I think the old CMO is dead.

Not because marketing matters less. Because AI changes how work gets done.

For years, the answer to more output was simple: hire more people. More specialists. More agencies. More layers. More meetings.

That model is breaking.

Now I think it goes one of two ways.

Option one: you keep the high-level marketing leader, but install a Chief Growth Architect, Chief Marketing Engineer, or some kind of operator-builder who designs the systems, automations, AI workflows, reporting, and execution infrastructure underneath them.

Option two: the CMO becomes that person.

Either way, the future marketing leader manages leverage, not headcount.

Marketing teams are getting smaller, but more dangerous. One strong operator with the right systems can now do what used to require multiple hires, freelancers, and agency support.

That’s also why the Sequoia thesis about outcomes over software feels so important. The next great companies may not sell software. They may sell done-for-you outcomes powered by software.

And that’s the same reason I don’t buy the ‘everything is saturated’ argument. Business is like music. Same notes. Same instruments. Same patterns. But new songs still hit because they’re recombined in a different way.

Most businesses are not invented from scratch. They’re interpreted.

Question to reply with: Do you think the future of marketing leadership looks more like a CMO, a growth architect, or some hybrid of both?

A lot of what I’ve been building and thinking about lately points in the same direction: leaner teams, stronger systems, more operator leverage.

This week I’ve been deep in AI workflow design, agent structure, and internal execution systems, and it keeps reinforcing the same point for me.

The companies that win won’t just have better ideas. They’ll have better internal leverage.

That means fewer people doing repetitive coordination work, and more people building systems that make execution faster, cleaner, and more scalable.

The strategy lesson: AI is not just a productivity tool. It changes org design.

What’s next: I think more companies are going to realize they don’t need bigger marketing departments, they need better marketing architecture.

These are some pieces of content that I felt inspired to write about this week and the ideas I’m stealing from them.

My take: The biggest takeaway is that AI makes it easier to sell outcomes instead of tools.

The winners may look like services companies on the front end and software companies on the backend.

My take: Most people still use AI like a chatbot.

The bigger opportunity is using AI to build operator systems, internal leverage, and agent-driven execution across the company.

My take: The most successful teams are going to have access to their own army of AI agents.

We're doing this now for Nutre. I'm building out an entire team assistant that lives inside of Slack, and the team can ask it to help with anything.

Will maybe share on a future newsletter.

Tool/Prompt I’m Using: AI as a thought-partner + structuring engine for turning raw operator thinking into content.

Step 1: Brain dump the real opinion.

• Don’t try to sound polished at first.

• Just get the raw thesis, tension, and examples out.

Step 2: Identify the sharpest core argument.

• What do I actually believe?

• What old idea am I saying is broken?

Step 3: Turn it into a clear structure.

• Main point.

• Supporting points.

• Examples.

• Closing takeaway.

Step 4: Tighten it into my voice.

• Shorter lines.

• Cleaner phrasing.

• Stronger transitions.

How to use this: Don’t use AI to fake an opinion. Use it to sharpen a real one you already have.

Behind the scenes, I’m spending a lot of time thinking about what AI actually changes inside a business beyond the surface-level hype.

Not just better prompts. Not just faster writing.

I’m talking about org design, leverage, service delivery, internal systems, and what happens when a small team can suddenly operate like a much bigger one.

That’s the rabbit hole I’m in right now, and honestly I think most companies are still underestimating how much this changes the shape of leadership.

Hope you guys got value out of this email.

If you have any specific questions or want me to cover any topics, just respond to this email and I'll do my best to get to them.

See you next week!