Bold Names: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and the AI ‘Fantasy Land’

Future of Everything listeners, here's a special presentation of Bold Names, our interview series where you'll hear from the leaders of the bold-named companies featured in the pages of the Wall Street Journal. Marc Benioff is one of the most outspoken names in tech. The billionaire co-founder of customer relationship software company Salesforce has been pivoting the company’s focus to artificial intelligence agents to help its clients manage customer service and other needs. But he has some strong opinions about how others are promoting AI, from how Microsoft is marketing its Copilot feature to companies like Amazon buying up nuclear power contracts for their data centers. And yet he says he’s as excited about AI as he was the day that Apple’s Steve Jobs sent him one of the first iPhones. So what can AI actually do, and what’s a ‘fantasy’? Benioff speaks to WSJ’s Christopher Mims and Tim Higgins in episode two of our interview series Bold Names. Check out Episode 1 in the Tech News Briefing Feed: Bold Names: Why This Tesla Pioneer Says the Cheap EV Market 'Sucks'  Further Reading A Powerful AI Breakthrough Is About to Transform the World  With ‘Founder Mode,’ Silicon Valley Makes Micromanaging Cool  AI Agents Can Do More Than Answer Queries. That Raises a Few Questions.   At Marc Benioff’s Salesforce, It’s One Big Family—Until Trouble Hits  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices