# Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says Microsoft shut him out of OpenAI, bet on Anthropic

Digest AI · Business & Funding · published 2026-09-22T14:00:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-says-microsoft-shut-him-out-of-openai-bet

## Summary

Marc Benioff told Alex Heath on the Sources podcast that Microsoft’s close ties with OpenAI prevented Salesforce from investing in the ChatGPT maker, prompting the cloud‑software firm to back Anthropic instead.  Salesforce’s first check was $50 million in 2023 at a reported $4.1 billion pre‑money valuation, and the company says it has now put more than $300 million into the startup across several rounds.  Benioff believes the bet could eventually earn Salesforce “tens of billions” when Anthropic goes public.

The partnership has moved beyond capital.  Under an expanded Claudeforce deal, Anthropic’s Claude model is the default in Slack, powering Slackbot and allowing Salesforce data to be accessed directly through Claude.  Benioff also defended Salesforce’s $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack, saying the platform validates his view that AI agents will become the primary business interface.  Salesforce reported record Q2 revenue of $11.3 billion, up 11%, with its Agentforce run‑rate exceeding $1.5 billion, a rise of more than 240%, and raised full‑year guidance to $46.1 billion‑$46.4 billion.

## Key points

- Benioff says Microsoft blocked Salesforce from investing in OpenAI, leading to a $50 million Anthropic investment in 2023.
- Salesforce has invested over $300 million in Anthropic and expects “tens of billions” from its IPO.
- Q2 revenue hit $11.3 billion, Agentforce run‑rate topped $1.5 billion, and Slack acquisition $27.7 billion supports AI‑agent strategy.

## Why it matters

Salesforce’s shift to Anthropic highlights a major SaaS player aligning with frontier AI outside Microsoft’s ecosystem, potentially reshaping revenue streams and the AI‑agent market.

## Sources

1. [Marc Benioff Says Microsoft Shut Salesforce Out Of OpenAI — So He Bet On Anthropic Instead, And It Could Pay 'Tens Of Billions'](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/marc-benioff-says-microsoft-shut-020911128.html) (finance.yahoo.com, 2026-09-22)

Part of the developing story: [Global AI Safety Crisis and Development Pause](https://digestai.news/thread/anthropic-reports-chinese-state-actors-used-claude-to-surveil-dissidents-and) (10 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says Microsoft shut him out of OpenAI, bet on Anthropic", 22 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/salesforce-ceo-marc-benioff-says-microsoft-shut-him-out-of-openai-bet

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