This is the hot job at SpaceX

One of the hottest jobs astatine SpaceX correct now relies connected an old-fashioned skill: talking to people.

CEO Elon Musk, who besides founded xAI, the institution down the chatbot Grok, has spent years saying that AI and robots will return connected much of the activity humans do. Yet connected SpaceX's net call Tuesday, he said the institution is building a ample endeavor income squad for the satellite net strategy Starlink — activity he described successful distinctly quality terms.

"This requires conscionable going retired there, talking to people, educating them astir the rate of the Starlink strategy and wherever it's going," Musk said.

Musk's comments echo what different business leaders told Business Insider: Even arsenic AI automates parts of sales, winning analyzable deals still requires a quality touch. Good salespeople, they said, springiness buyers assurance that personification will beryllium accountable if a merchandise aliases work falls short.

"Generally speaking, group still want to bargain from humans," said Brian Smith, laminitis of IA Business Advisors, a guidance consulting firm. "Even companies arsenic ample arsenic SpaceX are trading relationships, not conscionable a work aliases a technology."

AI tin help, but humans still close

AI tin still play a valuable portion successful the income process. For example, it tin beryllium utilized for customer research, preparing transportation decks, and role-playing really to triumph complete rejection.

Smith said his patient uses AI to create income scripts tailored to prospective buyers successful different regions. "AI is helping to get that done faster," he said.

The exertion is apt to autumn short, however, erstwhile it comes to closing a sale.

"AI is not going retired for meal pinch group to bargain and sell," said Alan Stein, CEO of a career-coaching patient and a erstwhile hiring head astatine Google, Meta, and American Express. While AI whitethorn beryllium capable to switch immoderate professionals, he added that "relationship-driven roles for illustration income are going to beryllium little impacted."

On Tuesday's SpaceX net call, Musk said the income team's occupation will beryllium to person firm and authorities customers that Starlink is reliable capable to service arsenic their superior net provider, alternatively than arsenic simply a backup.

While SpaceX is simply a family sanction that precocious pulled disconnected the largest IPO successful history, it still needs to person prospective firm and authorities customers to acquisition Starlink, and that's not thing AI tin likely do connected its own, said Alex Sobol, cofounder of the Millennium Alliance, an invite-only organization for C-suite executives successful North America and Europe.

"Elon's astir apt not conscionable relying connected the truth that his products and technologies are received really well," said Sobol. "I deliberation he realizes this is astir apt much analyzable than thing he's put to marketplace before, and it's going to request a batch of group successful the section talking to customers, imaginable customers, advocates, and skeptics."

Palantir is shrinking its income team

Musk's comments contrasted pinch those made by different high-profile CEO this week. Palantir CEO Alex Karp wrote successful a shareholder missive released Monday that his company's income squad is getting smaller, moreover arsenic its commercialized business is surging.

"It must beryllium noted that we person achieved these results pinch a minuscule and shrinking income caput count, different measurement successful which we person discarded accepted contented successful favour of our own, unsocial path," Karp wrote.

Stein, Smith, and Sobol cautioned against interpreting Karp's remarks arsenic grounds that AI is broadly replacing salespeople. They said Palantir whitethorn beryllium different because of the beardown request for its products and the quality of its customer base.

"I don't deliberation it's AI. I deliberation it's Alex Karp's philosophy," said Stein.

Sobol said his ain institution is utilizing AI to make its salespeople much businesslike while continuing to grow the team. The Millennium Alliance has astir 100 income labor and 12 much scheduled to commencement successful September, he said.

"We're hiring for illustration crazy," he said.