AgentForce Renaming: Premature When AI Hasn’t Proven Itself

Introduction

In a recent interview, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff made headlines when he suggested that renaming the entire company to “AgentForce” is a possibility. When asked about this potential rebrand, Benioff responded, “It might. That would not shock me.” This comes as Salesforce has already rebranded many of its products under the “Agentforce” name, with offerings like “Sales” and “Service” now called “Agentforce Sales” and “Agentforce Service.”

While the AI revolution is undeniably real and transformative, there’s a critical question we need to ask: Is Salesforce putting the cart before the horse? AI tools like Cursor have demonstrated remarkable success in developer productivity, but Salesforce’s own AI offerings have shown mixed results. Renaming a company is a monumental decision that signals a complete strategic pivot—one that should only happen when you’ve proven your vision works, not when you’re still trying to make it work.

The Promise of AI: Tools That Actually Deliver

Let’s start with the good news: AI is delivering on its promise in many areas. Take Cursor, the AI-powered code editor, as a prime example. Studies have shown that developers using Cursor achieve code acceptance rates between 45% and 54%, leading to productivity gains of up to 50%. Developers report up to a 30% reduction in coding time due to AI-driven code completion and automation of repetitive tasks.

What makes Cursor successful? It integrates seamlessly into the developer workflow, provides tangible value from day one, and delivers consistent results. When developers use Cursor, they see immediate improvements in their productivity. The tool works as advertised, and users can measure the impact.

This is what successful AI adoption looks like: tools that enhance human capability, integrate smoothly into existing workflows, and deliver measurable value.

Salesforce AI: The Reality Check

Now let’s examine Salesforce’s AI journey. Despite securing over 1,000 paid deals for Agentforce by December 2024, the reality on the ground tells a different story than the marketing materials suggest.

Technical Challenges

Early adopters have reported that Agentforce struggles with complex, multi-step tasks in real-world enterprise environments. The platform often requires extensive customization and human oversight, contradicting its marketed autonomy. Integration with existing Salesforce ecosystems has proven particularly challenging, with data silos and compatibility issues persisting despite claims of full integration.

Data Quality Dependencies

The effectiveness of Agentforce heavily depends on clean, structured Salesforce CRM data. Organizations with legacy issues or fragmented data face significant hurdles, as poor data hygiene leads to operational failures. For instance, a healthcare provider discovered that duplicate records skewed prescription renewal patterns, resulting in 23% inaccuracies in automated inventory orders.

User Experience Issues

Users have highlighted cumbersome workflows within Agentforce, including excessive clicking requirements and settings spread across multiple browser tabs. This complexity slows onboarding and daily use, leading to low adoption rates compared to platforms that integrate seamlessly into existing tools.

Market Performance Concerns

In September 2025, Salesforce issued a weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenue forecast, indicating delayed returns on its substantial AI investments. Economic uncertainty and cautious client spending further pressured tech firms heavily invested in AI to demonstrate quick returns. Some customers reported receiving incorrect answers—AI hallucinations—while testing how the software handles customer service inquiries. Additionally, many customers weren’t ready to commit to using the software, indicating a tough sell for Agentforce.

The Workforce Impact: A Cautionary Tale

Perhaps most telling is Salesforce’s own use of AI to replace human workers. By September 2025, the company had cut 4,000 customer support jobs, reducing staff from 9,000 to 5,000, due to the implementation of Agentforce. While CEO Marc Benioff stated that AI agents handled conversations with customer satisfaction scores comparable to human agents, this aggressive push raises questions about whether the technology is truly ready for such widespread deployment.

The Renaming Question: Timing Matters

Renaming a company is not a marketing exercise—it’s a fundamental statement about who you are and what you stand for. When Salesforce rebranded products to “Agentforce,” it signaled a shift in focus. But renaming the entire company? That’s a declaration that AI is not just a feature or product line, but the core identity of the organization.

Here’s the problem: Salesforce hasn’t proven that their AI vision works consistently enough to warrant such a dramatic rebrand. While they’ve secured deals and made progress, the technical challenges, user experience issues, and market performance concerns suggest that Agentforce is still finding its footing.

Compare this to tools like Cursor, which have proven their value through measurable productivity gains and widespread developer adoption. When a tool works, you don’t need to rename your company to prove it—the results speak for themselves.

The Path Forward: Prove It First

We’re not saying AI isn’t the future, or that Salesforce shouldn’t invest heavily in AI capabilities. The promise is real, and the potential is enormous. But there’s a difference between being an AI-forward company and being an AI company.

Salesforce should:

1. Focus on Delivering Value: Before considering a company-wide rebrand, prove that Agentforce delivers consistent, measurable value across diverse use cases and industries.

2. Solve the Technical Challenges: Address the integration issues, data quality dependencies, and user experience problems that are hindering adoption.

3. Learn from Success Stories: Study what makes tools like Cursor successful—seamless integration, immediate value, and consistent results—and apply those lessons to Agentforce.

4. Build Trust Through Results: Let the results speak for themselves. When customers are clamoring for Agentforce and seeing transformative results, then consider what the brand should represent.

Conclusion: The Cart Before the Horse

AI is promising. Tools like Cursor demonstrate that AI can deliver real, measurable value when implemented well. But Salesforce’s AI offerings, while ambitious, haven’t yet reached that level of proven success. The technical challenges, user experience issues, and market performance concerns suggest that Agentforce is still in its formative stages.

Renaming a company to “AgentForce” would be a bold statement—one that says AI is not just part of what Salesforce does, but who Salesforce is. That’s a statement worth making, but only when you’ve proven it’s true. Right now, the evidence suggests it’s too early.

Salesforce should focus on making Agentforce work consistently, solving real customer problems, and delivering measurable value. Once that’s proven, the name change will be a natural evolution rather than a premature declaration. In the meantime, let’s celebrate the AI tools that are working—like Cursor—and encourage Salesforce to reach that same level of proven excellence before making such a fundamental change to their identity.

The future of AI is bright, but it’s built on proven results, not premature rebranding. Let’s make sure Salesforce’s AI journey is built on the same solid foundation.