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https://fortune.com/2025/09/02/salesforce-ceo-billionaire-marc-benioff-ai-agents-jobs-layoffs-customer-service-sales/ https://fortune.com/2025/09/02/salesforce-

https://fortune.com/2025/09/02/salesforce-ceo-billionaire-marc-benioff-ai-agents-jobs-layoffs-customer-service-sales/ https://fortune.com/2025/09/02/salesforce-ceo-billionaire-ma... Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says his company has cut 4,000 customer service jobs as AI steps in: ‘I need less heads’ seems not true ?

toomuchtodo 1y ago
Salesforce's weak quarterly revenue forecast signals lagging AI monetization - https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/salesforces-weak-quarterly-revenue-forecast-signals-lagging-ai-monetization-2025-09-03/ https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-r... - September 3rd, 2025 > Salesforce forecast third-quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, signaling lagging monetization for its highly-touted artificial intelligence agent platform as clients dial back spending due to macroeconomic uncertainty. > The cloud software provider also announced a $20 billion increase to its existing share buyback program, but that was unable to allay investors' concerns, sending Salesforce's shares down over 5% in extended trading.
- throwaway29812 1y ago
  I seem to recall a vague statement about AI doing half of his company's work, which was never really defined either.
  - toomuchtodo 1y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42639417 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42639417 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43208081 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43208081
josho 1y ago
4k jobs across the economy is far less than random variation in the stats. Salesforce reduced their headcount in 2023 by 8-10%. Another reduction by 5% attributed solely to AI could be a half truth and the reality could simply be Salesforce driving an efficiency agenda. Personally, I believe it will take a few more years for systems to be built. Once those systems are in place, then headcount reductions are going to come fast and wide. Or putting it simply think of it as exponential growth. Currently AI job displacements are small, but it's growing, and will continue accelerating in its growth.
runako 1y ago
Salesforce revenue growth has decelerated from ~24% in FY 2021 to just over 8% for the trailing 12 months. A company that was tuned to double revenue in 3 years transforming in one expecting to double in 9 years is definitely carrying too many people. It made sense for them to reduce headcount to align with their much slower growth curve. Side note: Benioff also said earlier this year that they were done hiring programmers because AI. I'll let their careers page put the lie to that.
- 11101010001100 1y ago
  Benioff is making the same bet uber did with self driving cars, maybe this time it will be different?
- visarga 1y ago
  Companies can choose to reduce costs by firing people, or to improve outcomes using both humans and AI. When they fire people they are saying they have no idea what to do with them. But people have AI too, we are no worse than AI.
- sroerick 1y ago
  Salesforce has a DX problem, putting the AI conversation aside, they probably should have developers so they know how to address this.
fkyoureadthedoc 1y ago
shame, because what he really needed was fewer heads
rsynnott 1y ago
Salesforce just gave weak guidance. "Company that doesn't expect to do so well lays people off" is a pretty standard story, and one might be forgiven for thinking that "Company that expects magic robots to do everything lays people off" is, in this case, more marketing than anything else. I wouldn't necessarily pay that much attention to what the CEO _says_.

toomuchtodo 1y ago

Salesforce's weak quarterly revenue forecast signals lagging AI monetization - https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/salesforces-weak-quarterly-revenue-forecast-signals-lagging-ai-monetization-2025-09-03/ https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-r... - September 3rd, 2025 > Salesforce forecast third-quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, signaling lagging monetization for its highly-touted artificial intelligence agent platform as clients dial back spending due to macroeconomic uncertainty. > The cloud software provider also announced a $20 billion increase to its existing share buyback program, but that was unable to allay investors' concerns, sending Salesforce's shares down over 5% in extended trading.

throwaway29812 1y ago
I seem to recall a vague statement about AI doing half of his company's work, which was never really defined either.
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42639417 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42639417 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43208081 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43208081

josho 1y ago

4k jobs across the economy is far less than random variation in the stats. Salesforce reduced their headcount in 2023 by 8-10%. Another reduction by 5% attributed solely to AI could be a half truth and the reality could simply be Salesforce driving an efficiency agenda. Personally, I believe it will take a few more years for systems to be built. Once those systems are in place, then headcount reductions are going to come fast and wide. Or putting it simply think of it as exponential growth. Currently AI job displacements are small, but it's growing, and will continue accelerating in its growth.

runako 1y ago

Salesforce revenue growth has decelerated from ~24% in FY 2021 to just over 8% for the trailing 12 months. A company that was tuned to double revenue in 3 years transforming in one expecting to double in 9 years is definitely carrying too many people. It made sense for them to reduce headcount to align with their much slower growth curve. Side note: Benioff also said earlier this year that they were done hiring programmers because AI. I'll let their careers page put the lie to that.

11101010001100 1y ago
Benioff is making the same bet uber did with self driving cars, maybe this time it will be different?
visarga 1y ago
Companies can choose to reduce costs by firing people, or to improve outcomes using both humans and AI. When they fire people they are saying they have no idea what to do with them. But people have AI too, we are no worse than AI.
sroerick 1y ago
Salesforce has a DX problem, putting the AI conversation aside, they probably should have developers so they know how to address this.

fkyoureadthedoc 1y ago

shame, because what he really needed was fewer heads

rsynnott 1y ago

Salesforce just gave weak guidance. "Company that doesn't expect to do so well lays people off" is a pretty standard story, and one might be forgiven for thinking that "Company that expects magic robots to do everything lays people off" is, in this case, more marketing than anything else. I wouldn't necessarily pay that much attention to what the CEO _says_.