The old SaaS playbook assumed a stable progression: discover the problem, search for solutions, evaluate options, sign up, activate gradually, scale through paid channels.
AI breaks every step.
AI products:
solve undefined problems
create new capabilities rather than replace old workflows
As the diagram states, the new equation starts with a single goal:
Compress the time it takes for a user to experience undeniable value. Everything downstream — virality, retention, growth — depends on this. Full analysis available at https://businessengineer.ai/
2. The Four Execution Pillars
The entire AI GTM strategy can be reduced to four non-negotiable pillars.
Pillar 1 — Front-Load the Grind
AI does not scale from intention; it scales from experience. You must brute-force the first 50–100 wins manually:
hands-on demos
1:1 onboarding
manual workflow integration
founder-led sales
repeated iteration with early users
This heavy lifting creates the conditions for the viral flywheel. Only after users personally experience the capability shift can automation and product-led loops take over.
This aligns with the Integration Flywheel from the Business Engineer library — manual integration precedes systemic adoption. Full analysis available at https://businessengineer.ai/
Pillar 2 — Optimize for the Aha Moment (Not Activation)
Traditional GTM optimizes for:
activation rate
onboarding funnels
incremental progress
AI flips the logic: none of this matters if users don’t experience the cognitive breakthrough.
The Aha moment is:
emotional (“holy shit”)
undeniable
viscerally clear
impossible to unsee
Your job is to engineer the fastest path to that moment.
This maps directly to the Agentic Friction Framework — eliminating the steps between user and novel capability until the breakthrough becomes instantaneous.
Paid channels cannot create demand for categories that do not yet exist.
AI depends on:
viral demos
screenshot-driven sharing
emotional evangelism
community amplification
exponential spread (not linear)
Word-of-mouth is not a bonus. It is the GTM strategy.
This reflects your Word-of-Mouth Imperative framework — discovery inversion where the product finds the user through network propagation, not search intent.
This is the hardest psychological shift for operators trained in SaaS.
SaaS curves look like:
slow initial traction
steady optimization
compounding efficiency
multi-quarter wins
AI curves look like:
nothing
nothing
nothing
massive nonlinear breakthrough (or failure)
There is no comfortable middle. You get breakout or you die.
This aligns with the Dual-Engine Architecture: AI products either ignite the viral engine or stall in the mechanical engine with no escape velocity. Full analysis available at https://businessengineer.ai/
3. The Timeline Reality
The diagram’s juxtaposition is the clearest illustration:
The diagram’s closing insight is the foundation of the entire AI GTM strategy:
“All of your experimentation is to figure out how I can efficiently get people to that Aha moment.”
This is the only question that matters in the first 90 days.
To operationalize it:
Reduce Friction
Every click, prompt, and setup step delays the breakthrough.
Engineer Obvious Outputs
Users must see “before vs after” instantly.
Design for Screenshots
Outputs should be shareable by default — viral content is the distribution.
Optimize the First 60 Seconds
AI products don’t have onboarding funnels, they have revelation funnels.
Eliminate Context Switching
The user should not need to “understand the product” to understand the value.
This maps to your Agentic Commerce Stack — collapsing the gap between action, output, and outcome so the user jumps directly into a new capability state. Full analysis available at https://businessengineer.ai/
Conclusion: A New GTM Architecture for a New Technological Era
AI removes the scaffolding SaaS depended on. You cannot rely on search, funnels, or gradual activation. The product must create the demand through emotional revelation.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
