Salesforce and CrowdStrike shares surge after strong results as investors bet established software companies can win from AI
Updated: Sep 2
US software stocks received a significant boost due to strong results from Salesforce and CrowdStrike helped ease concerns that artificial intelligence could undermine established software companies.
Salesforce raised its full-year revenue and profit forecasts after reporting quarterly results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. The company also announced an expanded partnership with AI developer Anthropic, including a new integration designed to connect Salesforce applications with Anthropic's Claude artificial-intelligence models.
Salesforce shares surged following the announcement, while cybersecurity specialist CrowdStrike also recorded double-digit gains after delivering an improved outlook. Their performances contributed to a wider rally across technology stocks following Nvidia's strong results.
Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff said, "The company was entering what he described as the Agentic Enterprise, as businesses increasingly deploy AI systems capable of performing tasks for employees and customers."
The rally is significant because software shares have experienced substantial volatility in 2026. Investors have questioned whether generative AI could eventually allow companies to develop applications more cheaply, threatening traditional software providers. Those concerns have contributed to sharp swings in software valuations as markets attempt to determine which businesses will benefit from AI and which could be disrupted.
Salesforce is attempting to position itself firmly among the beneficiaries through products such as Agentforce and integrations with leading AI developers. The latest results therefore provided investors with evidence that established software businesses can potentially sell AI products to existing customers rather than simply lose business to AI competitors.
Combined with Nvidia's powerful growth forecast, the results strengthened the argument that AI spending is beginning to benefit a broader range of technology companies rather than remaining concentrated exclusively among semiconductor manufacturers.