Why GPTs can't drive executive strategy + raising the bar for humans

My love-hate relationship with AI is complicated - as a technologist with 25 years in digital - but one thing I’m 100% confident about is that:

GPTs will never drive true strategic roadmaps

Running a successful business in 2025 is contingent on different factors, including:

• Developing a product or service in need

• Achieving product-market fit with niche features or solutions

• Building a strong audience that trusts you

• Tapping into a data MOAT of self-developed studies and analysis that’s not public knowledge

• Strategic partnerships with other industry leaders in the space

• Forward-looking perspective and understanding of macro dynamics and the ecosystem (industry insights and predictions)

• Effective operational efficiency under the hood to deliver the corresponding results

Realistically, AI in 2025 is only able to support the last bullet point here - optimizing internal processes in large organizations with thousands of people doing mundane tasks, conducting manual research, scraping data by hand.

A few years ago, automation for most of that was already possible - with custom Python scripts, Selenium bots, headless Chromium scrapers, and other systems. It wasn’t necessarily trivial to develop them + some maintenance was required, which is why virtual assistants or admin roles were filling that gap without breaking the bank.

But none of the content production workflows, or deep fake AI videos, or automated email outreach at scale is able to build meaningful connections, retain professional communities, and craft scalable products that last.

And while a random influencer with an active community and 3 million followers can prove you wrong, they can achieve the same with a $10K prototype build, a Bubble app, an outsourced agency content flow for $3K - $5K per month, or any other high ROI medium to speed up development and go-to-market for a product that’s already signed off.

GPTs can upskill your low-skill talent, or mid-level managers lacking basic industry know-how. It may bridge the gap for non-fluent speakers able to respond in fluent English or even reply in a different language. But these are light enhancements for operational processes, and not driving true go-to-market strategy.

From a technical standpoint, this could go wrong real fast. I shared the story of this entrepreneur launching a public product with paid subscriptions and getting hacked via trivial endpoints:

AI has been known to provide fake legal and medical advice, get basic arithmetic wrong, and parse spreadsheets with hallucinations as well.

And in terms of business strategy…

All of that holds true because GPTs are being fed public data sources

I challenge agents and LLMs weekly on core business challenges around:

• GTM motion mechanics that work

• B2B audience development

• Lead generation for 2025

• Sales and TAM expansion

• B2B influencer marketing plans

• Scoping out new business plans (i.e. best businesses to invest $100K for $5K/mo with a breakdown)

• Topics, resources, and tools for our audience of B2B leaders and executives

Here’s a sample deep research that took Gemini nearly 10min to run - and what data sources were used for the analysis:

But unless you’re launching a commoditized agency for TikTok videos, an influencer marketplace - or a good old dropshipping store (like the tens of millions of other Shopify ones), then copy-pasting a beaten-to-death plan is what you want to run away from.

The real value in business today is kept in:

• Internal R&D and research conducted by executive and research teams

• ICP interviews - including paid calls or sponsored dinners

• Offline conversations at events (hallway talks, after parties)

• Running $30K - $500K in monthly ad spend testing different offers and plans and canceling the ones that don’t work

• Podcasts and interviews with executive leaders, answering more tactical questions

• Advisors, consultants, and coaches helping with contextual information based on the specificity of the business, founder, executive team, location, industry, market, price rates, and a handful of other variables

• Agencies working with dozens or hundreds of clients in a category, hence maintaining a data set of best practices, channels, KPIs, and tactics

• Proprietary data sources consolidating intent and signal data shaping market decisions

And effectively managing these relationships is still human-led. Trusting an AI agent to schedule meetings is one thing, but actually developing relationships is entirely different.

The technology behind outbound AI calls exists, but nobody wants to be on the receiving end of the line.

In an environment of business and professional relationships, trust and respect are integral.

Reaching a point where talking to robots can be completely acceptable is possible. But meanwhile, it’s still considered disrespectful, dishonest, impersonal, and is often unhelpful or delusional. Just like AI chatbots in help desks and support systems drive most people crazy, so are AI hooks online or AI bots blasting emails at scale.

The negative impact on brands utilizing these should not be understated.

So human roles will still exist, but the quantity of people running mundane tasks is going down fast. The IQ bar for hiring and retaining staff is going up unless outsourced costs can match that gap (and this has been a challenge over the past few years with remote global hiring).

Part of the global consolidation since 2022 includes layoffs, return-to-office, and AI augmentation to increase efficiency through cutting slackers and mundane roles that are easily automated, reduce the back-and-forth and delays in all sorts of remote syncs, and gaining some competitive advantage along the way. While the remote playbook still works in some places, it failed in large orgs with roles that weren’t optimal in the first place. And the current cuts are necessary to achieve a baseline that’s good enough to build on top of.

