In January 2026, Florian Kaspar was setting up Clay and other go-to-market tools inside someone else's startup. By September he had taken his years in recruiting and bet them on a single job title: GTM engineer. He now runs Pipebuilders, a headhunting business that places only that role, and he hosts the Pipebuilders podcast, where he interviews the people who do the work.
Florian sits between founders who want AI inside their sales and the small group of people who can build it, so he sees the job offers, the salaries, and the hires that fall apart.
I came in as the skeptic, because to me GTM engineer sounded like a fancy title. So I asked him what these people do all day, what they really earn, how much pipeline one person can create, and what it costs a founder to hire the wrong one. He also told me who should never hire one, and why a job post and a CV are the wrong tools to find the right one.
If you still do every sale yourself and your next move is to hire a salesperson, this episode gives you a different way to look at that decision before you sign anyone.
🟪 Timestamps
(00:00) One Bet on a Brand-New Job Title
(04:56) The Unexpected Backgrounds That Win
(10:12) When You Shouldn't Hire One
(17:23) The 40% Accurate Job Post
(23:52) Watching Them Think, Live
(29:59) Goodbye CVs?
(37:36) Why 80% Write Back
(45:03) Agency, Fractional, or In-House?
(47:05) What It Really Costs
(55:04) Try This Before You Hire
🟪 About the Guest
Florian Kaspar after leaving his HR career to become a GTM Engineer, he decided to double back and bring GTM Engineering into recruitment. Today he runs his own recruitment agency focused connecting companies with GTM Engineers.
🟪 Connect with Florian Kaspar
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florian-kaspar1
- Pipebuilders podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/033DXdkcG2wHA4PdhVUgfg
🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca
- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca
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