New York, January 9, 2026, 19:31 EST — After-hours
- Salesforce shares down about 0.2% late Friday
- Company detailed Spring ’26 release; rollout starts Feb. 23
- Next tests: U.S. CPI on Jan. 13, then Salesforce earnings expected Feb. 25
Salesforce (CRM) shares slipped about 0.2% in after-hours trading on Friday after the company laid out its Spring ’26 product release, a set of updates aimed at pushing “AI agents” deeper into sales and service work. Salesforce said the rollout starts Feb. 23 and adds tools such as an AI-led “Sales Workspace” and “Proactive Service.” (Salesforce)
The timing matters because big software names are being asked a simple question early in 2026: can they turn all the AI talk into checks. Investors have been quick to punish anything that looks like a slow payback cycle.
Salesforce is betting on “AI agents” — software that can take actions in business systems, not just answer prompts — to keep customers buying add-ons and renewing at higher prices. A new release is nice; the market usually waits for evidence in billings and guidance.
On Thursday, Salesforce also published an “AI Fluency Playbook” pitched at helping companies train workers to collaborate with those agents. “When we get AI fluency right, AI moves from a technology innovation into a workforce advantage,” said Nathalie Scardino, Salesforce’s president and chief people officer, while Pearson CHRO Ali Bebo called the moment “all about learning agility.” Salesforce said its own use of Agentforce in Slack saved employees more than 500,000 hours in a year. (Salesforce)
Friday’s move came against a choppy tape for enterprise software. Oracle rose nearly 5% while ServiceNow fell about 3%, with the S&P 500 ending higher, MarketWatch data showed. (MarketWatch)
Salesforce’s last set of results, released in early December, lifted its full-year fiscal 2026 revenue forecast to $41.45 billion to $41.55 billion and pointed to nearly $1.4 billion in annual recurring revenue from Agentforce and Data 360. “We are raising fiscal year 2026 revenue guidance,” CEO Marc Benioff said at the time. ARR is a measure of subscription revenue expected to repeat each year. (Salesforce)
Macro still sets the tone for how much investors will pay for long-dated growth. U.S. consumer price index data for December are due on Jan. 13, and the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting runs Jan. 27-28. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
For Salesforce specifically, the next scheduled catalyst is its earnings report. The company is slated to report on Feb. 25, according to Yahoo Finance’s earnings calendar. (Yahoo Finance)
At around $260 a share, Salesforce carries a market value of roughly $244 billion and sits about 29% below its 52-week high and around 17% above its low, MarketWatch data show. (MarketWatch)
But the rollouts come with familiar risks: big customers may test AI tools without expanding paid usage, rivals can pressure pricing, and any renewed jump in yields can weigh on the whole group. Traders now look to Feb. 25 for the next hard read on demand and guidance — and that tends to decide the next leg for CRM.