But can GPTs drive strategy at scale?

Completely impossible for now.

Unless GPTs subscribe to paid communities and scrape them, or hire their executive strategists and investors to build custom playbooks for them, in a semi-automated consultancy/mastermind setting, don’t expect quality to increase anytime soon.

If Perplexity and Open AI end up hiring journalists and consultants for custom GTM motions, I’ll link to this newsletter as an original inspiration for this idea.

Meanwhile, real strategy will remain in control of well-connected executives understanding the industry specifics and the real-time dynamics of the changing ecosystem.

Stay tuned for my upcoming podcast next Tuesday - we’re interviewing a veteran CFO discussing tariffs, the macro environment in 2025, and what real businesses deal with behind the scenes. And check out my short commentaries in the section below!

Mario

📢 Flippa is looking for more newsletters in their acquisition category and I’m boosting this post myself. After acquiring The Smarter Brain, I’m looking for more additions to the business portfolio + human development skills.

🚀 My advisory community keeps growing! New founders are signing up for the SMB program called Strategic Growth Circle. Meanwhile, as prices are going to go up to $497/mo from April, I’m exploring a community manager role transition from another community closing this month. Stay tuned.

✍️The data portfolio has crossed 15,000 monthly views - the B2B ecosystem project launched last year has been accelerating and pacing up to grow further in 2025. I’m revealing specific data insights and signals other than row traffic - something I advise my clients as well.

📰 Publishers are getting slashed again - this time via DOGE/Trump. Some major media networks had funding slashed over the past few days and freedom of speech is taking a hit. Independent journalism is becoming more important by the day. I’m doing my part with macro analysis here - forward the email to colleagues and industry peers if you find this valuable 🙏 

✍️ On the dangers of early stage investing. Sharing my personal commentary on a $850M startup shutting down less than two years after raising the funds. Investors in early-stage startups are reconsidering their strategy while moving toward dividends and more resilient businesses.

✍️ Social media is an absolute mess with outreach scripts. Here’s a sneak peek of my DMs screen getting blasted by random pitches all the time. They look so unprofessional that X is completely useless at the time. I’ve already blocked any messaging from Facebook and Instagram (and haven’t been using either actively, FB for over a decade now) solely due to poor notifications and excessive spam.

✍️ How free support forever is still an expectation today. I ended up receiving a barrage of emails from a client who paused maintenance in November and suddenly demanded emergency support on Sunday - and that through me expecting me to pick up the phone and guide him through technical issues introduced by another vendor. We’ve had some rotten apples last year (I’m still trying to avoid naming names), but B2B can do better this year for sure.

🔖 AI-powered financial forecasting — Budget planning is becoming more precise with the help of AI-driven forecasting tools. These systems analyze real-time data and model different financial scenarios to enhance accuracy and support better decision-making. Integrating AI into financial workflows is no longer optional—it's a competitive advantage.

🔖 Refine pricing for higher profits — Profitability hinges on a pricing strategy that fits both market conditions and business goals. Understanding the differences between cost-plus and value-based pricing can help balance costs, margins, and long-term value.

🔖 Track post-launch success with precision — Measuring the right post-launch metrics is essential for guiding product growth. User retention, engagement trends, and financial performance provide a clear picture of progress. A closer look at key performance indicators can help refine strategy and ensure long-term success.

🔖 Measure what matters in innovation — Identifying the right KPIs ensures R&D efforts contribute meaningfully to business outcomes. A data-driven approach can help track progress, improve efficiency, and align innovation with long-term growth.

🔖 Align your sales and marketing for higher conversions — A structured lead scoring system keeps teams focused on leads that are more likely to convert, improving efficiency and revenue. Explore how to implement scoring models, automate tracking, and refine your approach for better coordination between sales and marketing.

🔖 Enhancing risk management with security insights — A well-structured risk management strategy relies on clear, data-backed security assessments. This integration guide outlines how to incorporate security reports into decision-making processes, improving visibility and workflow efficiency.

🔖 Optimize your funnel flow — A well-structured funnel ensures a seamless customer journey. These marketing tools help maintain brand consistency, streamline navigation, and provide clear performance insights. Every stage should align with your strategy to improve conversions.

📃 Sharing insights on building with Cursor led to unexpected vulnerabilities. API key abuse, unauthorized subscription circumvention, and suspicious database activities. If you are a non-technical founder, addressing these threats is a challenge. This incident highlights the importance of balancing AI automation with robust security measures.

🎤 20 sales strategies for enterprise leaders - Chris Orlob published a great summary of leading tips and tricks for enterprise sales at scale in 2025.

