Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff proclaims, ‘No question that we are going to move into an incredible moment in India’

Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff has declared that the world is transitioning into an “Indian era,” reflecting the growing significance of India in the global economy. 

Speaking at Salesforce's annual ‘Dreamforce’ event, which is being held from September 17-19 in San Francisco, Benioff expressed excitement about the company's opportunities in India, where Salesforce has made significant investments, per PTI.

“You can see that the world is moving into the Indian era. There is no question that we are going to move into an incredible moment in India,” Benioff stated, as quoted by PTI.

Salesforce, headquartered in San Francisco, expects to close the fiscal year 2025 with $38 billion in revenue. The company currently employs over 11,000 people in India, with the majority of these employees catering to the company's global clientele. However, increased adoption of digital technologies has also driven growth in Salesforce's Indian business, according to the report.

“We do all kinds of things in India, including engineering and support, but also we go to market in India,” Benioff sai. He noted that the company serves major clients, such as Bajaj Group, in the country.

Benioff also praised Arundhati Bhattacharya, the former chairperson of the State Bank of India, who now leads Salesforce’s operations in India. 

“Arundhati is an incredible leader. She came out of the banking world... we are very, very fortunate to have her leading our operations,” he remarked.

Despite its rapid expansion, Salesforce did not disclose specific business growth targets for India or details on increasing its workforce in the country.

Launch of ‘Agentforce’ 

At the same event, Salesforce launched its latest offering, ‘Agentforce,’ an autonomous AI solution designed to simplify business functions such as sales, service, marketing, and commerce. 

According to the company, traditional tools like co-pilots and chatbots are now outdated because they require human input and cannot handle efficiently handle complex, multi-step tasks.

The new ‘Agentforce’ tool, compared to a self-driving car, can retrieve relevant data, create action plans, and execute tasks autonomously without human intervention.

Addressing concerns about AI's potential impact on employment, Benioff acknowledged the possibility of job losses but said outcomes would depend on how companies manage the transition. He cited an example where workers were shifted into sales roles, resulting in higher growth for the company.

(With Inputs from PTI)