New York, February 9, 2026, 12:00 EST — Regular session.
Salesforce (CRM) climbed roughly 1.6% to $194.44 late Monday morning, bouncing from an open at $189.15 and moving in a wide band between $185.79 and $194.96. Invesco QQQ, which tracks the Nasdaq-100, added about 0.9%, and the S&P 500 ETF SPY edged up 0.6%.
Investors are weighing whether rapid-fire AI advances could threaten the subscription software model that’s dominated the sector. This year, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft are on track to pour roughly $650 billion into AI capex, according to Reuters, a figure that’s keeping traders on edge after last week’s tech rout. “Investors are less comfortable with the amount of spending,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. 1
The latest Reuters analysis points to how the software and services sector’s sharp drop has put the spotlight back on worries that the AI boom is upending market dynamics. Legal innovation from Anthropic’s Claude model has thrown established software business models into question. In options, traders haven’t backed off: bets on the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF are still pricing in hefty moves, with 30-day implied volatility hovering near 41%. 2
Salesforce keeps plugging itself as a beneficiary of the broader AI shift, with Slack now front and center in its workplace AI push. For the Super Bowl, the company brought in YouTube’s MrBeast—Jimmy Donaldson—for a $1 million Slackbot puzzle. According to Salesforce, sign-ups ran into delays after a surge of interest. Over 53 million people hit the campaign’s landing page, CEO Marc Benioff posted on X, praising MrBeast as “an absolute genius.” 3
“The Vault,” a 30-second ad, ran in the fourth quarter and challenged viewers to crack puzzles and submit a secret code via Slack for a shot at the prize. Adweek says the idea started with a December tweet from MrBeast, which Benioff answered right away, and then quickly escalated into a Super Bowl campaign. 4
What’s likely to spark the stock next? Not marketing—rates are in focus. All eyes shift to Wednesday’s rescheduled January jobs numbers, then Friday’s CPI drop, as investors try to guess the Fed’s playbook. A jammed earnings calendar only adds to the test on sentiment. 5
Salesforce is set to release its fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 numbers after markets close on Feb. 25, with a conference call scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. Investors are watching guidance on demand and margins, along with any signs the company’s newer AI products can deliver fresh revenue without putting pressure on profits. 6
Bargain hunters are circling battered tech stocks again, with traders betting on a rate cut in June, according to another Reuters report. Still, questions about the payoff from AI spending linger. Investors remain fast to dump software shares at the hint of bad news—even as the broader market holds up. 7
Still, Salesforce’s bounce could vanish in a hurry. Inflation surprises might spook traders out of betting on rate cuts, or companies may hold back on spending as they experiment with budget AI options and different workflows. The day’s big price moves? Another reminder of just how jumpy the mood is.
Salesforce watchers now look to Feb. 25, when results and guidance are due—seen as the next clear catalyst for shares.
