A client ranked #1 on Google for the exact keyword phrase describing his business, including a featured snippet, yet was not mentioned by ChatGPT or Perplexity when asked the same question in plain language, while three competitors were cited. The article argues that ranking in a search index and being cited by an AI model are different problems. Traditional search engines are index-and-rank machines that output a list of documents for the user to synthesize, with the unit of competition being the click. In contrast, LLM-based answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews synthesize a single paragraph, deciding which sources to name, making the citation the unit of competition. The old SEO playbook does not transfer because the scoring mechanisms differ structurally; for instance, backlink volume, which dominated classical ranking, is a weak signal for AI citation. The author, who runs an AI-native growth firm, frames this as Generative Engine Optimization, a distinct problem from SEO, and states the gap will matter to almost every business with a website over the next two years.