Salesforce’s Strategic Overhaul: AI Ambitions Drive Restructuring and Leadership Shifts

Salesforce is undergoing a significant corporate transformation, marked by workforce reductions and a reshuffling of its executive team. This strategic pivot is centered on the company's aggressive push into artificial intelligence, even as its stock price hovers near annual lows. The "Agentforce" platform is positioned to become the cornerstone of future growth.

A notable wave of executive departures has accompanied this period of change. Within the last three months, five high-ranking leaders have exited the company. The list includes former AI Vice President Adam Evans, ex-Tableau CEO Ryan Aytay, and former Slack head Denise Dresser.

In response, Salesforce has announced six new appointments. A key move involves Joe Inzerillo assuming a dual leadership role overseeing both the Agentforce platform and Slack, signaling a tighter integration between the company's communication tools and its AI capabilities. Internally, however, the climate has faced turbulence. Over 1,400 employees staged a protest against CEO Marc Benioff's comments regarding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency during a company event in Las Vegas.

Workforce Realignment for AI Focus

The restructuring included the elimination of approximately 1,000 positions in early February 2026. The cuts impacted departments such as marketing, product management, and data analytics. Teams associated with the Agentforce AI platform and the Heroku cloud infrastructure division were also affected.

This move is part of a broader initiative led by Benioff to automate functions using autonomous software. A clear example is the reduction of the customer support workforce from 9,000 to 5,000 employees, with AI agents increasingly handling client interactions. Resources freed by these cuts are being redirected to scale the company's core technology investments.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Salesforce?

Heroku Wind-Down and Capital Reallocation

Salesforce has halted new enterprise contract sales for its Heroku platform. Acquired in 2010, Heroku will now be maintained in a "sustaining mode" with no new features planned. Capital is being systematically reallocated from this unit to fuel the expansion of the Agentforce initiative.

This strategic bet appears to be gaining early traction. The AI platform, inclusive of Data Cloud, is already generating approximately $1.4 billion in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and is growing at a triple-digit percentage rate. Market observers are closely watching to see if this shift in focus can reverse the stock's recent weakness.

Share Price Tests Annual Lows

Investor sentiment remains cautious. On February 11, Salesforce shares closed at $185.00, marking a decline of over four percent for the session. This price level placed the equity near its 52-week low of $181.81. Despite the company having raised its full-year forecast, the market exhibits skepticism about whether such an aggressive overhaul can be executed without significant operational friction.

Upcoming quarterly results, scheduled for release on February 25, 2026, are anticipated to provide critical insight into how effectively the AI-driven strategy is already translating into financial performance.