We’re done hiring human sellers. SDR role is dead in 2026.

You’ve probably seen some version of this post.

Sometimes it’s a founder bragging.
Sometimes it’s a hot take thread.
Sometimes it’s a screenshot of an “AI SDR” booking meetings while the team sleeps.

And recently, the loudest version of this trend got mainstream attention when Jason Lemkin (SaaStr) talked publicly about replacing most of his sales team with AI agents and said some variation of “we’re done hiring humans.” Business Insider+1

So what’s the real answer?

My perspective is simple.

There will always be demand for fantastic talent. Always.
But the market is done paying for average.

That’s what’s changing.

The internet is confusing “automation” with “replacement”

AI is real. It’s not a fad.

Salesforce’s research has been blunt about it: AI adoption is mainstream in sales teams, and teams using AI are more likely to report revenue growth. Salesforce+1

Gong’s recent research goes even further: revenue teams are treating AI less like a toy and more like a core decision input, and AI-driven teams report materially better outcomes. Gong+1

Clari’s content and research point in the same direction: enterprises are building new capabilities and roles around AI to run revenue more predictably. Clari+1

So yes, AI is becoming part of the revenue org.

But here’s the mistake.

Most people see that trend and jump to the laziest conclusion:

“If AI is here, humans are done.”

That’s not how markets work.

Markets don’t remove humans when technology improves.
Markets remove mediocre output when technology makes mediocre output cheap.

The SDR role isn’t dead. The old SDR job description is.

Let’s be honest about what “average SDR” meant in the last era:

• Hides behind emails

• Speaks with 2 people in an 8-hour day

• Never follows up consistently

• Does not build a point of view

• Complains about territory, timing, leads, product

• Treats activity as work instead of outcomes as work

That version of the SDR is in trouble.

Because AI can already do a lot of what that person does:

• Send unlimited emails

• Personalize at scale

• Work 24/7

• Run sequences perfectly

• Never gets tired

• Never has an off day

• Never complains

And AI keeps improving.

Outreach’s 2025 analysis highlights a pattern you can feel in the field: SDRs using AI report meaningful time savings every week, which means the “admin + busywork” part of the job is shrinking. Outreach

So if your value was “I can do busywork,” you’re competing with software.

That’s the real shift.

What great looks like now

AI changes the bar for what “good” means.

It doesn’t remove the need for sellers. It raises the standard for being one.

Here’s what the market still pays for, especially in enterprise:

1) Creating trust fast

Enterprise deals are risk decisions.

Security, legal, procurement, and internal politics still exist.
A buyer still has a career.

AI can support the process.
But trust is still earned in human moments: calls, meetings, negotiation, pressure, nuance.

2) Running multi-threaded conversations

Complex deals do not close because one person liked your email.

They close because you navigated a messy org:

• economic buyer

• champion

• blockers

• finance

• security

• exec sponsor

That’s not a sequence problem. That’s a judgment problem.

3) Having a real point of view

Enterprise buyers pay for clarity.

They don’t want a pitch.
They want someone who understands their world and can say the hard thing.

That is still a human advantage.

4) Doing the hard channel consistently

Cold calling is still one of the most misunderstood advantages in modern outbound.

Gong’s research has repeatedly shown what top teams already know: calls create leverage across other channels, even when you do not connect live. Gong+1

Average sellers avoid the hard channel.
Great sellers use it to create momentum.

The real split in 2026: operators vs passengers

AI is turning sales into a game of operators.

Operators:

• use AI to remove friction

• spend saved time on higher-value actions

• measure what works and iterate

• build systems

• follow up until the answer is yes or no

Passengers:

• let tools do “activity”

• confuse motion with progress

• do not build skill

• blame inputs

• stall out

This is why you’ll keep hearing two conflicting stories at the same time:

• “We replaced SDRs with AI.”

• “We can’t find great SDRs.”

Both can be true.

If your company’s SDR function was mostly templated outreach and list blasting, AI will replace a chunk of it. Business Insider
If your company sells something complex and needs pipeline that converts, great human sellers become more valuable, not less. Gong+1

What top revenue orgs are signaling (without saying it directly)

You asked for examples from top B2B sales orgs. Here’s the signal they’re putting into the market.

Salesforce: AI is mainstream, but it’s about productivity and outcomes

Salesforce’s State of Sales messaging has been consistent: AI is being adopted broadly and is tied to productivity gains and reported revenue performance. Salesforce+1

That’s not “salespeople are dead.”
That’s “salespeople who leverage AI will outpace those who don’t.”

Gong: AI is becoming a core revenue input, and the best teams use it to get sharper

Gong’s more recent research frames AI as a serious part of revenue strategy and decision-making, not just note-taking or email drafts. Gong+1

Translation: the edge is moving from “who works hardest” to “who learns fastest.”

Clari: enterprises are building AI capability into RevOps and revenue leadership

Clari’s research and content emphasize that organizations are hiring for AI expertise across revenue roles, including RevOps expansion and new operating models. Clari+1

Translation: revenue is becoming more system-driven, and sellers who can operate inside that system win.

The new SDR scorecard (print this)

If you’re an SDR reading this, this is what you need to be great in 2026.

If you’re a leader hiring SDRs, this is what you should screen for.

Skill

• Can they run a tight cold call and earn a second question?

• Can they write clean, simple follow-ups that do not sound like templates?

• Can they handle pushback without getting defensive?

• Can they create a point of view about the buyer’s problem?

Output

• Do they actually talk to people every day?

• Do they follow up until the thread is closed?

• Do they keep activity tied to outcomes?

System thinking

• Do they measure what is working by segment, persona, and channel?

• Do they run small tests weekly?

• Do they use AI to remove admin, not replace effort?

If someone is weak on these, it’s not “the SDR role is dead.”
It’s “this person is not competitive anymore.”

A simple 30-day plan to become undeniable

If you want to be the SDR that “still has a job,” don’t aim for safe.

Aim for undeniable.

Week 1: Build the foundation

• Pick 1 ICP and 1 persona.

• Write a one-page point of view: what’s broken, what it costs, what buyers should do.

• Build a talk track that sounds like a peer, not a pitch.

Week 2: Become dangerous on calls

• Cold call every day.

• Track connects, conversations, meetings.

• Fix one thing per day (opener, question, pace, objection response).

Use AI to:

• summarize calls

• extract objections

• generate rebuttal drills
  But you still do the reps.

Week 3: Follow-up like a machine

• Every convo gets a follow-up.

• Every “not now” gets a scheduled next touch.

• Every open thread gets closed.

AI helps you keep perfect consistency.
It does not replace the work.

Week 4: Build leverage

• Turn what worked into a playbook.

• Teach it to your team.

• Ask for harder accounts.

• Ask to run an experiment.

This is how you stop being “a cost” and become “an asset.”

So, are humans going away?

No.

Average is going away.

The old game was “who can send more.”
AI won that.

The new game is:

• who can create trust faster

• who can learn buyer truth faster

• who can multi-thread and close complexity

• who can run a system, not just a task list

And there will always be demand for that person.

Always.