AI shift drives 4,000 job cuts at Salesforce, CEO Benioff confirms

Salesforce, based in San Francisco, has intensified its AI investments with the launch of “Agentforce,” a customer service platform that streamlines case resolution, reduces support volumes, and removes the need for hiring additional support engineers

Salesforce has announced significant workforce reductions, with around 4,000 customer support positions eliminated as artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly takes over tasks once handled by humans. Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff disclosed the development during a recent podcast interview, noting that the company’s support team has been reduced from about 9,000 to 5,000 employees.

Benioff said the change reflects the rapid integration of AI across Salesforce operations, highlighting how automation tools have transformed the way the company manages customer interactions. Salesforce, headquartered in San Francisco, has been investing heavily in AI and recently introduced “Agentforce,” an AI-driven customer service system designed to resolve cases more efficiently. According to the company, the adoption of Agentforce has reduced the overall volume of support cases and eliminated the need to hire additional support engineers.

AI’s broader impact on jobs

The decision underscores a larger trend in which companies are relying on AI to streamline operations, often at the cost of jobs. Human resources consultant Laurie Ruettimann noted that layoffs linked to AI are becoming increasingly common across industries, urging professionals to continually upgrade their skills to remain relevant. “It’s no longer enough to rely solely on your existing network—workers need to expand their horizons and adapt to new realities,” she said.

Industry analysts suggest that AI is not the only factor driving layoffs. Ed Zitron, a technology analyst, argued that many firms over-hired during the pandemic and are now using AI as a justification to cut jobs while presenting themselves as more efficient to investors. “Growth has become the overriding goal,” Zitron said, warning that the relentless pursuit of expansion risks damaging both employees’ livelihoods and the quality of products delivered to customers.