Salesforce Stock Hits Second-Best Day Ever as Anthropic Partnership Defies AI Disruption Fears
Salesforce shares surged 22% on Thursday, marking its second-best day ever, after the company reported a significant earnings beat and announced an expanded partnership with AI startup Anthropic. The stock rally was driven by strong financial results, including revenue of $11.35 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $5.90, which far exceeded analyst expectations. CEO Marc Benioff used the earnings call to aggressively counter the 'SaaSpocalypse' narrative, arguing that AI is not destroying the software-as-a-service model but rather enhancing it through new integrations like the 'Claudeforce' plugin. This move helped lift broader software sector stocks, including Adobe and Palantir, as investors regained confidence in the resilience of traditional enterprise software against AI disruption.
