Salesforce Co-founder Takes on Slack as Software Company Celebrates 25 Years

Salesforce, known for its V2MOM planning document, faced a challenge in early 2023 when ChatGPT went viral, and the existing strategy didn’t address it. The V2MOM, which outlines vision, values, methods, obstacles, and measures, has guided Salesforce’s decisions since its founding. The unexpected surge in ChatGPT’s popularity prompted a need for strategic adjustments to align with the evolving landscape.

Salesforce faced a significant challenge when the V2MOM planning document, outlining vision, values, methods, obstacles, and measures, didn’t account for the emergence of generative AI, exemplified by the viral success of ChatGPT. This prompted Salesforce, with its 73,000 employees, to swiftly revise its strategy to embrace generative AI, competing with tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Instead of pursuing splashy acquisitions, Salesforce opted to build its capabilities, requiring collaboration and strategic leadership from Parker Harris, a long-time core figure at Salesforce.

Despite his preference for staying out of the limelight, Parker Harris took on a pivotal role at Salesforce, overseeing the integration of generative AI into various applications after it became evident that the technology was not addressed in the company’s V2MOM planning document. Harris delved into new techniques like retrieval-augmented generation and navigated decisions on whether to invest in a proprietary general-purpose large language model. The company scaled back investments in certain areas, expanded its research group, collaborated with AI startup Anthropic, and utilized models from OpenAI, including GPT-4. The strategic shift was underscored by Harris’ focus on the company’s future direction.

Parker Harris, Salesforce co-founder and CTO, played a crucial role in navigating the company’s response to emerging trends like generative AI. With a background in English, Harris’s early interest in computers led him to co-found Left Coast Software. His partnership with Marc Benioff began in the late 1990s, resulting in the birth of Salesforce.com on March 8, 1999. Harris, known for his quieter demeanor and defusing conflicts, has been integral to Salesforce’s technological evolution, including the recent integration of generative AI and initiatives like the Data Cloud.

Parker Harris, co-founder and CTO of Salesforce, played a key role in the company’s early years, co-founding it with Marc Benioff in 1999. Despite his quieter demeanor, Harris has been integral to Salesforce’s technological advancements, including the development of the platform enabling companies to build on its software. Harris has diverse interests, from red wine and art to golf, surfing, and music. He led initiatives like Salesforce Lightning and Chatter, discussing the potential of AI as early as Dreamforce 2009. His partnership with Benioff has been a crucial aspect of Salesforce’s success, even though his equity in the company is significantly less than that of Benioff.

Parker Harris, co-founder and CTO of Salesforce, played a key role in pivotal decisions at the company, including the push to the public cloud. Despite initial resistance from engineers, Harris believed that not moving to the cloud would leave Salesforce at a disadvantage. The decision to move forward with the public cloud was crucial for Salesforce’s ability to innovate and compete with other tech companies. Harris has navigated various challenges, including the development of Chatter, which faced tough competition from Microsoft’s acquisition of Yammer. The acquisition of Slack in 2021 marked a significant move for Salesforce in the collaboration software space.

Parker Harris, co-founder and former CTO of Salesforce, made crucial decisions, such as moving the company to the public cloud, recognizing the strategic importance of AWS and other cloud providers. Harris played a key role in adapting Salesforce’s strategy to emerging technology trends, including the integration of generative AI into the company’s applications. His recent move to Slack as CTO reflects his desire to have a direct impact on engineering teams and contribute to building something great. Harris aims to understand Slack’s success and foster collaboration within the company.

Parker Harris, in his new role as CTO of Slack, plans to maintain frequent communication with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, leveraging tools like Slack, text, FaceTime, and weekly meetings on Slack and Salesforce integrations. Harris aims to foster collaboration and stability within Slack, encouraging employees to remain with the company despite recent executive departures.