Everyone’s Accelerating. Now What?

[Un]Churned Chapter 011

This is how last week started for me and our fellow East Coast Gainsters.

My dog Jackson had a blast, and it gave me some time to hunker down and catch up on some great content.

B2B Communities Aren’t Dead, Your Outdated Metrics Are (This Week’s [Un]Churned 🎙️)

Jon Wishart (VP, Strategy & Growth at Gainsight) and Brian Oblinger (Strategic Consultant and Host of In Before the Lock Podcast) have had a front row seat to the evolution of B2B SaaS customer communities. From the early days of simple support deflection. To the pandemic-led shift to customer advocacy. And now the “no-click era” of AI.

In this week’s episode of [Un]Churned, we explore what it takes to change the perception of your community from a cost center into a retention investment. We pull on a lot of threads: the metrics that need to retire and the new ones that should take their place, the cross-functional relationships that matter, and the necessary groundwork for a successful community.

If you’re building or maintaining a community, or even just considering it, Jon and Brian will give you an unfiltered look at what it takes to make it a value driver.

Can AMs Replace Customer Success?

Earlier this week, I shared a conversation with a CRO scaling their AI company from under 50 to 200+ GTM hires; with no Customer Success Managers. The comments made it clear: what matters is who owns value.

In usage-based AI models, NRR follows adoption. If revenue is the primary KPI, does value delivery become intentional or incidental?

Curious where you land. Can properly trained Account Managers replace Customer Success, or does mindset still matter more than semantics?

Read the full post →

Think Before You Hit the Gas

Our CEO, Chuck, shared with our team Boris Cherny’s (Head of Claude Code) episode of Lenny’s Podcast in his weekly update, and there’s a reason why this is creating a lot of buzz. Using AI to code is old news. What’s interesting is that we’re already seeing the ripple effects. What happens when execution stops being the bottleneck?

When engineers can ship 20 to 30 requests a day without touching the code, speed stops being impressive and starts revealing things. If your roadmap isn’t clear, you’ll see it faster. If you don’t really understand your customers, you’ll build the wrong things faster.

Watch the full episode →

Moving Fast While Staying Human

In Part Two of the “behind the build” of our Instance Review AI agent, we share what really happened when code became reality. Working with Method Garage, an AI transformation company, we were able to move with groundbreaking speed and go from discovery to prototype in just three weeks.

This article is an honest look at what worked, what didn’t, the feedback we received, and the lessons that stuck. It’s an important reminder that keeping humans involved is part of the design, not a limitation.

Read the full article →

P.S. One of the biggest takeaways from this process is that you can’t afford to skip discovery. Go straight to production and you’ll inevitably miss important context. We talk more about our discovery process (and how it taught us how little we actually knew) in Part One of this series. You can read it here.

Go Wide or Go Up

Nick Mehta shared a sharp take this week on a trap many SaaS companies fall into: getting stuck in the $20K ACV middle ground. Too big for true SMB velocity yet too small to compete up-market. Growth looks strong, but then it stalls.

His framing is simple but uncomfortable. You either go wide and expand your footprint across more use cases, or you go up and build for bigger customers with deeper needs. What doesn’t work is standing still and just hiring more sales reps.

It’s a reminder that ACV growth relies on strong product and positioning decisions.

Read the full post →

☕ Off Topic: What Else I’m Reading

A few things I’m reading beyond the CS lens.

“How to Prepare for the Next Decade” by Scott Barker

This post stopped me in my tracks and brought up memories of Boggle nights with my grandmother. If you’re feeling angst in this “acceleration decade,” this is a helpful suggestion to slow down intentionally.

'“Giving Away Your Legos is Fucking Hard” by Molly Graham

This article is a good reminder that growth always costs you something. The work that built your confidence is usually the first thing you have to hand off if you want the organization to move faster than you.

“Workaholic. You have an unhealthy obsession with AI.” by Ruben Hassid

Is AI actually helping you do more, or is it just “performative productivity?” Ruben shares lessons for AI-holics that bring decision-making and prioritizing back into focus.

Wrapping Up

There’s no shortage of momentum right now. The real work is making sure it compounds in the right direction.

See you next Monday. Until then, stay curious and stay warm 🧠

— Josh

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