New York, February 6, 2026, 18:37 EST — After-hours
- Shares climbed roughly 0.8% after hours, following a turbulent week for software names.
- Software stocks are being revalued as traders react to chatter that rapid AI advances might pressure legacy offerings.
- Salesforce will release both its quarterly and full-year numbers on February 25.
Salesforce Inc climbed 0.8% to $191.35 after hours Friday. Shares had earlier swung from $187.29 to $194.52 during the session. Extended-hours trading runs outside the regular 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET window.
After U.S. stocks bounced late in the week, software shares finally managed to catch a bid. The Dow pushed past 50,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 Software & Services index climbed 2.4%, halting a seven-day slide, yet still ended the week off nearly 8%—its sharpest weekly drop since March 2020. “This trade has been volatile,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird. Reuters
Salesforce set February 25 as the date for its next earnings update. The company plans to announce fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2026 numbers after markets close, with a conference call on tap for 5 p.m. ET.
The date comes after what traders have started to call “software-mageddon,” a period marked by a rough reset for software-as-a-service, or SaaS, names as concerns mount that new AI products could hit demand and squeeze margins. On Thursday, the S&P 500 software and services index slid 4.6%, putting it on pace for a nearly $1 trillion drop in market capitalization since January 28. Salesforce shares lost 4.7%, while ServiceNow tumbled 7.6%. “I would classify this as a sell-everything mindset at this point,” said Dave Harrison Smith, chief investment officer and head of technology investing at Bailard. Reuters
Jitters have followed a steady stream of fresh AI launches. On Thursday, Anthropic rolled out an updated AI model, Claude Opus 4.6, touting it as a step up. The company also showed off early tests of longer, multi-step tasks handled by autonomous agents. One executive described the goal: bridge AI with older software systems to boost their utility.
Some investors aren’t reading the selloff as a final judgment. Wedbush’s Dan Ives described the week’s drop as a “garage sale,” insisting Salesforce “is still a long-term winner of the AI Revolution.” He highlighted how the company is integrating AI tools into its main lineup. Business Insider
Salesforce’s bread and butter is customer relationship management software—business that lives or dies by IT spending and contract renewals. Right now, the question is simple: will AI turn into a premium, revenue-boosting add-on, or just another must-have feature clients expect without paying extra for?
Shares are tracking alongside the broader sector. Salesforce tends to get lumped with other enterprise software names—Microsoft, Workday, ServiceNow. All of them have been volatile lately, as investors keep revisiting what counts as “defensive” in a market dominated by fresh AI headlines.
Still, risks remain. Should customers rein in spending or if investors worry that AI could erode pricing power in subscription software, the rally could evaporate quickly. A single cautious forecast might be enough to trigger another round of selling.
Salesforce’s numbers hit after the bell on February 25. Investors want clues about demand, management’s angle on AI-fueled revenue, and guidance—will it cool the argument roiling the tape this week, or add fuel?
