Salesforce Tries to Revive Growth with AI-Powered Sales Plugin

Salesforce is trying to reassure investors that its growth is not over. The company has partnered with Anthropic to create 'Claudeforce', a plugin that integrates customer software with Anthropic's Claude chatbot.

The plugin allows sales professionals to work directly within the chatbot, pulling up information they need without having to switch between different tools. It comes with 37 pre-built sales tools and is currently being tested by a small group of pilot customers.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called the plugin a 'first for the industry', saying it will deliver a 'dynamic interface that thinks, reasons, and acts'. The partnership marks a shift for Anthropic, which has traditionally focused on accelerating its research teams but is now prioritizing go-to-market efforts.

The timing of the announcement was significant, as Salesforce shares have fallen 22% this year following a 20% decline in 2025. However, the market responded positively to the news, with the company's stock jumping 12% in after-hours trading on Wednesday.