Salesforce has reportedly eliminated approximately 4,000 customer support roles following the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) agents designed to manage a high volume of service inquiries. CEO Marc Benioff revealed this during an appearance on the Logan Bartlett Show podcast, explaining that the support team shrank from around 9,000 to roughly 5,000 employees, as AI systems demonstrated the ability to resolve nearly half of customer cases.
According to Benioff, this shift wasn't driven by a decline in demand, but rather by a transformation in how Salesforce manages operations. Automation has taken over routine tasks that previously required human intervention. This transition was enabled by Agentforce, an AI system launched earlier this year. He explained that the platform autonomously handles numerous customer support requests, while more complex issues are escalated to human agents through a supervised model that coordinates AI and employee efforts. He described this setup as achieving a balance between efficiency and reliability, with automation managing routine tasks and human intervention reserved for situations requiring personal engagement.
The CEO further emphasized that AI has significantly transformed Salesforce’s approach to client service. He noted that Agentforce has already managed approximately 1.5 million interactions, and despite the smaller support team, customer satisfaction levels have remained steady. Additionally, this automation has enabled Salesforce to reconnect with over 100 million dormant customer leads—previously unreachable due to staffing constraints—unlocking potential business opportunities.
Although thousands of roles were cut, Benioff also claimed that many affected employees were successfully transitioned into new roles within the company. He stated that they have been reassigned to departments such as sales, professional services, and customer success. He described this as a "rebalancing" of the workforce, redirecting human resources toward areas where interpersonal skills and growth potential are more pronounced.
This recent round of job reductions coincides with Salesforce intensifying its AI initiatives. Last year, for instance, the company announced a $500 million expansion of its corporate venture fund, Salesforce Ventures, bringing the total capital allocated for AI-related investments to $1 billion. Furthermore, in May 2025, the cloud-based software giant revealed plans to acquire cloud data management firm Informatica in an $8 billion deal. Despite such advancements, the company hasn't been free of controversy. In early 2024, Salesforce cut about 700 jobs, representing roughly 1% of its global workforce. While the company justified the layoffs as a strategic move to better allocate resources, the decision drew criticism amid ongoing acquisitions and strong revenue in previous quarters.
