Salesforce has cut 4,000 customer support jobs, CEO Marc Benioff said on a podcast. He said support staff fell from 9,000 to about 5,000 because he needed fewer heads.
Benioff spoke during an interview on The Logan Bartlett Show, where he described how artificial intelligence has reduced staffing needs inside Salesforce and shifted how support tasks are managed.
Salesforce says its new Agentforce platform routes many customer questions to bots. The company told NBC Bay Area that “Agentforce” cut case volume and stopped the need to backfill support engineer roles.
Benioff has also said that AI is doing up to 50% of the work at Salesforce. He made that claim earlier this summer while highlighting the growing use of automation at the company.
Industry experts say AI is changing many office jobs across sectors. Laurie Ruettimann, a human resources consultant, warned workers to learn new skills to stay employed in this new job market.
Ruettimann said networks alone will not get people new roles quickly. She said job seekers must expand their skills and contacts to improve their chances of finding stable employment.
Some analysts argue companies use AI as a cover for cuts after over hiring. Ed Zitron said that claim points to a growth at all costs mindset in the tech industry.
Zitron added firms may try to appeal to investors by calling moves efficiency gains. He warned such steps can harm workers and product quality in the long run.
Salesforce built Agentforce as a cross cloud platform to automate routine service tasks. The company says agents can work around the clock and hand off hard cases to humans.
Benioff framed AI as a tool that frees staff for higher value work. He said humans still guide complex issues and monitor AI output carefully at Salesforce.
Workers affected face tough choices about training, pay, and new job paths. Advocates call for clear paths to reskilling and fair severance terms for laid off staff.
Some customers say they do not notice big changes in support quality yet. Other users report mixed results when they raise complex or rare problems to support.
Salesforce also uses AI to follow up on old sales leads, Benioff said on the podcast. He said the tools revive opportunities that were missed in the past by staff limits.
Company leaders argue automation helps keep tech services cheaper for clients and partners. They say savings can fund new products and hires in other areas of Salesforce.
Labor groups and some lawmakers want clearer rules for AI driven layoffs across industries. They ask companies to report automation plans and to help workers who lose jobs.
Salesforce did not give a full breakdown of which roles were cut or severance details. The company statement to reporters focused on lower case loads and efficiency from Agentforce.
The episode adds to a wider debate about tech jobs and rapid automation today. It raises questions about who benefits when machines take over routine tasks at scale.
Benioff defended the change as a shift in how work gets done at Salesforce. He said the company will still rely on human judgment for tough and odd cases.
For now, affected staff must find new roles or training options quickly. Local job groups may add programs to help displaced tech workers retrain and apply.
Salesforce will remain a test case as other firms consider similar automation steps. Investors will watch whether cost cuts boost returns without hurting product value or service.
Benioff’s comments sparked wide comment in the news and on social feeds. The direct tone drew attention from labor advocates, customers, and the public at large.
The company plans to use AI tools across clouds, sales, and service operations soon. That shift will shape how many human roles the firm keeps in coming years.
The move at Salesforce shows a fast push toward AI in large tech firms today. Workers and leaders now must set clear plans for skills, pay, and fair treatment.
The cuts follow a wider wave of tech layoffs tied to automation in recent months. Many firms cite efficiency and the need to align staffing with new tools.
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Policy makers say they will watch how firms use AI and how they treat workers. Some call for mandatory notice and retraining funds when large cuts occur.
Affected employees can seek training in cloud tools, AI oversight, or support roles. Career centers and nonprofits offer short programs to help people move into new roles, according to cnbc.
