Salesforce launches AIforce as Benioff challenges Microsoft

On 18 September 2026, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced AIforce at the Dreamforce 2026 conference. The new AI connectivity layer allows employees to access company data and run complex workflows directly inside third-party tools such as Anthropic's Claude and Slack. The release launched with three integrations: Claudeforce, Slackforce, and Agentforce Coworker, with Salesforce guaranteeing zero data retention by external AI model providers.

Benioff used the presentation to criticize rival AI software, targeting Microsoft Copilot and arguing that competing products lack a reliable business data layer. Patrick Stokes, Salesforce's president of applications and marketing, noted that the core value of the company resides in the platform that stores corporate business logic rather than its user interface. On the day of the announcement, the company experienced a global service disruption that locked some customers out of their systems.

The launch follows a volatile year for the stock, which dropped as much as 37% earlier in 2026 to a 52-week low of $146.32 on fears that AI assistants could displace CRM software. The shares subsequently rallied about 34% over the past month, closing at $255.65 on 15 September. Salesforce reported quarterly revenue of $11.35 billion, exceeding Wall Street estimates, and now carries a market capitalization of $210 billion with a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29.

Analyst sentiment across 38 analysts tracked reflects a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average 12-month price target of about $267. Combined annual recurring revenue from Agentforce and Data 360 has exceeded $2.9 billion, marking growth of more than 200% from a year ago as the company confronts competition from Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, and AI startups.