Salesforce is a technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California, specializing in customer relationship management (CRM) software. Founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff and Parker Harris, the company has played a pioneering role in promoting cloud-based CRM systems. Through applications developed for sales, service, marketing, commerce, and IT teams, as well as AI-powered tools and data integration solutions, Salesforce serves organizations across a broad range of industries globally.

History and Corporate Structure

Salesforce was established with the idea of delivering CRM software via the internet, becoming one of the early adopters of the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. Key milestones include the launch of Service Cloud in 2009, the unveiling of the AI-powered Einstein platform in 2016, and the release of Agentforce in 2024. While headquartered in San Francisco, Salesforce also operates regional offices in cities such as Dublin, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Paris, and Frankfurt. As of 2025, the company maintains over 90 offices worldwide.

Leadership

Salesforce is led by co-founder and Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff. Other senior leaders include Parker Harris (Co-founder and CTO of Slack), Robin Washington (President and COO), Ariel Kelman (President of Marketing), and Srini Tallapragada (President of Engineering). The board of directors is composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds in technology and finance.

Product Portfolio

Salesforce’s product suite is unified under the Customer 360 platform, which integrates tools such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Tableau (business intelligence), MuleSoft (data integration), Slack (communication), and Data Cloud (data unification). These applications are supported by the AI engine Einstein, which enables functionalities like sales forecasting, automatic summarization, campaign management, and personalized customer engagement.

Agentforce and AI Applications

Introduced in 2024, Agentforce represents Salesforce’s commitment to “agentic AI” by enabling the deployment of autonomous digital agents that collaborate with human workers. These agents process natural language inputs and automate functions such as appointment scheduling, troubleshooting, report generation, and data analysis. As of 2025, the Agentforce for Field Service module is actively used by companies including AAA, CPI Security, and Axis Water.

Agentforce for Field Service enhances the productivity of field technicians through features like automatic scheduling, gap-filling in appointment books, voice-played job summaries, real-time issue resolution, and post-job reporting. It can also be integrated with voice assistants such as Apple Siri to enable hands-free operation.

Education, Equality, and Climate Initiatives

Salesforce adopts a “1-1-1” philanthropic model, donating 1% of its equity, 1% of employee time, and 1% of its products to nonprofit organizations. The company has contributed more than $150 million in grants to schools and NGOs supporting students globally. Its Net Zero Cloud platform offers solutions for tracking, reporting, and reducing carbon emissions in the context of climate action.

Ethics and Security Policies

Salesforce promotes ethical AI development through the Einstein Trust Layer, a security and privacy architecture, and the Office of Ethical and Humane Use. The company is actively engaged in global AI governance, including participation in NIST frameworks and compliance with EU AI regulations.

Global Reach and Client Base

Salesforce serves more than 150,000 businesses worldwide. Clients span industries such as finance, retail, energy, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and the public sector. Notable customers include Formula 1, Santander UK, FedEx, Uber Eats, General Mills, and The Adecco Group.

In addition to CRM, Salesforce provides integrated AI, data analytics, and automation technologies that support digital transformation efforts across its customer base. With innovations like Agentforce, the company envisions a new workforce model that emphasizes collaboration between humans and AI agents.

Future Outlook

Salesforce’s long-term strategy is centered on embedding human-AI collaboration at the heart of enterprise operations. According to the company’s 2025 research, human resources leaders plan to reposition approximately 25% of their workforce by 2027, with AI literacy emerging as a critical skill.

The company also plans to expand the reach of generative and predictive AI across all sectors, promoting secure, customizable, and ethically grounded use cases. Tools like Einstein Trust Layer and Agent Builder allow users to create their own AI agents via low-code or natural language interfaces. This positions Salesforce not just as a CRM provider, but as a digital transformation partner for data-driven decision-making, automation, and personalized customer experiences.

Additionally, Salesforce aims to broaden its commitments in sustainability, education, and digital inclusion. It continues to play an active role in global initiatives related to climate technology, AI ethics, and workforce transformation, with the overarching goal of building a digital ecosystem that delivers both strong business outcomes and positive social impact.