Vercel trained an AI agent on its best salesperson. Then it cut the 10-person team down to 1.

In a groundbreaking move, Vercel, valued at $9.3 billion and established by coder Guillermo Rauch in 2015, is leveraging AI to transform its workforce dynamics. The cloud-based development platform has embarked on an innovative initiative to train AI agents based on the work patterns of its top-performing employees, effectively reshaping the roles within its sales team. Previously comprising ten sales development representatives who managed inbound inquiries, Vercel has now reduced this team to just one human overseer and an AI agent. This agent, dubbed the 'lead agent,' automates many of the repetitive tasks traditionally handled by the team. It intelligently reviews incoming messages, filters out spam, and qualifies leads by tapping into internal databases and utilizing OpenAI's Deep Research tool. The development of this AI agent began in June when Vercel launched an internal sales initiative. The chief operating officer, Jeanne DeWitt Grosser, recruited a team of engineers to shadow the company's standout sales performer for six weeks. By meticulously documenting the successful employee's workflow, they were able to create an agent that mimics these effective strategies. Now, this AI-driven agent drafts personalized responses and routes support inquiries, enhancing efficiency within the sales process. Human oversight remains crucial, as a manager reviews the agent's work via Slack, providing feedback that helps refine its performance and adapt to Vercel's communication style. Since implementing this AI solution, the company has not only downsized the sales team but has also transitioned the remaining employees to more complex outbound prospecting roles, which Grosser claims are of higher value. David Totten, Vercel's new vice president of global field engineering, emphasized that while modeling AI after top employees is a traditional business strategy, modern technology accelerates this process significantly. Grosser further noted that the intent of Vercel's AI strategy is not to reduce the workforce, but rather to enhance it, with the company witnessing growth in headcount over the past year. Currently, Vercel has deployed six AI agents, with plans to expand to hundreds in the coming months, each designed to replicate the traits of high-achieving employees. The focus will remain on preserving human roles for creative and intellectually stimulating tasks, as Grosser believes there is untapped potential in human capabilities beyond traditional job functions.