The top line of 1,000 redundancies doesn’t leave for good reading.
Interestingly, though, Salesforce is actively hiring around 2,000 people to sell its Agentforce product.
While an odd move, the decision suggests that Salesforce might reorient its business more towards data and AI rather than its traditional CRM focus.
That's not much of a stretch, given recent industry rumors that Salesforce has even considered renaming its entire business "Agentforce".
However, let's take a close look at what Salesforce's recent job cuts suggest about the company's future.
Salesforce Needs Fresh Expertise to Sell to New Buyers
Speaking on CX Today’s Salesforce Update in February, Liz Miller, VP & Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, explained that the hire-and-fire moves seem focused on sales roles.
Why? Perhaps because - by focusing on AI and customer data platforms - Salesforce is looking to lure in a new buyer. Indeed, they're now selling to CIOs, not function leaders.
As such, sales teams require not only new expertise, but potentially different skill-set.
Miller added: "Agentforce does take a very different type of technical knowledge with their sellers.
It’s not just about implementing a cloud solution; Agentforce is about "connecting the dots" across the Salesforce ecosystem and the broader customer experience landscape.
As such, the layoffs are likely about eliminating some roles while introducing others that require a deeper understanding of automation and AI.
Miller also noticed that Salesforce was "very specific" in saying those affected could apply for other roles, with internal candidates getting preference.
This suggests they’re trying to retain talent while streamlining roles to fit this new direction.
The Shift Towards a Platform-Based Selling Approach May Have Contributed
As noted, Salesforce has typically marketed to customer service, sales, and marketing directors, selling specific products.
Now, it's not only shifting to all-encompassing AI and data solutions but towards a more platform- or suite-based selling approach.
This naturally leads to some roles disappearing as new, more integrated roles appear.
