SAN FRANCISCO — Salesforce shares rose 22.6% on August 27, 2026, after the company reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $11.35 billion. This figure represented an 11% year-over-year increase and exceeded market expectations for the software giant.

A portion of the earnings results stemmed from strategic investments. Salesforce recorded a $2.6 billion gain on strategic investments during the fiscal second quarter. The $2.6 billion investment gain was largely derived from Salesforce's stake in Anthropic.

Excluding the investment gain, Salesforce's adjusted earnings per share would have been approximately $3.43. Salesforce holds a stake in Anthropic valued at approximately $5.1 billion. Anthropic raised equity funding in May 2026 that valued the company at $965 billion.

Salesforce Agentforce was unveiled in September 2024 as a suite of autonomous AI agents designed to augment employees across service, sales, marketing, and commerce, integrating capabilities like Data 360 and Slackbot. Data 360 was integrated into Salesforce Agentforce in 2024 as part of the platform's AI-driven data management and analytics capabilities, enabling enterprises to unify and leverage customer data across workflows. During the fiscal second quarter, Salesforce delivered 3.2 billion Agentic Work Units (AWUs).

Adoption of AI tools within the Slack ecosystem accelerated rapidly. Slackbot reached 1 million active users five months after its launch. In Q2 FY27, Slackbot users grew 150% sequentially, driven by its integration with Salesforce's AI ecosystem, including the Claudeforce partnership with Anthropic's Claude AI model.

Salesforce announced Claudeforce, a plug-in integrating Anthropic's Claude AI model. Salesforce's partnership with Anthropic, announced in August 2026 as Claudeforce, marked the first major integration of Claude AI into Salesforce's platform, with Claude serving as the default model for Slack AI and Salesforce in Claude plugins. The Claudeforce plug-in initially provides 37 prebuilt sales skills.

Major technology firms increased their spending on Salesforce platforms. Nine of the ten largest AI companies use Salesforce and Slack. Spending by the ten largest AI companies on Salesforce and Slack increased 435% year over year.

CEO Marc Benioff addressed industry narratives regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on software demand. "This nonsense of this SaaSpocalypse, I think it is time for it to stop," Benioff said. He added that predictions of software obsolescence had not materialized for the company.

"We've been hearing about this for the last two quarters, these dire predictions about the end of software and how the [AI] models eat everything, but none of them have come true for us," Benioff said. He emphasized the value generated by the company's technology stack. "AI is delivering value across every layer of our platform," he said.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, commented on the utility of the integration between the two companies. "Through this partnership, companies can point Claude at the customer information and business context that they've been building in Salesforce for decades, and use it to actually run and grow their businesses," Amodei said.

Based on the quarterly performance, Salesforce updated its financial outlook. Salesforce raised its full-year fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to a range of $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion. The company raised its full-year fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings per share guidance to a range of $16.67 to $16.71.

This adjusted earnings guidance was up from its prior $14.06-$14.12 outlook. For the upcoming quarter, Salesforce forecast fiscal third-quarter revenue between $11.42 billion and $11.5 billion. The company forecast fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings per share between $3.42 and $3.44.

Timeline

On January 31, 2026, Salesforce executed a $25 billion accelerated share repurchase program in fiscal 2026. On the same date, Salesforce authorized a new $50 billion share repurchase program. Also on January 31, 2026, Salesforce retired 103 million shares through its share repurchase program.

The company raised its dividend to $0.44 per share on January 31, 2026. In May 2026, Anthropic raised equity funding that valued the company at $965 billion.

On August 27, 2026, combined Agentforce and Data 360 annual recurring revenue reached $3.9 billion in the fiscal second quarter. On that same date, Marc Benioff stated, "We're seeing incredible demand for our AI and data products, with ARR [annual recurring revenue] about to cross $4 billion."

What's New

Later reporting detailed that Salesforce's partnership with Anthropic, announced in August 2026 as Claudeforce, marked the first major integration of Claude AI into Salesforce's platform, with Claude serving as the default model for Slack AI and Salesforce in Claude plugins. Marc Benioff noted, "We're seeing incredible demand for our AI and data products, with ARR [annual recurring revenue] about to cross $4 billion."

Further financial details revealed that Salesforce reported net income of $3.53 billion for the fiscal second quarter. The company reported GAAP earnings per share of $4.29 for the fiscal second quarter. Salesforce reported free cash flow of $1.1 billion for the fiscal second quarter. This free cash flow increased 81% year over year in the fiscal second quarter. He stated, "Agentic AI is the biggest growth opportunity for our customers, and for Salesforce."

How Sources Differ

Concerning Salesforce financials, one report indicated that Salesforce reported GAAP earnings per share of $4.29 for the fiscal second quarter. Another reference noted that Salesforce's prior full-year fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings per share guidance was a range of $14.06 to $14.12.

Why It Matters

The 22.6% surge in Salesforce shares reflects investor response to revenue growth and raised guidance that contradicted prevailing industry concerns about software demand. The company's ability to generate $1.1 billion in free cash flow, an 81% year-over-year increase, demonstrates operational efficiency alongside its AI investments. The $2.6 billion gain from its stake in Anthropic shows the financial interdependence between established enterprise software providers and emerging AI developers.

Salesforce's integration of Claude AI through Claudeforce and the rapid adoption of Slackbot indicate a shift toward embedding large language models directly into workflow platforms. With nine of the ten largest AI companies using Salesforce and Slack, and their spending increasing 435% year over year, the company has positioned itself as infrastructure for the AI sector. The raise in full-year revenue guidance to $46.1 billion to $46.4 billion signals confidence that agentic AI will drive sustained subscription growth rather than cannibalize existing software revenue.