Cloud GTM has followed a familiar rhythm for years. We understand co-sell. We understand marketplaces. We know the mechanics of the motion. But heading into 2026, a question posed by Asher Mathew of Partnership Leaders in a LinkedIn post reframes everything:
What happens when AI becomes the front door for software buying?
- Do deals start and finish inside chat interfaces?
- Do marketplaces fade into the background as billing engines?
- Does discovery shift from browsing pages to conversational intent?
This isn’t just a product question. It’s a distribution question.
And distribution shifts always create new winners.
As AI takes more control of how buyers express intent and evaluate solutions, the center of gravity in cloud GTM will move. The winners will be the companies that understand how discovery, procurement, and execution are about to realign.
From Catalog Browsing to Intent Declaration
Marketplaces were designed for a catalog-shaped internet: listings, filters, comparisons, shortlists.
AI is designed for intent.
Buyers won’t “search” as much as they’ll describe what they need:
“We need a SOC2-ready solution with EU data residency that integrates with our current architecture and can be deployed in two weeks. What should we shortlist?”
When intent becomes the entry point, the economics of discovery change:
- Better answers outperform better listings
- Clarity outperforms volume
- Proof outperforms promises
- Relevance outperforms reach
AI aligns with how people actually want to buy: fewer tabs, fewer meetings, faster conclusions.
But this shift introduces a new tension.
Discovery Isn’t Procurement — and It Never Has Been
Many “AI will replace marketplaces” narratives overlook a simple truth: discovery is not the moment money moves.
Enterprise purchasing still depends on:
- Security, privacy, and compliance checks
- Approval workflows and budget governance
- Vendor onboarding requirements
- Invoicing and contract rules
- Renewal and lifecycle management
AI can accelerate confidence, but it cannot replace the systems-of-record that manage enterprise risk.
Cloud marketplaces excel here—not because they are perfect storefronts, but because they are reliable rails:
- Procurement-friendly
- Commitment-friendly
- Governance-friendly
The future doesn’t eliminate marketplaces. It repositions them.
Marketplaces will become the checkout, not the shop window.
The Real Battle Is Control, Not UX
If AI-powered chat interfaces dominate discovery, the interface owner influences:
- Which vendors appear in recommendations
- How categories are framed
- What “best practice” looks like
- Which bundles become the norm
- What pricing feels standard
If marketplaces retain control of transactions, cloud providers hold:
- The procurement path
- Commitment drawdown leverage
- Distribution gravity
- Renewal and contract governance
My view:
AI will own discovery and evaluation. Cloud providers will fight hard to keep transactional control through marketplaces.
Not because they prefer marketplace UI, but because they need control of spend paths.
The Winning Model: Conversation Happens in Chat. Contract Happens in Marketplace.
The near future is not an either/or scenario. It is a division of labor:
- Chat becomes the place where deals start — discovery, evaluation, shortlisting, validation.
- Marketplaces become the place where deals finish — private offers, approvals, billing, and renewals.
This sets up the next major shift in the ecosystem:
Partners become the execution layer triggered by AI intent.
When AI identifies fit, buyers will focus less on who has the best listing and more on who can deliver outcomes quickly, safely, and predictably.
This is where partners matter more than ever.
Implementation, onboarding, integration, governance, and time-to-value become the new competitive moat.
What This Means for 2026 GTM
1. AI Discoverability Becomes a Core Go-To-Market Capability
Being “findable” isn’t enough. You must be answerable.
AI needs clean, structured signals about:
- Your outcomes
- Your constraints
- Your integration truth
- Your proof points
- Your differentiation
If positioning is vague, AI may skip you—or misrepresent you.
2. Marketplace Readiness Evolves Into Transaction Excellence
AI will compress evaluation cycles, but procurement only moves smoothly when your marketplace motion is mature.
This is where companies either win or stall.
You’ll need:
- Flexible private offer packaging
- Clear security and compliance documentation
- Partner-friendly transaction paths
- Renewal mechanics designed from day one
The marketplace is no longer where people discover you.
It’s where they finalize and govern spend.
3. The Missing GTM Motion: AI → Procurement Handoff
Most companies are focused on AI content or marketplace programs. Very few are designing the bridge between them.
The advantage will come from chat interfaces that output:
- A shortlist and the rationale
- A business case with ROI and risk considerations
- A rollout or implementation plan
…and feed directly into:
- Marketplace private offer workflows
- Implementation motions with partners
- Clean procurement paths
This makes the journey from interest to impact dramatically faster—and more repeatable.
A Simple Way to Describe the Future
Chat becomes the new SDR.
Marketplace becomes the CFO.
One optimizes for speed and confidence.
The other optimizes for governance and permission.
Where the Advantage Sits
The advantage will not belong to the teams with the best chat interface or the most polished marketplace listing.
It will belong to the leaders who build the connective tissue between the two — because that bridge becomes the strategic differentiator.
As AI changes how buyers express intent, and marketplaces continue to govern how enterprises commit spend, partners will become the engine that turns both into value.
The future ecosystem will be won by those who design the system end to end, not by those who optimize one piece in isolation.
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Partner Elevate
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Dec 12, 2025 11:39 AM
