Silicon Valley Nordic Beat takes the pulse of Salesforce's Nordics Head
Is Salesforce's new agents REALLY an AI revolution that will change everything? What is Salesforce doing in Stockholm? Silicon Valley Nordic Beat took the pulse of Nordics Head Dan Bjurman, who attended Dreamforce for the 13th time.
A total of 45,000 people attended this year’s Dreamforce in San Francisco. Still, Dan Bjurman, Senior Vice President and Nordic Head of Sales, doesn’t seem too stressed as we meet outside the press lounge. He’s been here before—13 times, to be exact.
"There were a few years during the pandemic when we held it digitally, but the year before, we had 170,000 attendees here at the Moscone Center. I remember my first Dreamforce in 2007, when we had 8,000 attendees, so a lot has changed”, says Bjurman.
At Dreamforce, Salesforce launched a significant announcement—AI agents. The reactions I’ve heard have varied from "revolutionary" and “have to call home” to "well, is this really new, and does it work?" What’s your take—are AgentForce AI agents a revolution that will change everything?
”Yes, I dare to say this is something the world hasn’t seen before, the next big thing. We’ve invested many, many billions of dollars in AI and I'm really excited to now bring the new AI agent capabilities to life."
Bjurman mentions that other tech companies, such as AWS and Nvidia, which provide infrastructure, have been in the spotlight recently.
”The entire market has high expectations for AI. It’s been discussed for many years, and both the industry, shareholders, and the market are looking for proof that companies can monetize AI solutions. Here, I believe we are very well positioned.”
Bjurman continues to explain why he believes Salesforce is well-positioned for the next AI step.
"We’ve built our platform from the ground up using metadata, our open ecosystem, and the Data Cloud to leverage enterprise AI in a stand-out way. According to companies like Bain, Gartner, and McKinsey, the biggest AI opportunities are in customer interactions, sales, and service—areas where Salesforce truly excels.”
Do you expect the AI agents to spark debates on security and privacy?
"Our foundation has always been our core value, trust. It was important to us when we founded Salesforce, and it is important now. Our customers’ most valuable assets are their data. The key when we develop AI tools is to build what we call a trust layer—ensuring that our customer's data is protected and doesn’t become public information for everyone."
How big is Salesforce in the Nordics?
"We have about 600 employees. I won’t get into revenue figures, but we have thousands of customers in the Nordics, ranging from small companies to large global corporations. And I must say, it’s a privilege to be at a company that offers advanced new technology to businesses of all sizes, not just those with the biggest financial muscle."
Salesforce is the largest employer in San Francisco, but how well-known is your company in the Nordics?
"Salesforce is very well-known in the U.S. and a leader in CRM, but of course, we are not as well-known in the Nordics. In recent years, though, we’ve strengthened the brand through innovations in cloud computing, subscription models, and philanthropic initiatives, which has made Salesforce the fastest-growing enterprise company in the world, even in the Nordics."
According to IDC’s Worldwide Semi-annual Software Tracker Report, Salesforce leads the U.S. CRM market globally with a 21,7% market share, followed by Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP.
Dreamforce is expected to contribute just over 90 million dollars to the city of San Francisco during the four-day conference. This year’s event attracted around 300 participants from Nordic countries who traveled to California.
Facts AI-agents
Salesforce's AgentForce customized AI agents automate customer service, sales, marketing, and other tasks. Key features include:
NLP-Powered: Handles inquiries and generates responses across multiple platforms.
Integrates with Salesforce and Other Tools: Works across Salesforce and third-party databases.
Customizable: Tailored for specific business needs.
Generative AI: Creates detailed responses in real time.
Ethical AI: Ensures privacy and data security.
Agentforce will be rolled out globally in October.
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It refers to technologies, strategies, and practices companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the lifecycle.
