Salesforce has announced plans to significantly expand its workforce in 2024, aiming to hire 2,000 new sales representatives. This move comes as the company seeks to capitalize on the growing demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) products. Currently, Salesforce employs over 72,600 individuals, and this hiring spree marks a strategic pivot towards bolstering its sales capabilities in the competitive AI landscape.
The decision to hire additional sales personnel aligns with Salesforce’s recent financial performance. In the three months ending October 31, the company reported US$9.44 billion in revenue, reflecting an 8% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth underscores the efficacy of Salesforce’s evolving strategy, which heavily emphasizes AI development.
Salesforce’s AI-powered customer service agents are already making waves in the industry, managing approximately 32,000 queries each week. The implementation of the Agentforce platform has led to a remarkable reduction in the need for human intervention, decreasing from 10,000 cases weekly to just 5,000. This trend illustrates the effectiveness of AI solutions in streamlining operations and enhancing customer experiences.
In a statement regarding the hiring initiative, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff noted, “We’re adding another couple of thousand salespeople to help sell these products.” He further highlighted the overwhelming interest in these positions, stating, “We already had 9,000 referrals for the 2,000 positions we’ve opened up. It’s amazing.”
Despite these positive developments, Salesforce has faced challenges in recent years, including significant layoffs as part of cost-cutting and restructuring efforts. In 2023 alone, more than 8,000 employees were dismissed, with another 1,000 roles cut in 2024. This year has seen two separate rounds of job cuts totaling about 1,000 positions. However, the current hiring initiative signals a turnaround and a renewed focus on growth.
The company is also preparing to launch the second generation of its Agentforce platform in February 2025. Additionally, plans are in motion to enhance Slack—Salesforce’s popular communication tool—with even more AI-driven features. These developments are part of a broader strategy to empower sales teams, marketers, and customer service agents with advanced AI tools.
As Salesforce continues to invest heavily in AI, it faces stiff competition from rivals such as Microsoft, which has partnered with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. Nevertheless, Salesforce’s commitment to expanding its workforce amidst previous layoffs demonstrates its confidence in the future of AI and its potential to transform sales and customer engagement.
Featured image courtesy of CIO Dive
