Salesforce Investing $15B in San Francisco, the World’s AI Capital

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 AI CRM, today announced plans to invest $15 billion in San Francisco over the next five years, reinforcing the city’s status as the world’s AI capital. The investment will support a new AI Incubator Hub on the Salesforce San Francisco campus, grow the AI ecosystem by investing in workforce development and training, and help companies transform into Agentic Enterprises.

The news was announced just ahead of the company’s annual Dreamforce conference, which will welcome nearly 50,000 people to San Francisco October 14-16. Billed as the world’s largest AI event, Dreamforce is celebrating its 23rd year in the city and is expected to generate $130 million in local revenue and 35,000 local jobs in support of the event.

“San Francisco is a city of innovation, talent, and vision,” said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce. “This $15 billion investment reflects our deep commitment to our hometown — advancing AI innovation, creating jobs, and helping companies and our communities thrive in this incredible new era. As we welcome nearly 50,000 people, and millions more online to Dreamforce, we’re investing in the future of San Francisco and leading the next great technology transformation — where humans and AI work together to drive productivity, growth, and meaningful change.”

From CRM startup to AI powerhouse

What started as an idea to deliver an online customer relationship management (CRM) service in 1999 to help salespeople track leads has grown into a more than 76,000-employee company that has redefined enterprise software — from pioneering the cloud to leading the next wave of AI.

Today, Salesforce is San Francisco’s largest private employer, occupying 30 floors of the city’s tallest building. The company also has a thriving local customer base that includes some of the city’s most iconic brands, including OpenTable, The Real Real, and William-Sonoma, Inc. Salesforce has also played a key role in helping local startups achieve successful outcomes. Acquisitions of Bay Area companies include MuleSoft (2018), Slack (2021), Airkit (2023), Tenyx (2024), and PredictSpring (2024). In 2025 alone, the company has completed acquisitions of local companies including Bluebirds, Waii, and Regrello, and signed a definitive agreement to acquire Informatica.