Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), has dismissed fears that artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to mass layoffs of white-collar workers.
What Happened: Benioff shared his views on AI during an interview at the 2025 AI for Good Global Summit, as reported by Business Insider. He stated that AI would not lead to a significant reduction in white-collar jobs but would instead lead to “a radical augmentation of the workforce.”
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Benioff’s viewpoint differs from that of other tech leaders. For instance, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that AI could potentially eliminate as much as 50% of all entry-level white-collar jobs over the next five years.
The Salesforce CEO urged people to move beyond this “fear,” stating that his customers aren’t laying off employees due to AI advancements. Instead, he sees AI as a tool for amplifying the capabilities of businesses, particularly small and medium-sized ones.
Despite the differing opinions, Benioff has put a pause on hiring engineers, lawyers as well and customer service agents at Salesforce for the year, to allow for the full integration of AI productivity. However, the company is increasing its sales-related hires due to the growing demand for AI deployment amid anticipation for major growth in small and medium businesses.
Why It Matters: Benioff’s stance on AI’s role in the workforce is not new. In June, he revealed in an interview that AI was handling up to 50% of tasks at Salesforce, boosting productivity in key functions. This aligns with his current view of AI as a workforce augmenter.
However, not all tech leaders share Benioff’s optimism. Last week, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang warned that AI could replace jobs if industries fail to innovate. Similarly, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted in March 2025 that AI could handle nearly all coding tasks within a year.
As AI continues to evolve, the debate on its impact on the workforce is likely to intensify. The differing views of tech leaders underscore the need for businesses to carefully navigate the integration of AI into their operations.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
