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The Market Is Wrong About Salesforce: Why AI Is An Opportunity, Not A Threat (NYSE:CRM)

  //business-finance.news-articles.net/content/202 .. -ai-is-an-opportunity-not-a-threat-nyse-crm.html
  Published in Business and Finance on Thursday, October 23rd 2025 at 16:48 GMT by Seeking Alpha
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Salesforce’s AI Future: Market Missteps and Unlocked Potential

For the last decade, Salesforce has been synonymous with the customer‑relationship‑management (CRM) revolution, but the industry’s recent scramble to chase generative‑AI hype has left many analysts skeptical of the company’s ability to stay ahead. A fresh analysis on Seeking Alpha argues that the market’s short‑sighted focus on the threat of AI to traditional CRM platforms is misdirected; instead, AI represents a unique growth lever for Salesforce, unlocking new product layers and expanding its already robust ecosystem. The piece, “Market is Wrong About Salesforce: Why AI Is an Opportunity, Not Threat,” dissects how Salesforce’s strategic approach, deep data foundations, and enterprise‑grade platform differentiate it from other cloud leaders.

1. The Core Thesis: AI as a Differentiator, Not a Competitor

The article opens by challenging the prevailing narrative that generative AI will erode the value of established CRM systems. It points to Salesforce’s “Einstein” AI stack as a blueprint for how a cloud platform can embed AI across its product suite, turning predictive analytics into actionable insights for sales, marketing, and service teams. The author emphasizes that Einstein’s architecture—built on a vast data lake of customer interactions—provides an infrastructure that rivals can’t replicate without comparable scale and domain expertise.

Key data points from Salesforce’s 2023 earnings show a 24% YoY increase in AI‑driven subscription revenue, underscoring the company’s proven monetization path. The article also cites research from Gartner, which forecasts that 75% of enterprises will adopt AI in at least one customer‑facing function by 2027. With Einstein already integrated into 90% of Salesforce’s core offerings, the company is positioned to capture this shift early.

2. The Three Pillars of Salesforce’s AI Strategy

The author breaks down Salesforce’s AI strategy into three interlocking pillars:

1. Embedded AI Services
   Salesforce is expanding its AI‑as‑a‑service offering through the “AI‑powered Analytics Cloud,” which delivers real‑time insights across the entire customer journey. By offering these services on a subscription basis, Salesforce ensures a recurring revenue stream that complements its traditional license‑based model.

2. Generative AI Partnerships
   Salesforce’s recent partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into its platform is highlighted as a pivotal move. The article explains how the partnership is not merely a plug‑in; instead, it allows Salesforce to train OpenAI models on proprietary customer data while preserving data sovereignty—an essential requirement for regulated industries.

3. AI‑Driven Ecosystem Expansion
   The Salesforce AppExchange has seen a 30% increase in AI‑powered applications in the past year, according to AppExchange data. The author argues that this ecosystem growth is a self‑reinforcing loop: developers build on Einstein, customers adopt AI apps, and Salesforce gathers more data to further refine its AI services.

3. Competitive Landscape and Market Misreadings

The article juxtaposes Salesforce’s AI roadmap with offerings from Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle CX, and SAP Customer Experience. While each competitor boasts AI capabilities, the author points out that Salesforce’s “unified data layer” and “native AI integration” provide a more seamless experience for enterprises. Critics of the market’s assessment are shown to overlook Salesforce’s unique ability to combine customer‑centric data with AI, resulting in a differentiated product that delivers higher lifetime value.

A significant portion of the piece is devoted to dissecting why analysts over‑value the threat of generative AI. The author cites recent SEC filings that reveal declining margins in the broader SaaS space, but notes that Salesforce’s margin has remained stable thanks to its “AI‑optimized service offerings.” The article concludes that the market’s fear of AI commoditization is premature; instead, AI will drive new revenue streams that offset any marginal compression.

4. Follow‑Up Insights from Linked Sources

The Seeking Alpha piece includes several internal links that deepen the analysis:

• Salesforce’s FY24 Guidance – A link to Salesforce’s earnings call transcript confirms that the company expects a 15% YoY increase in “AI‑enhanced revenue.” The transcript highlights the CEO’s emphasis on “AI as a core enabler for digital transformation,” reinforcing the article’s thesis.

• Gartner AI in Customer Experience Report – The article cites Gartner’s 2023 report on AI adoption, which is reproduced in full within the link. The report’s data shows that enterprises using AI in marketing achieve a 20% lift in conversion rates—an impact that Salesforce’s Einstein platform directly supports.

• OpenAI Partnership Announcement – The Linked OpenAI announcement reveals that Salesforce will provide a dedicated “AI‑train” environment for OpenAI models, enabling faster deployment of generative AI tools across the Salesforce ecosystem. This partnership is framed as a competitive advantage that no other CRM provider currently offers.

• AppExchange AI Application Stats – A dashboard link shows real‑time analytics on the growth of AI‑powered apps on AppExchange. The data illustrates a 5‑year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45% for AI applications, underscoring the ecosystem’s rapid expansion.

5. The Bottom Line for Investors

The article concludes with actionable takeaways for investors:

• Long‑Term Growth Catalyst: AI is not a threat but a multiplier that can push Salesforce’s ARR growth beyond the 20% CAGR seen in 2021–23.
• Margin Preservation: Salesforce’s AI‑enabled services offer higher gross margins than its legacy products, cushioning the company against market volatility.
• Ecosystem Advantage: The thriving AppExchange and strategic partnerships create a moat that is difficult for new entrants to breach.

Ultimately, the analysis urges investors to reassess their valuations of Salesforce in light of the company’s AI trajectory. By treating AI as an opportunity—rooted in deep data, robust partnerships, and a vibrant developer ecosystem—Salesforce is poised to redefine the CRM landscape and capture significant share of the burgeoning AI‑enabled enterprise market.