The CEO of a major AI company is claiming that more than 50% of current software in an enterprise could be replaced by artificial intelligence. This seems to be the latest blow in an ongoing spat between tech giants over whether SaaS is dying (or dead). Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral AI – one of Europe’s most valuable AI companies, which was recently valued at $13.8B – told CNBC that “more than half of what’s currently being bought by IT in terms of SaaS is going to shift to AI”.
Mensch added that there is currently a “replatforming” taking place with businesses looking to use more AI instead of current SaaS, but clarified that software focused on systems of record, responsible for data within an organization and often working in tandem with AI, “are not going to change”. So, the CEO of a major AI company tells us that AI is so good it’s going to replace everything. Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? To put it more bluntly, people with vested interests in advancing the ‘AI is going to change everything’ narrative are coming out and telling us that AI is going to change everything. But let’s try to take a fair look at both sides of the argument here.
‘Turns Out You Still Need Systems of Record’
This debate is an interesting tightrope for Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to walk, with his company offering its AI solution Agentforce as a groundbreaking and revolutionary tool that will change everything (and yes, take your jobs). On the other hand, Salesforce still relies on its legacy SaaS offerings, and Benioff is very keen to combat the ‘death of SaaS’ narrative.
Benioff recently retweeted a post on X addressing claims from Microsoft AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, that “most, if not all, professional tasks” currently being done by white-collar workers will be fully automated by AI within 18 months. The reply said: “CEO of Hot Pockets™ says that ‘most, if not all’ meals will be fully replaced with Hot Pockets™ within the next 12 to 18 months.”
Deftly put, and Benioff’s retweet implies he agrees. Put another way, it’s quite obvious that he would say that. CEOs of major corporations are deferred to as experts in their fields, but they also, plainly, have a vested interest in advancing certain points of view.
But there is more to this argument than just AI executives claiming their tools are world-changingly brilliant. Both Salesforce and ServiceNow have taken beatings in the stock market recently as they (and other software vendors) battle this ‘death of SaaS’ narrative, which claims that large parts of what software companies currently offer can (or will soon) be effectively handled by AI tools. It appears to have some credibility, at first glance.
So, what exactly are the arguments against this line of thought? There’s quite a lot of traction behind one amusing bit of evidence to the contrary at the moment.
Now Hiring: Salesforce Administrator (At Anthropic)
So much for the death of SaaS! An AI company is hiring a Salesforce Administrator.
It’s worth noting that Marc Benioff has mentioned before that Anthropic and OpenAI both use Salesforce tools. Curiously, a blog post from AI/data company Clay reveals that Mistral also uses Salesforce.
More recently, Bernard Slowey, SVP, Digital Customer Success at Salesforce, posted a screenshot of a job advertisement for a Salesforce Administrator at Anthropic on LinkedIn, writing: “Turns out you still need systems of record to run the business.” He makes the point that AI companies hiring Admins goes against the ongoing narrative that “AI will replace software”.
Marc Benioff also retweeted a post by TBPN on X, reporting that Anthropic is hiring a Salesforce Administrator to run CRM for its GTM team. The post had an image with the caption, ‘SAAS IS BACK’.
This is amusing, but anyone vaguely familiar with the scientific method and interpreting reality through data, rather than anecdote, understands why a cute little example of one particular thing is not the best way to perceive what’s happening in the world.
I’m reminded of a scene in The Big Short where one of the characters, played by Steve Carell, wants to find out whether there is a housing bubble. He goes to a strip bar and learns that the performer there owns several homes. In the next scene, he’s on the phone, telling someone, “there’s a bubble”.
This is obviously stupid, for reasons any intelligent person immediately understands, but it would make a terribly boring movie to watch someone sift through an enormous heap of data to find out whether there is or is not a bubble, and then have that phone call.
Look out for this with politicians, too. If confronted with a troubling trend, statistic, or broad generalization that might make them seem incompetent, out-of-touch, or negative in any way, they sometimes lean on anecdote. “I actually met someone recently who said our reforms helped enormously,” this hypothetical politician might say, when defending a broadly unpopular policy. Again, anecdotes are worth little in the grand scheme of things.
So, if we’re steering clear of misleading anecdotes, what does the data actually say?
According to the 10K Salesforce Ecosystem Report, released in late 2025, demand for Salesforce Administrators grew 14% globally – certainly a positive sign after several down years – but admins accounted for the smallest share of job listings (9%).
Administrator supply skyrocketed too, rising 47% globally. In established markets, supply for Admins grew 45% – compared to just 17% in 2024 – and showed the highest growth rate of any role.
“Where demand does exist, it’s highly selective, with employers seeking experienced administrators who can handle complicated, multi-cloud environments,” the report’s authors write.
As my colleague Mariel Domingo wrote in her recent article, The Salesforce Roles With Too Much Supply and Too Little Demand, which cited our own 2025-26 SF Ben Salary Report, the data show a clear pattern: “Admins, consultants, BAs, and generalist developers are reporting higher rates of pay decreases.”
Under the subheading, ‘So Are Admins and Consultants Doomed?’, Mariel writes: “Not really! No, but let’s be honest – you’re in a tougher spot than you were years ago.”
She later adds, “At this point, it’s time to accept the current state of the market. Despite it being harder these days, maybe it’s time to reflect and think about whether you’re doing anything to separate yourself from the hundreds of other people with the same title and certifications.”
Final Thoughts: Truth Resists Simplicity
It’s cute that Anthropic is hiring a Salesforce Administrator to run CRM, but is it really proof of the other side of the argument?
No. It’s not. But it’s at least an indication, however small, that AI hasn’t killed off SaaS just yet.
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