Salesforce shares fall as Anthropic expands Claude AI capabilities

Thursday 26 March 2026 - 10:05

By: Dakir Madiha

Salesforce shares fall as Anthropic expands Claude AI capabilities

Salesforce shares dropped 5.8 percent on Tuesday after Anthropic said its Claude assistant can now control a user’s computer to perform tasks. The move renewed concerns that autonomous AI agents could weaken traditional enterprise software models.

The stock decline extends a difficult year for the CRM company. Shares are down about 28 percent since January and trade more than 37 percent below their 52 week high.

Anthropic announced that Claude can open applications, browse the web, and complete spreadsheets by simulating keyboard and mouse actions on macOS devices. The feature is available through Claude Cowork and Claude Code. It allows users to assign tasks from a smartphone and execute them on a desktop through Anthropic’s Dispatch system.

Investors reacted quickly. Many see the update as further evidence that value could shift from software applications to AI intelligence layers. This shift could leave traditional software vendors exposed. The broader software sector also came under pressure, extending a trend that began earlier in 2026 when Anthropic’s AI tools triggered a sharp selloff across SaaS companies. Analysts estimate that more than one trillion dollars in market value has been erased during this period.

The market reaction contrasts with Salesforce’s recent financial performance. The company reported strong quarterly results in late February. Non GAAP earnings per share reached 3.81 dollars, beating expectations of 3.05 dollars by nearly 25 percent. Revenue rose 12 percent year on year to 11.2 billion dollars. Its AI platform Agentforce reached 800 million dollars in annual recurring revenue, with quarterly growth of 169 percent.

Despite these results, investor sentiment remains cautious. Salesforce forecast fiscal 2027 revenue between 45.8 and 46.2 billion dollars, slightly below the Wall Street midpoint estimate of 46.06 billion dollars. The outlook failed to deliver a strong upside surprise. Several firms lowered their price targets in the weeks after the earnings release.

The debate now centers on whether AI agents will support or replace traditional software. Chief executive Marc Benioff dismissed fears of disruption. He said Anthropic runs its operations on Salesforce and Slack. The company also announced a 50 billion dollar share buyback program, partly funded by 25 billion dollars in new debt, signaling management confidence in its valuation.

Still, market sentiment remains fragile. Some strategists argue that investors are pricing in a worst case scenario where software demand declines sharply. More than 75 percent of analysts still rate the stock as a buy, with consensus targets implying about 30 percent upside. The gap between long term expectations and short term fears remains wide.