📰 Bill Gates traveling to India again - I shared his LinkedIn article with my outlook on what I see in India today and my take on how the country has been flourishing over the past two decades.

🎤 Ray Dalio and Marc Benioff for CNBC - two incredible leaders discussing the future, geopolitics, AI competitive advantage, and more. Watch the full interview here.

📃 Inflation slows, but tariff impact looms. Consumer prices in the U.S. rose 0.2% in February, marking the slowest increase since October. A drop in airline fares and lower gas prices helped offset rising shelter costs, giving the Federal Reserve room to hold interest rates steady in its upcoming meeting. However, economists warn that recent tariff hikes on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico could push inflation higher in the coming months.

📃 Siemens to cut 8% of jobs at struggling factory automation business. Siemens will lay off 5,600 employees from its Digital Industries division due to declining demand in Germany and China. The company aims to expand in India and the U.S. while shifting focus to aerospace, defense, and process industries.

📃 Google acquires cloud security firm Wiz in $32 billion deal. Wiz, a leader in cloud security, will integrate into Google Cloud to enhance cybersecurity capabilities amid growing AI-driven threats. Last year, Wiz walked away from a $23 billion offer, opting for an IPO instead, but market conditions shifted. Alphabet shares fell 2% following the announcement, continuing their 15% decline for the year.

📃 AI-driven startups see sastest growth in Y Combinator history. Y Combinator’s latest cohort is seeing record-breaking growth, with companies growing 10% weekly on average. CEO Garry Tan attributes this acceleration to AI automation, which allows startups to scale faster with fewer engineers. Some companies reported that 95% of their code was generated by AI, reducing the need for large teams and enabling rapid commercialization.

📃 Germany's Bundestag passes debt reform. Germany’s Bundestag approved a fiscal reform package that loosens strict debt rules, enabling increased defense spending and a €500 billion infrastructure and climate fund. The reform removes certain security expenditures from debt constraints and grants more financial flexibility to Germany’s states.

Let’s see the latest offers from Flippa. Don’t forget to sign up for their newsletter for daily/weekly/monthly offers such as these.

SmallBizzHub: A growing business/marketing blog with 14.9K monthly visitors and $540 in net profit, priced at $3,500.

Accounting Practice SaaS: A 10-year-old SaaS helping businesses with bookkeeping, generating $1.8K MRR and $17K annual profit, selling for $75,000.

Electric Scooters & Electronics: A 5-year-old eCommerce business selling electric scooters and gaming products, generating $113K annual profit with $385K TTM revenue, priced at $144,140.

🔒 Disney Theme Park YouTube: A 2-year-old YouTube channel featuring Disneyland tours with 1.1M subscribers, 329 videos, and $88K annual profit, priced at $150,000.

German Fashion Brand: A fashion eCommerce store with a 4.7-star rating from 3K+ reviews, earning $329K annually with a $106 AOV and 2.91X ROAS, listed at $195,000.

🔒 SEO Marketing Agency: A 3-year-old agency growing purely through organic traffic, generating $170K in annual profit with a $700 client contract value, priced at $263,170.

Real Estate Acquisitions SaaS: A 4-year-old SaaS offering AI-powered CRM and KPI tracking for real estate professionals, generating $35K MRR and $182K annual profit, priced at $595,000.

Faceless Political YouTube Channel: A channel with 724K+ followers, AI-assisted content, and $291K in annual profit, available for $665,000.

Need My Help?

Keeping myself busy - here are the main projects I focus on:

🌐 Scaling WordPress past 100M views? DevriX provides martech retainers to SMEs, publishers, eCommerce, SaaS, and more. Our plans start from $1,200/mo to $40K/mo and we manage high-traffic platforms, B2B SaaS apps, partnership management solutions, supporting $10M - $250M businesses with scalability, custom funnels, CRO, big data augmentation, AI-driven processes, HubSpot workflows, programmatic SEO - and everything a modern business requires in digital in 2025.

🚀  Work 1:1 with me? At Growth Shuttle, I run two popular plans: Async Advisory for $3M - $30M founders and executive teams and the smaller Strategic Growth Circle for $100K - $500K entrepreneurs, agency founders, scale ups.

📈 International founder looking into US LLCs? Check out doola and their “Business in a Box” model. Suitable for both foreigners and US citizens and both for residents and non-residents.

📊 Into digital M&A? I work closely with Flippa’s marketplace. They offer a vast variety of online businesses for any buyer’s interest. Or if you’re ready for an exit, Flippa provides the tools to list your business and close the deal.

💼 Looking for investment opportunities? Check out SeedBlink and use Equity to manage your ESOP tables in-house.