Salesforce shares jumped about 12% in premarket trading Thursday after the company lifted its annual revenue and profit forecasts and unveiled a deeper AI integration with Anthropic. The move comes as investors have been weighing whether advanced AI models could upend traditional software businesses.
The company introduced Claudeforce, a plug-in that embeds Salesforce capabilities directly into Anthropic's Claude AI models. Initially, it includes 37 pre-built sales skills, allowing Claude users to draft emails, update records, and execute other actions within Salesforce. Salesforce and Anthropic plan to expand the integration across Claude, Salesforce, and Slack.
CEO Marc Benioff called it “a first in the industry” and said it represents the future of enterprise systems. The partnership is a strategic move to demonstrate that AI can amplify Salesforce's value rather than diminish it.
Raised guidance and strong quarter
Salesforce now expects fiscal 2027 revenue of $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion, up from its prior range of $45.9 billion to $46.2 billion. The company attributed the increase to momentum in Agentforce, Data 360, and Slack, which are offsetting volatility in license revenue. CFO Robin Washington noted the guidance also includes contributions from the planned acquisitions of Contentful and Fin, expected to close in the coming weeks.
For the fiscal third quarter, Salesforce projects revenue between $11.42 billion and $11.5 billion, above the $11.415 billion consensus. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was raised to $16.67–$16.71, up from $14.06–$14.12, partly due to buybacks and operational improvements.
Second-quarter revenue came in at $11.35 billion, up 11% year over year.
AI as a tailwind, not a threat
The results are particularly significant given the broader selloff in software stocks. Salesforce shares were down about 20% year-to-date before Thursday's jump, though they had already recovered more than 30% from late-July lows as investors reassessed AI disruption fears.
Benioff pushed back against the “SaaSpocalypse” narrative, saying frontier models depend on CRM rather than replacing it. He noted that nine of the top ten AI companies use Salesforce and Slack, with spending up 435% year over year. Washington added that AI is amplifying the platform's value, citing over 7 billion agentic work units delivered across Agentforce and Slack, including 3.2 billion in the second quarter.
Pipeline strength bolsters optimism
Current remaining performance obligations (cRPO) reached $33.5 billion, up 14% year over year and slightly above the $33.4 billion estimate. Analysts at Evercore ISI and Jefferies highlighted the acceleration in cRPO as a key positive, following two quarters of 13% growth.
Washington said net new annual order value saw its strongest growth in four years. Industry analyst Rebecca Wettemann noted that large deals and the availability of easier-to-deploy AI agents are driving the numbers.
Implications for the software sector
Salesforce's rebound offers some relief to an industry grappling with AI's impact. The Claudeforce launch is particularly important because it positions Anthropic as a partner that can drive Salesforce usage, rather than a competitor. While the stock remains below prior highs, the latest results provide evidence that AI adoption can create additional demand for enterprise platforms.
Investors will be watching whether other software companies can similarly turn AI into a growth driver. For more on AI's impact on tech earnings, see our coverage of Marvell's earnings and Workday's AI challenges.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
