Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on the GeekWire Podcast

Our guest this week on the GeekWire Podcast is Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who says he has never been as excited about anything in his career as he is about the latest developments in artificial intelligence — AI agents that can autonomously reason, plan, and take action on behalf of businesses. We talk about Salesforce’s Agentforce launch, Microsoft Copilot, his ownership of Time magazine, and his thoughts on the Seattle tech market. 

🎙️Read more and listen here, and subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Amazon grocery exit: Tony Hoggett, the Amazon exec in charge of its worldwide grocery stores business, is leaving the tech giant as it keeps trying to find its way in a critical retail segment. On the to-do list for his yet-to-be named successor: the problem of lost sales due to Whole Foods’ tradition of not stocking brand-name consumer packaged goods. Read more.

Gravity Payments founder and former CEO Dan Price was charged with the alleged rape of a former girlfriend in Riverside County, Calif., The New York Times reported. Price denied the allegations in a statement and vowed to fight the charge. Read more.

📆 Upcoming events: Tech and startup community gatherings on our radar next week in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

• Oct. 29: Bellevue’s Housing Future: Will Supply Meet Demand?

• Oct. 29: LSWI Lunch & Learn: Check’s in the Mail: An Introduction to Startup Funding

• Oct. 30: Portland UserCon

• Oct. 30: Python Day

• Oct. 31: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 2 in Concert with the Seattle Symphony

Check out the GeekWire Calendar for more.

Hot Links:

• Microsoft was among the companies that expressed interest in acquiring Perplexity last year, the AI startup’s CEO told employees. (The Information)

• Everett, Wash.-based OceanGate, the company behind the doomed Titan submersible, is reportedly the subject of a probe by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. (Wired)

• On the 40th anniversary of “The Terminator,” the classic movie’s artificial intelligence themes are shaping viewpoints about technology as much as ever. (Ars Technica)

• Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has verified the identities of 55 million users, the largest initiative of its kind, as part of a broader effort to combat misinformation. (CNBC)