After Salesforce recently eliminated 4,000 customer support positions in favor of AI agents, its CEO Marc Benioff has taken a very different stance on AI. In a live daily YouTube show TBPN, Marc Benioff said AI lacks something essential for sales roles, adding that artificial intelligence cannot replace human salespeople because it lacks the irreplaceable value of face-to-face communication.

"AI doesn't have a soul. It's not that human connectivity," Benioff stressed that in-person communication is still crucial. Despite Salesforce’s rapid adoption of AI, he’s now bringing on 3,000 to 5,000 new salespeople, with the goal of expanding the team to 20,000 account executives by the end of the year.

AI cannot replace humans

Speaking at the company’s annual Dreamforce conference, Benioff said that while AI can help, it can’t replace the personal touch that defines true salesmanship. He shared a simple example from a bar at the St. Regis Hotel, where Salesforce customers were connecting and chatting face-to-face or not using chatbots or digital tools.

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“The bar was filled with our customers, not our people. They were talking, connecting, and going deeper. That’s the human touch,” Benioff said, highlighting why personal connections still matter in business.

Benioff believes that even as AI becomes more capable, it can’t replicate what makes people special. “Look, we love AI,” he said. “But AI doesn’t have a soul. It’s not that human connectivity. Face-to-face communication will always be essential.”

Salesforce’s job cuts undercut Benioff’s hiring promises

Just months after CEO Marc Benioff promised new hiring, Salesforce is facing backlash for deep cuts to its customer support division. On The Logan Bartlett Show podcast in September, Benioff admitted that Salesforce had reduced its support workforce from 9,000 to about 5,000 employees, bluntly stating, “I need less heads.” He credited artificial intelligence for the downsizing, noting that AI agents now manage half of all customer interactions — work that once required human staff.

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The shift has been financially rewarding for Salesforce, lowering its support costs by 17% since early 2025. The company says its AI systems have already handled more than one million customer conversations, highlighting how automation can replace human roles in routine tasks.

Sales jobs safe — support roles not so much

Benioff insists the cuts reflect a strategic balance rather than a retreat from human talent. He argues that while AI can efficiently manage repetitive support functions, human salespeople remain essential for relationship-building and trust. Citing the vibrant networking scene at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, he said the St. Regis Hotel bar was “filled with customers talking and connecting… having that human touch.”

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Still, Benioff’s message stands in stark contrast to his earlier hiring optimism — and mirrors an industry-wide pattern. More than 64,000 tech employees have been laid off this year as giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Google pour money into AI while shrinking staff, especially in support and sales roles.

Benioff insists this shift isn’t dystopian but simply “reality.” Yet Salesforce’s own transformation underscores AI’s double-edged impact: it creates efficiency and savings — but at the cost of thousands of human jobs.