Salesforce (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff Says AI Agents Can't Replace Salespeople, Focusing Hiring There

Salesforce (CRM) is now hiring mainly sales staff as AI efficiency tools have stalled engineering headcount growth, Chief Executive Marc Benioff said on a May 27, 2026 earnings call. Benioff noted the 15,000-person R&D team has been flat for two years, with AI agents handling tasks like lead screening but remaining unable to replicate human sales and communication. The company will “continually expand” its sales force under revenue chief Miguel Milano to reach new market segments. The comments followed a quarterly beat: adjusted earnings per share of $3.88 on revenue of $11.13 billion, up 13% year-over-year, exceeding analyst estimates of $3.12 and $11.05 billion. A $27 billion share buyback reduced shares outstanding by about 10%, lifting EPS. However, full-year revenue guidance of $46.05 billion at midpoint and next-quarter guidance of $11.27 billion to $11.35 billion both narrowly missed consensus, pressuring shares Thursday. Salesforce laid off about 4,000 customer service employees in September 2025 as part of its AI pivot. The company joins a wave of tech workforce reductions, with recent cuts at Amazon (AMZN), Oracle (ORCL), Coinbase (COIN), Cloudflare (NET) and Meta Platforms (META) driven by AI-driven efficiency pushes.