Salesforce CEO Benioff Calls Microsoft Copilot 'Repackaged ChatGPT'
'Salesforce now can operate a company on our platform–and I don't think you’re going to find that on Microsoft's website,' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's Criticism
Salesforce CEO and co-founder Marc Benioff continued his attacks on artificial intelligence rival Microsoft during the vendor’s latest quarterly earnings call, calling Microsoft’s Copilot AI offerings a rebranding of generative AI offered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Benioff stated, “In many ways, it’s just repackaged ChatGPT.” He emphasized the capability of Salesforce to operate a company on their platform, a feature he believes is unmatched by Microsoft.
Benioff highlighted the significance of Salesforce's Agentforce AI product on the Help.Salesforce.com portal, which he claimed could deflect a substantial portion of their annual case volume, showcasing the potential of AI in the CRM domain.
Partner Opportunities in the AI Era
Brian Millham, Salesforce president and chief operating officer, discussed the partner opportunities in the AI era during the call. He mentioned the active involvement of global partners in Agentforce deals, underscoring the impact of AI on sales operations and bid management for various enterprises.
Millham also pointed out the extensive training completed by system integrators and the growing ecosystem of independent software vendors and technology partners building and selling agents.
The Role of AI in Digital Labor
Benioff expressed Salesforce's vision of empowering digital labor through autonomous AI agents. He positioned Salesforce as a key player in the digital labor space, highlighting the widespread adoption of Agentforce across their customer base.
He elaborated on the capabilities of Agentforce, citing its applications in customer issue resolution, lead qualification, deal closure, marketing campaign enhancement, and more. Salesforce's commitment to expanding the reach of Agentforce is evident through the hiring of additional sales personnel.
Salesforce's Dominance in Enterprise AI
Benioff boasted about Salesforce's position as the largest supplier of enterprise AI globally, attributing this success to the unified code that underpins their AI offerings. He emphasized the collaborative nature of AI agents working alongside humans to enhance customer interactions.
Millham mentioned the substantial growth in million-dollar wins with AI and highlighted Data Cloud's role in Salesforce's top achievements. The robust performance of Salesforce's Sales and Service clouds, coupled with the success of Commerce Cloud during Cyber Week, further underscored the company's AI prowess.
Financial Performance and Outlook
Salesforce reported impressive revenue figures for the quarter, with notable growth in subscription and support revenue. The company's optimistic outlook for the fourth fiscal quarter and raised revenue guidance for the full fiscal year signal confidence in their continued growth and market dominance.
Despite challenges in certain industry sectors, Salesforce remains bullish on its prospects, with a strong focus on leveraging AI technologies to drive innovation and customer satisfaction.
