Marc Benioff says AI is radically reshaping Salesforce, and 51% of Q1 hiring was internal, as thousands of employees were redeployed
In a recent op-ed published in the *Financial Times*, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff emphasized the need to keep humans at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution. While acknowledging AI’s transformative potential, he stressed that its role should be to augment human capabilities, not replace them.
Benioff, a long-time advocate for responsible technological innovation, argued that humans possess a unique “superpower”—the ability to express compassion and connect meaningfully with others. These qualities, he said, have been instrumental in shaping history’s greatest inventions and driving purpose-driven business.
> “AI can either replace us or enhance us—and I believe it must be the latter,” Benioff wrote.
He envisions AI as a catalyst for growth and impact, particularly in how companies operate and serve their customers. At Salesforce, AI is already making waves: AI agents overseen by humans now resolve 85% of customer service inquiries, and 25% of new R&D code was generated by AI during the first quarter of this year.
Despite these advancements, Benioff acknowledged that AI is reshaping the workforce. Jobs are evolving, some disappearing while others emerge—a trend Salesforce has experienced firsthand.
> “Our organization is being radically reshaped,” he noted.
Thousands of employees have been redeployed into new roles, and hiring for engineering positions has largely been paused. In fact, 51% of the company's hires in Q1 came from internal transfers rather than external recruitment.
These changes align with broader industry trends. Earlier this year, Benioff stated that AI handles up to 50% of work at Salesforce in areas like coding and customer support. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have similarly reported that AI generates between 20% and 30% of code at their respective companies.
The Future of Work in the Age of AI
Benioff also echoed concerns about AI’s impact on entry-level jobs, particularly those that serve as stepping stones for recent graduates. He warned that today’s generation of CEOs may lead the last all-human workforces, pointing to the accelerating pace of automation.
Tech leaders like Tony Fadell, co-inventor of the Apple iPod, have added to these concerns. Fadell recently told Bloomberg TV that junior-level roles across industries are under threat from AI, urging educational institutions to better prepare students for a workforce where experience matters more than ever.
> “Businesses are not going to be training their workers like they used to,” Fadell said.
A Human-Centered Future
Still, Benioff remains optimistic. He believes humans are not passive bystanders in the AI era but active participants who can shape its direction.
> “AI is not destiny,” he said. “We must choose wisely. We must design intentionally. And we must keep humans at the center of this revolution.”
In his view, the future lies in partnership, where humans guide AI, harnessing its power to amplify creativity, productivity, and empathy. To do otherwise, he warned, would be to write ourselves out of the story altogether.
As AI continues to redefine work, leadership, and learning, Benioff’s message is clear: the most powerful innovations will always come from human ingenuity—supported, not supplanted, by technology.