Salesforce Cuts 4,000 Support Roles Citing AI Efficiencies

Salesforce (CRM, Financials) reduced its customer support workforce by nearly half, with CEO Marc Benioff directly attributing the 4,000 job cuts to advances in artificial intelligence.

I've reduced it from 9,000 heads to about 5,000, because I need less heads, Benioff said on The Logan Bartlett Show podcast, in remarks published Friday.

The San Francisco-based company has been aggressively integrating AI into operations through its proprietary platform Agentforce. The company said the system has reduced the number of support cases and eliminated the need to backfill support engineer roles.

Salesforce announced over the summer that AI is doing as much as 50% of the work across certain teams, streamlining tasks that previously required human input.

The layoffs highlight a growing shift in enterprise operations where AI is directly replacing labor. HR consultant Laurie Ruettimann said workers must adapt quickly: There have been layoffs all over America directly attributed to AI, she noted.

Critics, including analyst Ed Zitron, argue that companies like Salesforce are using AI as cover for pandemic-era overhiring and are prioritizing cost efficiency to attract investors.

Salesforce's move adds to growing evidence that generative AI is reshaping white-collar workand forcing companies to recalibrate staffing strategies far faster than many expected.