Here's what experts think is ahead for Salesforce in 2020: More acquisitions and the possibility of a massive leadership upheaval (CRM)
Marc Benioff is the public face of Salesforce, the company he's led as CEO since the day he helped found it in 1999. In the last few years, however, Benioff has become an outspoken activist on social and political matters.
Now, while Benioff himself hasn't said anything, analysts say it seems like he's setting the stage to take a step back from his day-to-day duties at the company â a dramatic move that could see Keith Block, his co-CEO since mid-2018, take on more responsibilities, and shake up the company's management.
"I don't necessarily expect [Benioff] to step away entirely, but I could see him becoming a chairman, more of a hands on chairman, in the next year as he goes to pursue some of his more personal ambitions in the community," Newman said.Â
Analysts say that Block is well-positioned to lead, if Benioff were to take a step back. Similarly, he may already have a top lieutenant in the making, when in December the company named Bret Taylor as chief operating officer.
Taylor came to Salesforce by way of the acquisition of his startup Quip, and was quickly named chief product officer for the overall company.
Zelnick thinks both Block and Taylor have the right expertise to lead Salesforce into the next decade. Block is one of the few enterprise software executives out there that knows how to run the business, and Taylor is a "luminary in terms of product vision and somebody that can very clearly take Salesforce into the next decade," he said.
"Marc has achieved what very, very few in our lifetime have achieved," Zelnick said. "He's got a very powerful voice, as it relates to broader social and political issues. So I wouldn't be surprised to one day see him move on to a position where he feels he can have more leverage to change the world."Â
