Clay's co-founder and CEO, Kareem Amin, highlighted a rapidly emerging role in tech called the GTM (go-to-market) engineer, which leverages AI and automation to streamline and scale revenue operations. Introduced just a few years ago, this position addresses the cumbersome traditional processes of sales and marketing, which often required manual research, data cleansing, and multi-tool workflows. Amin discussed this evolution at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, emphasizing how AI has transformed GTM tasks into repeatable, automated systems that boost efficiency.

Clay, founded in 2017 and based in Brooklyn, has evolved its no-code platform to specifically empower GTM teams with tools that integrate data, automate workflows, and manage outreach campaigns using AI-powered agents like Claygent. The company recently revealed impressive growth, hitting $100 million in annual recurring revenue and receiving a $115 million Series D funding round that values it at $7.1 billion. Clay is actively investing in developing GTM engineering as a career path, including creating a $1 million scholarship to train professionals in this domain.

The rise of GTM engineers signals a shift in how companies think about growth resource allocation—whether to hire more personnel following traditional workflows or to build AI-native systems that allow existing teams to work more effectively. Amin’s session at Disrupt explored this shift, providing insights for founders and sales and marketing leaders on integrating AI technologies into their growth strategies. Companies like Cursor, Lovable, and Webflow have begun hiring for this emerging role, which now appears in about 100 job listings per month.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, held October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, offers attendees access to over 200 sessions, including Amin’s presentation on GTM engineering. The event gathers more than 10,000 industry leaders, investors, and startups, fostering an environment for discovering next-generation growth tech. Tickets are available with discounts for group purchases and a 50% reduction on a second pass, making it an ideal forum for learning about AI-driven transformations in revenue operations.