams their TAM. I don’t like this method, at all (also, duh… at least, I think).

But, I do believer that AI will only get better from here, and building these tools in-house or buying a provider has a place in the world, depending on the space you operate.

Different GTM strategies within a single company

Within a company, you may not want to use an AI SDR for Enterprise. But, you may want to use it in your SMB segment.

So, even within a single company, you should refer to the matrix and decide where an AI SDR may be helpful. Even if it’s effectively using an email as an ad unit (wild idea, but probably true to some degree).

More thoughts in the future

I will probably do a longer post about my thoughts on AI SDRs at some point (I have a lotttt of thoughts on the topic). And specifics around the different players in the space.

But for now, I just wanted to put this very simple framework out there into the world. I hope it’s helpful!

---

Portals to interesting corners of the internet that I explored this week:

• Marc Andreessen went back on Bro Jogan last week, and talked about what the Trump administration will unlock for innovation and technology - specifically around AI, crypto and defense. Worth a listen (the AI regulation stuff is scary).

• I love the idea of making things more efficient (including the government). Here’s a counter-argument (I’m a fan of Elon, but I also like to be open-minded) → The American People Deserve DOGE; America has an efficiency problem, but Elon Musk is not the man to fix it.

• Bitcoin hit $100k yesterday. “The hard road goes from 80k to 100k. The easy road goes from 100k to 250k.” -Cobie

• Great podcast on building with AI (not necessarily to venture-scale) → $100B Founder Breaks Down The Biggest AI Business Opportunities For 2025

---

Quote of the week:

“Impatience with actions, patience with results.”
—Naval Ravikant

---

Grateful for each one of you continuing to explore the new gtm playbook with me.

I do not take your attention for granted.

See you next time,
Brendan
🫡