Podcast
August 1, 2025
Episode 52: RevOps Rewired
Mark Lerner explores how COVID, economic shifts, and AI rewired RevOps, focusing on platform consolidation and human-centered revenue operations.
In this episode of the RevOpsAF podcast, co-host and RevOps Co-op founder Matt Volm sits down with Mark Lerner, Director of Growth Marketing at DealHub and the author of the newly published e-book RevOps Rewired: Rethinking Revenue for the Digital Age. This is more than a typical book launch interview - it’s a sweeping, nuanced, and tactical exploration of how three seismic shifts have completely redefined the field of Revenue Operations over the past five years.
Drawing from over 100 podcast interviews, real-world anecdotes, and his own experience operating in the CPQ and RevOps trenches, Mark unpacks what’s changed, what’s still changing, and what RevOps leaders need to know to stay not just relevant - but invaluable - in a world that won’t sit still.
“There were three converging paradigm shifts - COVID, the economic correction, and AI - and they all hit one after another. That completely rewired the role and responsibilities of RevOps.” – Mark Lerner
Mark kicks off the conversation by identifying the "origin story" for this new era of RevOps. According to him, the industry didn’t just evolve - it was violently jolted into transformation by three consecutive, overlapping shocks:
“We went from a period of abundance to a period of reckoning. And RevOps was at the center of both extremes.” – Mark Lerner
During the “growth at all costs” years, companies prioritized speed over integration. The result? A scattered landscape of disconnected point tools with little strategic cohesion. In that environment, RevOps professionals were expected to be:
But as budgets shrank and CFOs took a red pen to every line item, the mandate shifted from speed to efficiency. Tools that weren’t delivering measurable ROI were eliminated. Point solutions were ripped out. Platform consolidation became the new north star.
“We’ve gone from a tool-for-everything mindset to a do-more-with-less platform approach. That puts even more pressure on RevOps to make those platforms work across multiple teams, workflows, and use cases.” – Mark Lerner
RevOps, once a support function, is now a cross-functional strategic orchestrator - responsible not just for deployment and integration, but also for ongoing platform optimization, user enablement, and cross-departmental ROI measurement.
➡️ Related Reading: Your 2025 RevOps Tech Stack, Simplified
One of the most eye-opening observations Mark shares: despite the hype, AI adoption within RevOps remains surprisingly limited.
While AI is making inroads in marketing (e.g. copy generation, ad testing) and product (e.g. support bots, personalization engines), RevOps teams are far more cautious. The reasons are many:
That said, there are promising use cases:
“We’re seeing AI interest across the board - but deployment is cautious. Most RevOps pros don’t want to test bleeding-edge tools in the systems that literally run revenue.” – Mark Lerner
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In the current AI landscape, some leaders believe that companies will start replacing SaaS vendors by building internal tools using no-code platforms and generative agents.
Klarna is one of the most famous examples. The company publicly announced that it replaced large portions of its tech stack - including CRM and HRIS - with custom-built AI-powered tools.
Mark sees this as a long-term possibility but a short-term overreaction. For most RevOps teams, building custom tools in-house presents too many unknowns:
“Just because you can build something doesn’t mean you should. There’s a reason SaaS companies exist: they’re good at solving one specific problem at scale.” – Matt Volm
Despite all the focus on automation, tooling, and AI, this episode ends on a refreshingly human note.
Both Matt and Mark emphasize that human-to-human interaction remains the most valuable currency in revenue operations. In fact, the goal of tech - if wielded correctly - should be to free humans up to do more human things:
“If AI can eliminate the drudgery - clicking buttons, cleaning lists, formatting decks - that creates more space for conversations, collaboration, and community. That’s the goal.” – Matt Volm
RevOps professionals are uniquely positioned to lead this evolution. They sit at the intersection of people, process, and technology - and now, AI. By taking ownership of where AI gets deployed, RevOps can become the tip of the spear for human-centered innovation.
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If you take one thing away from this episode, let it be this: RevOps isn’t dead. It’s evolving. And the professionals who embrace adaptability, cross-functional strategy, and human-centered design are going to be the ones who not only survive the change - but lead it.
“The RevOps pros who win going forward are the ones who ask better questions - not who chase shinier tools.” – Mark Lerner
📘 Grab the book: RevOps Rewired by Mark Lerner
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