# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending July 4, 2025

Published: 3 July 2025
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-july-4-2025

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK: CRO

[Conversation Rate Optimization](https://moz.com/learn/seo/conversion-rate-optimization); Banklinko has created [a great web guide](https://backlinko.com/conversion-rate-optimization) about what it is and how to design for CRO within a business.

Link: https://moz.com/learn/seo/conversion-rate-optimization

## 2. PRICING

Packaging up offerings and finding the optimal pricing and features structured for both customers and business unit economics is incredibly hard and [never right](https://www.heavybit.com/devguild/pricing-strategy/#priced-to-scale-the-only-constant-is-change). The team at Heavybit knows this very well, and [their article on using feature flags](https://www.heavybit.com/library/blog/optimize-pricing-and-packaging-feature-flags/) is a great read.

Link: https://www.heavybit.com/devguild/pricing-strategy/#priced-to-scale-the-only-constant-is-change

## 3. SALES

Do technical products need a different type of sales process vs traditional enterprise SaaS products? [Check this guide on Tech SDRs](https://playbooks.hypergrowthpartners.com/p/product-advocates-technical-sdrs). These Reps, understanding developer needs, are key for selling DevTools efficiently.

Link: https://playbooks.hypergrowthpartners.com/p/product-advocates-technical-sdrs

## 4. PRODUCT ONION

The [Product Onion Framework](https://www.the-founders-corner.com/p/the-product-onion-framework-saved) can serve as a sanity-saver for early-stage founders without an established product management team who are overwhelmed by feature requests. It breaks product thinking into 3 layers—Core, Context, and Brand—so you can prioritize what matters and ignore what doesn't.

Link: https://www.the-founders-corner.com/p/the-product-onion-framework-saved

## 5. VIBE CODING

New concept alert. Vibe coding = building without specs. Teams skip rigid planning and instead [ship fast, guided by intuition, customer feedback, and AI](https://www.newsletter.datadrivenvc.io/p/the-impact-of-vibe-coding-and-ai). Sounds loosey-goosey for sure, but it's part of a new [GTM playbook](https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/gtm-vibecoding-ideas) where rapid iteration beats strategy decks. Code, launch, repeat (with vibes apparently leading the way).

Link: https://www.newsletter.datadrivenvc.io/p/the-impact-of-vibe-coding-and-ai

## 6. PRECISION

Contrary time to compliment #5 above. Are you like me and not exactly sold on shipping fast and fixing later? [This post makes the case for precision over hype](https://www.mindtheproduct.com/precision-over-hype-a-product-managers-playbook-for-launching-ai-that-lands/). It's a tactical playbook for product leaders launching AI features that actually land.

Link: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/precision-over-hype-a-product-managers-playbook-for-launching-ai-that-lands/

## 7. AI CHURN

Churn is brutal in AI, and it turns out "AI tourists" don't stick around. The fix? Annual plans. [This piece breaks down how smart AI startups can use contracts](https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-sell-annual-plans) to lock in revenue and filter for the more serious user.

Link: https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-sell-annual-plans

## 8. MARKET RESEARCH (with AI)

I've taken a few cracks at this myself across different AI products in recent months with a varying amount of success (some of which was definitely user error); a16z's[latest nails how to](https://a16z.com/ai-market-research)[*actually*](https://a16z.com/ai-market-research)[do AI-native market research](https://a16z.com/ai-market-research): its fast, iterative, cheap, but may not get you all the way there.

Link: https://a16z.com/ai-market-research

## 9. SLG (SERVICES LED GROWTH)

Another from a16z this week and another new concept for our tech dictionaries outlines how [high-touch services (like implementation or consulting) aren't a go-to-market failure; they're a wedge](https://a16z.com/services-led-growth/), especially in AI, where trust, onboarding, and value-realization are still human-heavy.

Link: https://a16z.com/services-led-growth/

## 10. CASE STUDY

[GitLab is quietly becoming an AI's DevOps backbone](https://genuineimpact.substack.com/p/gitlab-quietly-powering-the-ai-development). From training infrastructure to CI/CD and security, it powers the AI stack behind the scenes. A great reminder that boring, essential tools often win!!

Link: https://genuineimpact.substack.com/p/gitlab-quietly-powering-the-ai-development

## POD OF THE WEEK

To add onto #5 and #6 this week, [What does it take to build world-class products today](https://open.spotify.com/show/7pv0JHF2YGgXm8OGz1JnL0)?

Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/7pv0JHF2YGgXm8OGz1JnL0