Salesforce regrets firing 4000 experienced staff and replacing them with AI

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• panda_abyss@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

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  • WanderingThoughts@europe.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Funny enough, the only thing that works is AI generating YouTube fanfic videos about bosses being awful and receiving karma.

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• panda_abyss@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Salesforce has now begun reframing its AI strategy, shifting away from the language of replacement toward what executives call “rebalancing.” Rather than eliminating roles outright, the company says future AI deployments will emphasize augmentation, with humans retained in decision-critical and customer-facing positions.

  This was so obviously the solution that should hav been tried first

  Salesforce’s reversal has become a reference point in ongoing debates about AI and employment. While automation remains a central pillar of the company’s long-term strategy, its experience has underscored a growing consensus among executives and analysts: AI can reduce workloads, but replacing skilled workers too quickly carries real operational risk.

  I don’t get why boards don’t dump these CEOs. I’m sure they’re happy with the reduced costs from firing half the employees, but to not consider the potential issues and actually vet the quality was such a bad decision. The facts are there was zero advantage to being the first to do AI customer support, but firing half your employees is irreversible.

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  • Feyd@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    The CEO is the face. The board is involved in decisions of this magnitude.

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  • Kirp123@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    A lot of these companies chase short term gains to look good on their quarterly report. These CEOs were most likely lauded when they presented the lowered costs on that quarterly and most likely got some fat bonuses out of it too. Now that the chickens have come to roost they are scrambling but they can still get away by blaming it on other shit. Even if they do get removes they already made their money through they bonuses and they can find a different position where to fail upwards.

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  • NikkiDimes@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I’m sure they’re happy with the reduced costs from firing half the employees, but to not consider the potential issues and actually vet the quality was such a bad decision

    Kind of becomes irrelevant when the initial reduced costs were probably decimated by secondary costs they hadn’t even considered, for example, time wasted by remaining employees now burdened with correcting the AI’s mistakes.

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• Feyd@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Silly that it has to use hedge language like not ready “yet” and “premature”. These executives fucked up and deserve to be roasted. They didn’t make an innocent mistake. They were grossly incompetent and should be losing their jobs for not doing even the most basic due diligence before making decisions that were not only bad for the affected employees but for their customers and the company itself.

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  • Typhoon@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    “We assumed the technology was further along than it actually was,” one executive said privately

    They fired 4000 people on an assumption. They should never hold a position of responsibility again.

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    • illi@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Also on an assumption made where an informed decision could be made instread. State of technology is an objective thing

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• Armand1@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  What is this website used as a source? It doesn’t have an about page or even proper navigation. Is it some sort of blog?

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  • xylogx@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Looks like the Times of India broke the original story based on Benioff’s podcast comments:

    “According to CNBC, CEO Marc Benioff revealed in a podcast that Salesforce had trimmed its support workforce from 9,000 to about 5,000 people through AI deployment. The company later clarified that it had “successfully redeployed hundreds of [those] employees into other areas like professional services, sales, and customer success.”

    indiatoday.in/…/after-firing-4000-employees-sales…

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    • Armand1@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      That’s a much better sourced article and an interesting read, thanks.

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  • RiceMunk@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I was about to repost this elsewhere, and also noted that there’s literally no sources on this. While it’s most certainly something I would enjoy to be true… is it, actually?

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  • sik0fewl@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Ya, I agree it looks like blogspam, but even most blogspam links to their sources.

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• Passerby6497@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Inb4 “Salesforce CEO: No one wants to work (for us) anymore!”

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• Darkcoffee@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Wanna know the best part?

  They now get to rehire, and set salary expectations lower.

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  • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I’m so glad this was made illegal in the UK.

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  • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Why don’t developers spend a few hours a week working together to ruin the Salesforce image just to make an example of them to never do this.

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    • Azal@pawb.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I have a friend in programming. He says it’s baffling that the entire industry is anti-union and tends to be pretty pro-corporate.

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    • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Salesforce needs no help ruining their own image. Their software is just a giant smoldering pile of shit.

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    • _edge@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Not sure about the devs, but Salesforce’s sales force is in it. Shove Salesforce into any company (usually through incompetent employees on the buyer side), recommend motivated Junior consultants to set it up. Then require more consultants and more senior consultants to operate and fix it. Until everyone hates Salesforce.

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  • pyrinix@kbin.melroy.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    That is probably the plan and they're only pretending to regret their decision.

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• Sendpicsofsandwiches@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Company shoots self in the foot to the surprise of noone, except for the company

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• phutatorius@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Does anyone who uses Salesforce not regret their decision?

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  • Sludge@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I’ve seen very few solid implementations of Salesforce… And the consultants are expensive. I’m sure it can be implemented correctly, but it seems you’d need dedicated growth ops staff to tweak, adjust, and continue to optimize the platform.

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• simplejack@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Alternatively, Salesforce could invest in a user experience that isn’t a confusing PoS that requires 9000 customer service agents to help people get through it. Just say’n.

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• OddMinus1@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  If nothing else, AI is doing a great job of exposing shitty employers.

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• TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  let them cook

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  • BCOVertigo@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

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    • Zoot@reddthat.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      What episode is this from? God it feels so familiar and yet asserole on the table means I gotta watch it again

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  • raman_klogius@ani.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Let the kitchen burn down

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• hperrin@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  That’s what happens when idiots are in charge.

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  • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    views america

    Yep. That tracks.

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• rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  fucking lol. lmao even.

  I hate the three letter club so much

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• danc4498@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  AI told them to do it.

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• reddig33@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  shocked.Kirk.gif

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