At Salesforce Ben, one of our favorite programs is our research program. Last week, we published our second annual Developer Survey Report, sharing the experiences and challenges of developers working across the Salesforce ecosystem.
In this article, we take a closer look at some of the key things you told us about what it’s like to be a Salesforce Developer today. Read on to explore trends, insights, and surprises that stood out in this year’s survey – and discover even more by downloading the full report.
1. Satisfaction
The job market turbulence of the past few years is probably only equaled by the seismic shifts in the tech landscape we work in. Given the pressures on the job market, the changes in how we write and deliver code, and the seeming existential threat to software developers, you would imagine a sense of discontent.
And yet, this is not what we found. Our respondents reported that two-thirds are satisfied or mostly satisfied with their careers in general. There’s more to it, of course, but frankly, when I started digging into the numbers, I expected to find much more discontent.
Looking at further responses, the outlook becomes more varied as you ask about career progression opportunities, interest in pursuing other work in the near future, and the very complexity of Salesforce. It’s hard to call developers an “optimistic” bunch – developers tend to be very pragmatic with their careers. For this very reason, I find it notable that the topline satisfaction number indicated such a strong majority.
2. Diversify Your Skills
Back in 2023, I remarked on an opportunity for all Salesforce professionals and practitioners to diversify their skills. And as a publication, Salesforce Ben has shared numerous articles that point out the advantages of learning public cloud skills, such as AWS and Azure certifications.
It turns out either you were thinking the same thing or you were listening. Just over 62% of you are working with technologies outside of Salesforce. The era of the “I only know Salesforce” developer – if it ever existed – seems to be waning.
When looking at non-Salesforce certifications, we also found that over 14% of you are certified in some public cloud provider’s technology. That’s the fifth most popular type of external certification, in fact, but it demonstrates a real interest in showing investment in learning non-Salesforce technologies.
3. Building With AI Is Here to Stay
Nowhere else has the new era of AI tools taken root faster and more broadly than among software developers. As natural early adopters, developers have taken to AI coding across the industry (where allowed). Our developer cohort in the survey is no different.
Just under 90% report using AI in their work at least occasionally, and over half of those use it on a daily or regular basis. When asked about risks to their careers, AI was singled out as the primary risk by only 14% of respondents. So much for fearing our future AI overlords.
3. Noncommittal With AI Projects
If adoption of AI developer tools was high, work on AI projects betrayed the caution the industry is experiencing around AI features. Less than a third of respondents were actively working on a project at the time of the survey.
I think we all agree now that AI is one of, if not the most, transformative technologies to drop into our collective laps. But when so much doubt remains about how to make it successful, and when highly visible landmark projects fail to deliver, it’s no wonder that many developers continue to work with predictable and proven features. The AI revolution will come – no doubt. But our cohort tells us it isn’t here yet.
Summary
The Salesforce ecosystem keeps changing, and developers are changing with it – learning new skills, applying AI in their work, and staying positive about their careers. These highlights are just a snapshot of what we found. We’re excited to be bringing it to you, with deeper insights into these topics and so much more.
Download the full 2025 Salesforce Ben Developer Survey Results to explore our findings and see how your experiences compare.
