Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says the company was unable to invest in OpenAI because of Microsoft’s involvement in the ChatGPT maker. Speaking on Alex Heath’s “Sources” podcast, Benioff says Microsoft’s stake created constraints for Salesforce and that this leads to a different approach.
Benioff also describes how he was unable to secure a deal directly related to OpenAI. He says he knew Sam Altman “very well” and that Altman did not agree to the investment, which pushed Salesforce toward a plan B. Multiple outlets report Benioff characterizes Salesforce’s move toward Anthropic as a fallback strategy.
Benioff further argues that the Anthropic investment could be highly valuable. One report says the early-2023 bet is worth about $5 billion and could ultimately generate tens of billions for Salesforce. The comments come as Anthropic is preparing for a potential public listing, which Benioff ties to the prospect of large returns. Other coverage focuses on the idea of the plan B paying off, without disputing the overall sequence described by Benioff.
