- Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff stated Microsoft’s OpenAI ties blocked Salesforce from investing, leading to a lucrative Anthropic bet.
- Benioff claims Salesforce could make “tens of billions” from a future Anthropic IPO, having invested over $300 million.
- The Anthropic partnership now integrates Claude as the default Slack model, validating Salesforce’s AI agent thesis.
- Despite “SaaSpocalypse” fears, Salesforce reported record Q2 revenue of $11.3 billion and strong Agentforce growth.
- Retail sentiment on CRM remains ‘bearish’ as the stock fell 10% over six sessions, while traders await Anthropic’s IPO filing.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff revealed on a Sources podcast that Microsoft’s close relationship with OpenAI effectively blocked the cloud software provider from investing in the ChatGPT maker years ago. Consequently, Benioff looked elsewhere and initially wrote a $50 million check to Anthropic in 2023 at a reported $4.1 billion pre-money valuation.
Salesforce has since invested over $300 million across multiple rounds, and Benioff predicts the company could make “tens of billions” from the AI startup’s eventual IPO. This relationship now extends beyond investments into Salesforce software, with Claude becoming the default model in Slack under the expanded Claudeforce partnership.
Benioff defended the $27.7 billion Slack acquisition, arguing the company anticipated AI agents serving as the primary business interface. However, fears of a “SaaSpocalypse” earlier this year wiped roughly $1 trillion from U.S. software stocks as investors worried about AI agents disrupting traditional SaaS.
Salesforce recently reported record second-quarter revenue of $11.3 billion, up 11%, while the Agentforce run-rate exceeded $1.5 billion, a 240% increase. The company also raised its full-year revenue guidance to $46.1 billion-$46.4 billion, positioning AI models as infrastructure rather than mere threats.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for CRM remained ‘bearish’ with the stock falling for six straight sessions, shedding about 10%. Sentiment was similarly ‘bearish’ for Anthropic and OpenAI, as traders closely watch for Anthropic’s IPO filing, which is expected soon.
✅ Follow BITNEWSBOT on Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X.com, and Google News for instant updates.
