Salesforce just dropped $8 billion on Informatica. Here's why it's key to Marc Benioff's ambitious bet on AI agents

Photo of Marc Benioff (Credit: David Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images)

• Salesforce already possesses an extraordinary amount of data on the world’s biggest companies. The software giant’s acquisition of data management and analytics firm Informatica, however, signals its AI-agent platform, dubbed Agentforce, might need a boost.

Salesforce’s dramatic pivot to AI agents seems to have stalled in its early days. The software giant is betting its $8 billion purchase of data-management firm Informatica, however, can help turbocharge the Silicon Valley stalwart’s transformation.