The Rise of GTM Engineering: SaaS, AI, and the Future of Marketing.

A Conversation with James Praise and Bolaji Anifowose

The future of marketing isn’t just about creativity anymore. Tools, data, and AI are reshaping how marketers work day-to-day. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice something: marketing is getting more technical by the day.

To unpack what this means, we hosted a session on the future of marketing and invited two brilliant minds to join the conversation: James Praise (co-founder, product marketing consultant, and writer of the Marketing in Action newsletter) and Bolaji Anifowose (B2B marketer with deep experience in SaaS, partnerships, and scaling GTM systems).

Together, we explored how SaaS, AI, and a new discipline called GTM engineering are rewriting the rules and what it means for the next generation of marketers.

Here’s a recap of the conversation and why it matters for anyone building a career in marketing today.

In the last five years, what feels most different in marketing?

James: “The biggest difference is how tools talk to each other. Years ago, your CRM was everything — store customer data, send an email, maybe track a campaign. Now, tools connect through APIs, webhooks, and native integrations. As a marketer, you can set up a workflow that once needed a developer.

With AI layered on top, it’s even more dramatic. Tasks that took hours now take minutes. It’s not just faster, it changes how we think. Instead of building campaigns manually, we’re building systems that run themselves.”

Bolaji:
“AI has been the real shift. Five years ago, the models we now use didn’t exist. Today, a two-person team with AI can do the work of five. And even consumers are aware; they’re asking, ‘Was this written by AI?’ That awareness shows how deeply it’s reshaping expectations.

And it’s not just writing. AI now touches research, strategy, campaign testing, even product decisions. It’s changed how marketing teams operate end-to-end.”

Growth marketing, product marketing, GTM engineering. Just another cycle?

James: “Growth was misunderstood, especially in this market. Startups here would hire a ‘growth marketer’ and expect them to do everything — ads, content, analytics, sales. But real growth marketing started in Silicon Valley with companies like Dropbox and PayPal. It was fueled by venture capital and focused on rapid user acquisition through constant experimentation.

Then came product marketing. That brought clarity — audience, positioning, messaging. Think of Apple-style launches. It taught us that if you don’t understand your audience or what you’re saying, growth doesn’t matter.

Now we’re in the GTM engineering phase. Even before AI, marketers were becoming more technical, building landing pages, writing SQL queries, relying on developers for experiments. AI has removed those bottlenecks. Now marketers can build and connect systems themselves, without waiting weeks for engineering support. That’s a fundamental change, not a fad.”

Bolaji: “Product marketing still sits at the foundation. If your ideal customer profile isn’t clear and your message isn’t sharp, no growth hack will save you. That hasn’t changed.

What GTM engineering does is scale what’s already working. If one piece of content gives you five leads, the question now is: how do we make that fifty without fifty times the effort? That could mean turning one asset into an automated workflow that nurtures leads or using AI to repurpose it into five different formats.

And it’s not just outbound campaigns. GTM engineering applies to inbound workflows, customer success systems, and even internal processes. At its core, it’s about building revenue systems that scale predictably and efficiently.”

Growth brought speed. Product marketing brought clarity. GTM engineering brings scale.

What mindset does a GTM engineer need?

Bolaji: “First, think in systems. Don’t focus on single campaigns — design repeatable processes that can run with minimal input.

Second, understand revenue models. Every business ultimately cares about money. If you don’t know how your company makes money, your systems won’t matter because they won’t align with the bigger goal.

Third, don’t be scared of the technical side. I’ve spent an hour debugging a line of JavaScript just to fix a workflow. You don’t need to be a full-time developer, but you should be comfortable getting your hands dirty.

And finally, taste matters. AI can write or design for you, but if you don’t know what quality looks like, you’ll just ship garbage faster. Know what good copy sounds like, what strong design feels like, and what messaging resonates.”

James: “I completely agree. Creativity and technical skills have to go hand in hand. If everyone uses the same AI prompts, the results will be bland. Creativity is what makes your system solve real problems and stand out.

The future belongs to marketers who can wear both hats; who can wire up a workflow, analyze its performance, and still write a line that makes someone stop scrolling. That blend of skills is rare right now, but it’s what will define the next generation of marketing leaders.”

Looking ahead, what do you think will change most in the next five years?

Bolaji: “Two big things. First, the tool market will shrink. Instead of juggling 20 tools, we’ll rely on maybe five but those five will be extremely powerful.

Second, technical literacy will become baseline. Just like nobody writes ‘computer literate’ on their CV anymore, soon nobody will write ‘AI skills.’ It’ll be assumed. If you don’t understand how AI works or how to integrate tools, you’ll be left behind.”

James: “I’d add one more: job titles will get messy. Just like ‘growth marketing’ was misunderstood when it first appeared, GTM engineering will be too. You’ll see job descriptions asking one person to write copy, analyze data, build automations, and even sell.

That’s why education and skill stacking are crucial. My advice to marketers is this: master at least one tool in every major category — content, data, automation and understand their limits. But most importantly, never lose your creativity. That’s the one skill that will never become obsolete.”

What AI tools are you using right now?

James: “My base is ChatGPT. I use it for repeated tasks, newsletters, summaries, strategy documents, and even building custom GPTs for specific projects.

I rely on Gemini for logic-heavy work, Zapier or Anything for automations that save me hours every week, Lemlist for outbound outreach, and Fathom or Fireflies for summarizing meetings. The key is that they’re not just standalone tools, they all connect and power each other.”

Bolaji: “ChatGPT is my foundation too. Claude is great for long-form strategy and deeper thinking. I use Anything for building custom AI agents, Clay and AirOps for GTM workflows, and Fathom for handling calls.

For voice AI, I use 11Labs and VAPI. Vizel helps me with front-end design, and Drea Browser is essential for debugging in real time. Every tool has a place in the system, and I focus on learning how each one fits together to multiply impact.”

Conclusion

The rise of GTM engineering is proof that marketing no longer lives only in ideas and copywriting. It’s now about systems, AI, and tools working together to deliver results at scale. But one thing hasn’t changed — creativity. The marketers who will thrive in this new era are those who can master the tools, speak the language of technology, and still tell stories that move people.

It’s not just about learning new software or building workflows — it’s about shifting how we think about marketing entirely. The next generation of marketers will be part strategist, part builder, part storyteller. They’ll know how revenue flows through a business, how AI can amplify human effort, and how to design systems that don’t just run; they grow.

And if there’s one lesson from this conversation, it’s this: the human edge still matters. AI and automation might do the heavy lifting, but creativity, taste, and insight are what set great marketers apart from the rest.

🎥 This conversation went deeper than we could capture here, with stories, examples, and side notes you’ll want to hear in full. Watch it now on YouTube or listen to our podcast and start preparing for the next wave of marketing.