Salesforce to Acquire AI Voice Agent Firm Tenyx, Boosting AI Talent and Revenue Growth
September 4, 2024While the deal value has not been disclosed, it is anticipated to close before October 31, 2024.
Salesforce has announced its agreement to acquire Tenyx, a California-based company specializing in AI-powered voice agents, to enhance its AI-driven solutions.
The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024, integrating Tenyx's team and technology into Salesforce.
Co-founders CEO Itamar Arel and CTO Adam Earle, along with their team, will join Salesforce following the acquisition.
This move underscores the competitive necessity for tech companies to secure top AI talent to maintain their market position.
Salesforce is pursuing acquisitions like Tenyx to re-accelerate revenue growth after recently reporting second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations.
The company aims to follow in the footsteps of tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon, who have also made significant investments in AI talent this year.
Microsoft's acquisition of AI startup Inflection for $650 million and Amazon's hiring of co-founders from Adept illustrate the competitive landscape for AI tools and talent.
This acquisition follows Salesforce's announcement of its first fully autonomous AI agent, Einstein Service Agent, designed to improve customer service efficiency.
The decision to acquire Tenyx comes after a period where Salesforce faced pressure from activist investors to double share buybacks and reduce acquisitions.
A recent report revealed that 60% of Americans are optimistic about voice technology matching human intelligence, with millennials showing a higher willingness to pay for advanced voice assistant services.
In addition to the Tenyx acquisition, Salesforce has partnered with Workday to develop an AI agent capable of natural language communication for employee services.
Summary based on 6 sources
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Sources
Yahoo Finance • Sep 3, 2024
Salesforce to acquire AI voice agent firm Tenyx, joining AI talent raceSeeking Alpha • Sep 3, 2024
Salesforce agrees to acquire AI voice developer TenyxPYMNTS.com • Sep 4, 2024
Salesforce Acquires AI Voice Agent Developer Tenyx | PYMNTS.comInvesting.com • Sep 3, 2024
Salesforce to acquire AI voice agent firm Tenyx, joining AI talent race