Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr and widely known as the “Godfather of SaaS,” has made a bold move that signals a significant shift in how AI is being deployed in the workplace. In a recent appearance on Lenny’s Podcast, Lemkin announced that SaaStr has completely replaced its human sales team with 20 AI agents, marking one of the most aggressive adoptions of autonomous AI in enterprise sales to date.
The transition happened rapidly and was triggered by an unexpected event. In May, SaaStr had only one AI agent in production handling various digital tasks. However, during the company’s annual conference—which attracts over 10,000 founders, executives, and VCs—two high-paid sales representatives abruptly quit. Rather than rehiring, Lemkin made the strategic decision to go all-in on AI agents, telling his chief AI officer: “We’re done with hiring humans in sales. We’re going to push the limits with agents.”
Lemkin’s reasoning was straightforward economics and reliability. He calculated that hiring another junior sales representative at $150,000 per year who would eventually leave wasn’t worth the investment compared to deploying loyal AI agents that wouldn’t quit. Amelia Lerutte, SaaStr’s chief AI officer, confirmed that by June, the company began rapidly scaling from one to over 20 agents in production, consciously reallocating headcount spending to AI infrastructure.
The physical office transformation is striking: 10 desks that once belonged to human sales team members now bear the names of AI agents like “Quali for qualified,” “Arty for artisan,” and “Repli for Replit.” SaaStr’s approach involves training agents on their best human performers, using top salespeople’s scripts and processes to create AI versions that can replicate high-performance sales behaviors. This methodology mirrors Vercel’s approach, which spent six weeks documenting every step of their top sales performer’s work to build an agent that could mimic their process.
While Lemkin acknowledges that the net productivity of agents is roughly equivalent to humans, he emphasizes that agents offer superior efficiency and scalability—characteristics inherent to software. However, security experts warn of significant risks, particularly around data leaks and cybercrime, as AI agents require extensive access to operating systems and applications, creating multiple potential attack vectors for malicious actors.
Key Quotes
We’re done with hiring humans in sales. We’re going to push the limits with agents.
Jason Lemkin made this declaration to his chief AI officer after two high-paid sales representatives quit during SaaStr’s annual conference. This quote captures the decisive moment when the company committed to an all-AI sales strategy, marking a significant shift in workforce philosophy.
Train an agent with your best person, and best script, then that agent can start to become a version of your best salesperson.
Lemkin explained SaaStr’s methodology for developing effective AI sales agents. This approach of modeling AI on top human performers represents a practical framework that other companies could replicate, potentially accelerating the displacement of human sales roles across the industry.
It was a conscious choice after their departure to reallocate some (but not all) head count spend to agents.
Amelia Lerutte, SaaStr’s chief AI officer, clarified that the shift to AI agents was a strategic business decision rather than a purely reactive move. This statement reveals the deliberate nature of the workforce transformation and the financial reallocation from human salaries to AI infrastructure.
AI agents, in order to have their full functionality, in order to be able to access applications, often need to access the operating system or the OS level of the device on which you’re running them.
Harry Farmer, a senior researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute, warned about the security implications of AI agents. This quote highlights a critical risk that companies like SaaStr must address: the extensive system access required by AI agents creates multiple vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit.
Our Take
Lemkin’s move is both visionary and controversial, representing the kind of bold experimentation that will define the AI era. What’s particularly noteworthy is the speed of transformation—from one agent to 20 in just weeks—suggesting that once companies commit to AI agents, scaling happens rapidly. The economic argument is compelling: eliminating turnover risk and $150,000 salaries while maintaining comparable productivity creates obvious appeal for cost-conscious executives.
However, this raises profound questions about the future of entry-level white-collar work. Sales development roles have traditionally served as career launching pads; eliminating these positions could create a “missing rung” in the career ladder. Additionally, while Lemkin claims equivalent productivity, the real test will be whether AI agents can handle complex negotiations, build genuine relationships, and adapt to unexpected situations as effectively as experienced human salespeople. The security concerns also cannot be dismissed—a major breach could quickly reverse the cost savings. This experiment will be closely watched as a bellwether for AI’s viability in replacing, rather than augmenting, human workers.
Why This Matters
This development represents a watershed moment in the AI transformation of white-collar work, particularly in sales—a function traditionally considered too relationship-dependent for automation. Lemkin’s decision to completely eliminate human sales roles in favor of AI agents signals that autonomous AI has reached a maturity level where executives are willing to bet their revenue generation on it.
The implications extend far beyond SaaStr. As a influential figure in the SaaS community with a platform reaching thousands of founders and executives, Lemkin’s move could accelerate AI adoption across the industry. If successful, this could trigger a wave of similar transitions, fundamentally reshaping sales organizations and threatening hundreds of thousands of sales jobs globally.
The story also highlights the economic calculus driving AI adoption: the combination of high human turnover, substantial salaries, and increasingly capable AI agents is making the business case for automation compelling. However, the security concerns raised by experts underscore that this transition carries significant risks that companies must carefully manage as they pursue efficiency gains.
Related Stories
- The Future of Work in an AI World
- The Dangers of AI Labor Displacement
- Business Leaders Share Top 3 AI Workforce Predictions for 2025
- CEOs Express Insecurity About AI Strategy and Implementation
- AI’s Role in Tech Hiring Freeze: White-Collar Job Market Slump
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/godfather-of-saas-jason-lemkin-replace-humans-ai-agents-sales-2026-1