Salesforce shares declined by roughly 4% in intraday trading as investors grew increasingly wary of potential AI-driven disruption in the enterprise software space. The sell-off reflected broader weakness in high-multiple tech stocks, with analysts pointing to intensifying competition from both established players and well-funded startups that are deploying large language models to automate sales, service and marketing workflows. The pullback comes after a 12% surge in Salesforce’s stock over the prior three months, underscoring renewed volatility tied to AI expectations.

With revenue growth decelerating to mid-single digits year-over-year, Salesforce is banking on its Data 360 platform to drive the next leg of expansion. The offering integrates real-time customer intelligence, proprietary AI models and prebuilt connectors across all major CRM modules, targeting Fortune 500 accounts. In initial pilot programs, the company reported a 20% lift in average contract value and a 15% reduction in sales cycle length. Salesforce plans to incorporate Data 360 into every sales cloud deal by the end of Q3, aiming to offset attrition in its core subscription base.

At Dreamforce, Salesforce announced the general release of Slackbot—its new AI assistant embedded within Slack channels. Powered by the Agentforce 360 framework, Slackbot can execute tasks ranging from lead qualification to revenue forecasting via natural-language prompts. Early adopters include three global professional services firms, which disclosed a 30% decrease in time spent on status updates and a 25% improvement in cross-team collaboration metrics. Salesforce expects Slackbot to contribute more than $200 million in incremental annual recurring revenue by 2027 as enterprises accelerate digital workflow initiatives.