Key facts
- The role of GTM engineer, which barely existed two years ago, is now appearing across the tech industry.
- GTM engineers use AI and automation to build revenue systems, automating tasks that previously required multiple people and tools.
- Clay co-founder and CEO Kareem Amin will discuss the GTM engineer role at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
- Clay coined the GTM engineer role in 2023 and offers a guide describing them as practitioners who build automated revenue workflows.
- Approximately 100 GTM engineering job listings are appearing each month, with roles at companies like Cursor, Lovable, and Webflow.
- Clay announced a $1 million scholarship fund in September to train GTM engineers.
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Clay co-founder and CEO Kareem Amin is set to discuss the burgeoning role of the "GTM engineer," a position that has rapidly gained prominence in the tech industry over the past two years. Amin's session, titled "The GTM Engineer: How AI Created Tech’s Next Big Job Category," will explore how artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping traditional go-to-market strategies.
Traditionally, go-to-market tasks such as account research, data cleaning, lead qualification, and outreach preparation were time-consuming and often required multiple individuals and tools. GTM engineering, as defined by Clay, leverages AI and data to transform these processes into repeatable, automated systems. This new discipline focuses on building revenue workflows rather than executing individual tasks manually.
Clay, founded in 2017, has evolved to provide infrastructure for go-to-market teams, utilizing its OpenAI-powered agent, Claygent, to automate research and outreach. The company has experienced significant growth, tripling its annual recurring revenue to $100 million in the year leading up to February and recently securing $115 million in Series D funding at a $7.1 billion valuation in September. To further support the GTM engineer category, Clay also launched a $1 million scholarship fund in September.
The session at Disrupt aims to provide insights for founders and GTM leaders on how to approach growth, questioning whether to hire more people for existing processes or build systems that enable current staff to operate more efficiently. Amin will contextualize this shift and illustrate what AI-native GTM looks like in practice, highlighting its potential to change how sales, marketing, and growth teams function.