Salesforce Raises Revenue Forecast on AI Growth and Anthropic Gains

Salesforce reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $11.35 billion, up 11% year-over-year, and raised its full-year revenue forecast to between $46.1 billion and $46.4 billion, driven by strong demand for its artificial intelligence products, according to CNBC and Quartz on August 26, 2026.

The company posted a net income of $3.53 billion, or $4.29 per share, marking an 87% increase from $1.89 billion a year earlier. Adjusted earnings per share reached $5.90, matching Wall Street estimates, while revenue slightly exceeded expectations.

Salesforce's growth was bolstered by a $2.6 billion gain on strategic investments, largely from its stake in AI startup Anthropic, which was valued at $9.65 billion after a recent funding round. The company’s free cash flow surged 81% to $1.10 billion, well above analyst expectations, signaling robust financial health.

CEO Marc Benioff emphasized the resilience of Salesforce amid AI disruption, stating, "This is not the SaaSpocalypse. We've been hearing about this for last two quarters, these dire predictions about the end of software and how the models eat everything, but none of them have come true for us." Benioff’s remarks highlight confidence in the company’s business model despite AI industry shifts.

Chief Financial and Operating Officer Robin Washington reported that order volumes reached a four-year high, underscoring the company’s optimistic outlook. Washington said Salesforce is positioned for organic revenue acceleration in the second half of the fiscal year, reflecting strong customer demand and operational momentum.

Annualized recurring revenue from Salesforce’s Agentforce AI products exceeded $1.5 billion, a 240% increase year-over-year. Combined ARR from Agentforce and Data Cloud AI products approached $3.9 billion, growing more than 210% compared to the previous year. The company also recorded seven billion Agentic Work Units completed, with 3.2 billion delivered in the latest quarter, up 97% from the prior quarter.

Salesforce announced new AI-powered innovations including Claudeforce, a plugin for Anthropic's Claude AI that assists sales teams by composing emails, providing information, and updating records via chat.

The company disclosed a $1.6 billion contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and plans to acquire customer service startup Fin for $3.6 billion, with the deal expected to close in the fiscal third quarter ahead of schedule.

Salesforce projects third-quarter revenue between $11.42 billion and $11.50 billion, slightly above analysts’ $11.41 billion consensus. It expects full-year adjusted earnings per share between $16.67 and $16.71 and maintains guidance for operating cash flow growth of approximately 4% to 5%.

The company’s current remaining performance obligation stands at $33.5 billion, representing contracted revenue expected to be recognized within the next year, a 14% increase from the prior year and slightly above analyst estimates.

Despite the strong quarterly results and growth outlook, Salesforce shares were down 22% year-to-date as of the report, reflecting market uncertainty about AI’s impact on traditional software firms.