Salesforce’s AI Investments Show Glimmer of Hope in Q1 2025, Supporting More Robust Forecast and $8B Acquisition

Ask around — nobody really knows what it does, but investors are watching closely to see if this software Pandora’s Box can do one thing really well: agentic AI.

That company is SalesforceCRM

, which has become one of Wall Street’s most-watched tech plays; certainly not for its fantastic returns (it’s down 16.5% YTD), but because it now serves as a barometer of corporate AI adoption.

So how’s it going? Their latest quarterly report shows steady growth — and early indications that its ‘next big thing’ might help those of us who’ve been nodding along finally understand what it is Salesforce actually does.

If they build it… Well, corporations might not necessarily come, for one reason or another. Aside from the practical limitations of AI, many organizations lack the in-house talent to integrate or build with it. That’s where Salesforce and its new Agentforce AI platform hope to swoop in — plugging into apps, the cloud, and workflows to complete tasks autonomously. Swearing by its potential, the company hired thousands of sales reps and spent millions on TV spots to sell their new crown jewel. Initially, the results weren’t as CEO Marc Benioff had promised. But this quarter, there are early signs that the investment is starting to pay.

• Salesforce said in its latest quarterly report that it had “closed over 8,000 deals” since launching Agentforce in October, half of which are paid — meaning the company signed about 1K new paid deals in Q1.
• Notably, recurring revenue from Data Cloud and AI crossed $1B, more than doubling year-over-year — helping Salesforce exceed the disappointing forecast it laid out last quarter.

Betting Bigger

Salesforce doesn’t break out Agentforce’s direct impact, but after several quarters of stagnant growth and tepid outlooks, the more positive commentary is being taken as an early sign of success. The CRM giant now expects FY 2026 revenue to grow 8% to 9%, up from the 7.4% it saw last quarter. And that’s not the only sign either…

• Doubling down on AI, Salesforce announced Tuesday it would spend $8B to acquire cloud data firm InformaticaINFA
  in an effort to “establish a unified architecture for agentic AI, enabling AI agents to operate safely, responsibly, and at scale.”
• Salesforce said the buyout won’t affect earnings this year, but it gives the platform a broader tech stack from which they can continue building Agentforce.

Turning a corner? Benioff now sees FY 2026 revenue reaching $41.3B — the high end of its projected range — crediting Agentforce’s “unmatched” offering. With Informatica, Salesforce hopes to build “the most complete, intelligent AI and data platform for the enterprise.” The company’s stock reversed its day losses in after-hours trading, rising 1%. But at 43x price-to-earnings, Salesforce still needs to prove that its AI moves will produce lasting AI revenues.