Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has a message for tech CEOs blaming AI for layoffs

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is pushing back on the narrative that AI is driving mass white-collar layoffs, calling it an oversimplification—and in some cases, a CEO’s “lazy way out.” While companies like Block and Atlassian have framed sweeping cuts as AI-driven restructuring, Benioff argues they’re conflating three very different problems. At Salesforce, he’s doing the opposite: hiring 20% more salespeople, convinced that human connection is something no AI can replicate.