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The $500K AE Is Coming
December 2025
Joey Brodsky
December 22, 2025
Hello and welcome to The Modern GTM Executive by Lunar Executive Search - read by 2,000+ leading Sales, Marketing, and Executive Leaders within Growth-Stage Technology businesses. We’re here to help people redefine their perspective on modern revenue acquisition models, understand what talent & skills are necessary to do so, and how to find the to 10% of GTM Leaders to execute.
| Sales Hiring Market – Current LinkedIn Job Postings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Within Software Industry – Posted Last 7 Days | ||
| VP of Sales Jobs | 460 | +38% |
| Enterprise AE Jobs | 524 | +6% |
| BDR Jobs | 254 | -28% |
To help readers stay grounded in the reality of today’s GTM hiring landscape, I’ll be sharing a weekly snapshot of active sales roles on LinkedIn. These metrics offer a simple but powerful pulse check: where demand is rising, where it’s cooling, and how the broader software market is shifting beneath the surface.
This Week's Signal The Top 3 News Stories for Your GTM Career Curated headlines that actually matter for GTM leaders and job seekers. |
1 · Labor Market & Tech Hiring Amazon, Verizon, IBM and dozens more have cut tens of thousands of roles this year — a stark backdrop for GTM leaders and enterprise sellers as companies tighten budgets and refocus on efficiency amid automation trends. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} |
2 · Enterprise GTM Leadership Moves Cybersecurity firm HackerOne doubles down on GTM leadership with strategic executive hires to lead revenue and marketing — a signal that enterprise expansion remains a priority even as broader hiring cools. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} |
3 · Compensation & Talent Trends New market data shows Enterprise AEs moving into highly varied pay tiers with premium compensation offered in technical, cloud, and AI-related sales — underscoring why elite sellers are increasingly earning well beyond traditional benchmarks. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} |
To help you stay sharper and more informed, I’m adding this new weekly snapshot of the three GTM stories that matter most. No fluff - just the signals every sales leader should track.
The $500K AE Is Coming
For the better part of the last decade, Enterprise Account Executive compensation in software has been remarkably static.
$300K–$350K OTE became the industry norm.
Not because the job got easier — but because org design, headcount growth, and investor expectations allowed companies to spread risk across larger sales teams.
That era is ending.
The next generation of elite Enterprise AEs will be paid very differently. And in many cases, much more aggressively.
Bigger Mandates, Fewer Sellers
Across SaaS, Cyber, and AI, companies are intentionally hiring fewer quota carriers.
Each AE now owns:
Larger quotas
More complex buying committees
Deeper technical conversations
Greater executive exposure
You don’t expect someone to carry a $5M–$7M number and pay them like a $2M rep.
The Role Has Evolved
Top Enterprise AEs today aren’t just closers.
They look like:
Sales leader
Solution engineer
Business strategist
That hybrid skill set is rare — and scarcity drives price.
Where This Is Headed
By 2030:
$500K+ OTE will be common for top-tier Enterprise AEs
There will be fewer of these roles per company
The gap between average and elite sellers will widen
This isn’t a rising tide.
It’s a consolidation of dollars around a smaller group of true revenue drivers.
If you want the full breakdown — including team design, enablement impact, and what “great” actually looks like in 2025 — the data is in the report.
We've got a number of active opportunities across our portfolio of software clients at Lunar Executive Search currently.
A few select openings:
VP of Sales – VC Backed – Enterprise SaaS (US Remote)
Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - Enterprise SaaS (NY, NJ, TX)
Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - Cyber (US Remote)
(New) Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - InsureTech (NYC Hybrid)
(New) Enterprise Account Executive - VC Backed - Media Tech (NYC OR LA Remote)
Account Executive - PE Backed - HealthTech (US Remote)
I'm also always look to great candidates for future roles:
Chief Revenue Officer - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
Chief Marketing Officer - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
VP of Product Marketing - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
VP of Partnerships - Venture/PE-Backed - SaaS/Cyber/AI
Highlights from The GTM Kickback! Podcast
We've had a number of excellent interviews recently on The GTM Kickback!, with many more already booked and recorded on the way.
Want to be a guest? Ping me on LinkedIn! 😎
We're looking for: High-performance GTM Operators, VC/PE Investors in SaaS, and Leading GTM Consultants for early stage technology businesses
New to "The GTM Kickback!"? Subscribe to the podcast!
This newsletter is powered by Lunar Executive Search - Finding Premier GTM Talent for Growth Stage Tech Businesses.
We help disruptive technology companies grow. For venture-funded start-ups and PE-backed enterprise software firms, we have a track record in finding the Top 10% of Sales and Marketing Leadership Talent, and doing so swiftly.
Reach out to me here: [email protected]
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Till next time,
Joey