Salesforce to Hire 1,000 People for Big AI Product Sales Push (yahoo.com) 25
Salesforce "plans to hire more than 1,000 workers to sell its new generative AI agent product," reports Bloomberg:
The hiring surge is aimed at capitalizing on "amazing momentum" for the new artificial intelligence product, Chief Executive Marc Benioff said in a message. "Agentforce became available just two weeks ago and we're already hearing incredible feedback from our customers."
The top seller of customer relations management software, Salesforce pivoted its AI strategy this year to focus on agents — tools that can complete tasks such as customer support or sales development without human supervision. It launched the product, dubbed Agentforce, last month, with initial pricing of about $2 per agent conversation.
The top seller of customer relations management software, Salesforce pivoted its AI strategy this year to focus on agents — tools that can complete tasks such as customer support or sales development without human supervision. It launched the product, dubbed Agentforce, last month, with initial pricing of about $2 per agent conversation.
Rent, don't buy (Score:1)
Don't sell your house to move. AI biz is more volatile than frogs on crack.
Re: (Score:1)
And Salesforce will claim it's because their AI is good enough to replace humans, keeping investors around, when it fact they're in a slump.
Re: (Score:2)
It doesn't take very many 10 year service contracts to make it worthwhile. Especially people paid partly on commission.
I'm speculating that it's... (Score:2)
...crap, expensive crap.
I will be very surprised if it helps anybody except the crapmongers who are pushing it.
Re: (Score:2)
It's crap and it's expensive, but here's the clincher: it's less expensive than decent human non-crap.
The bean counters will go for cheap anytime, and throw quality out the window if that's what it takes to get cheap.
Re: (Score:2)
Any good engineer understands that cheaper is better so long as it falls within the specification and grade called for by the application. Bean counters don't even get involved in that conversation, they just ground your aspirations into the reality of what you can afford. It's the job of the leadership to find a compromise, and they often wear at least a little if not all of both hats. Though I'm not one view everything through the "us vs them" lens as is common here, r/antiwork, and r/union.
Can this AI cr
Replace Apex (Score:2)
They really need to replace Apex with either a fully compliant Java or with Groovy.
If it's so good (Score:5, Insightful)
Why do they need to hire people to sell it? Can't it sell itself?
Re:If it's so good (Score:4, Insightful)
It needs meatpuppets to interact with other humans in realspace - wine and dine customers at expensive restaurants, take them to hostess clubs, pass them bribes... Once VCs replace C-suite executives with AI bots, they can bypass all these intermediary steps.
In the meantime... industries that supply hookers and blow are bullish on AI?
Re: (Score:1)
"It looks like your extended car warranty is about to expire. Would you like me, ClippyGPT, to renew it?"
Note to self (Score:2)
Draft memo to staff: Extra-super-ignore Salesforce Sale and Corporate communications for next few months. Refer all voice calls regarding AI to the IVR Esp. Introductory Menu.
This is the worst anti-AI ad ever (Score:4, Insightful)
If you need to hire human beings to promote AI instead of letting AI promote itself, it's a sure sign that you AI is useless dogshit.
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Historically, when a new technology sweeps in, there are dinosaurs that go extinct in terms of their relevancy. I remember a programmer my dad hired to manage some custom software. The guy was running DOS and all his backup systems required floppy disks. After I learned to program, I replaced his software with my own that used a GUI and could backup files to a flash drive. He was pretty good in his day, but he didn't keep up with the times.
Currently, I teach lower undergraduate math classes. I drive the dir
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AI agent shifting goalpost (Score:2)
AI agents used to be an academic research about sophisticated multi-agent systems that together could accomplish complex tasks. These days it just means any AI app that accomplishes a task. Ie. any AI app. The limited nature of these 'agents' means that they basically replace what would be a simple button with an opaque task or chat interface. For a lot more money. The typical examples with 'just ask the chatbotnfor how many PTO days you have left' just show how vapid the promise is here. Worse, by giving t
But we need this, 'cause ... (Score:5, Insightful)
As the saying goes: "A man w/o AI is like a fish w/o crypto." :-)
(or something like that [wiktionary.org])
1000 salespeople are not "real employees" (Score:2)
Salesforce which has spent a fortune on its AI that has flopped in the marketplace and has not made them any money. So Salesforce latest attempt to get some ROI on AI, first layoff employees and replace them with 1000 sales people who mostly work on commission (so cheap if they dont sell) in attempt try to get customers to pay for AI.
I sure hope this dipshit is homeless next year (Score:3)
"Chief Executive Marc Benioff said ... "Agentforce became available just two weeks ago and we're already hearing incredible feedback from our customers."" and decides to hire 1000 people off of 'feedback' over the course of 10 business days.
I understand that he is the CEO in a business area that most sensible people think probably shouldn't need to exist ... but this is exceptional level of stupid.
Re: (Score:3)
The guy co-founded the company in 1999. This is their stock price [marketwatch.com] from the past decade. Not sure how what he's saying/doing qualifies as stupid.
P.S. Salesforce is the reason we have SaaS. How many billions has that idea made them?
I have a better idea (Score:2)
Great. More scammers to block. (Score:2)
Remember - if it needs advertising, it is crap.
Layoffs in a year or two... (Score:2)
Yeah, but. (Score:2)