What it really takes to thrive in an AI-first company I Aliisa Rosenthal (OpenAI)

In this week's episode, I sit down with Aliisa Rosenthal, Head of Sales at OpenAI, who shares a rare look inside the launch of ChatGPT and what it took to scale her sales team for one of the fastest-growing AI companies in the world.

From 10 to 500 team members, Aliisa didn’t just lead - she rolled up her sleeves and helped build OpenAI’s go-to-market engine from the ground up.

Whether you're navigating change, hiring at scale, or building AI literacy in your company, Aliisa provides actionable insights and stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Key Takeaways:

- What made ChatGPT an unexpected, immediate success

- Why great sales leaders lead through great execution

- How scaling fast can break more than it builds - be deliberate

- Hiring without commission = hiring for mission

- What it takes to thrive at OpenAI - The real AI advantage? Your people. Not just your product

- Don’t wait for perfection - start now and adapt fast