Salesforce to recruit 1,000 graduates as layoffs rise across Big Tech

Salesforce plans to hire 1,000 graduates and interns, even as layoffs accelerate across the global technology sector, highlighting a growing divide between entry-level hiring and broader workforce reductions driven by artificial intelligence.

Chief executive Marc Benioff announced the move in a post on X on April 25, positioning the hiring drive as part of the company’s push to build AI-led products and capabilities.

“You are right they said AI would kill entry-level jobs. Meanwhile, these grads and interns are building it,” Benioff wrote, adding that new recruits would contribute to platforms such as Agentforce and Headless360.

Entry-level hiring gains amid AI debate

The announcement comes amid an ongoing debate over whether AI will shrink opportunities for young professionals entering the workforce.

Benioff’s comments were in response to David Sacks, who cited data reported by The Wall Street Journal indicating a rise in graduate hiring.

Key indicators from the report cited by Sacks:

• Hiring of new college graduates increased 5.6 percent year on year
• Unemployment among degree holders aged 20 to 24 fell to 5.3 percent from 8.9 percent
  
  

The data challenges the narrative that entry-level roles are rapidly disappearing, even as automation capabilities improve.

However, contrasting views persist. Dario Amodei said in a May 2025 interview, and later reiterated at the World Economic Forum in January 2026, that AI could eliminate up to 50 percent of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, describing the potential impact as unusually severe.

Layoffs intensify across large technology firms

The hiring push at Salesforce comes against a backdrop of significant job cuts across major technology companies.

Recent layoff announcements across Big Tech:

• Meta plans to cut more than 8,000 roles and leave 6,000 positions unfilled
• Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to about 8,750 employees, nearly 7 percent of its US workforce
• Snap plans to reduce up to 16 percent of its global workforce
• Oracle has initiated cuts of nearly 30,000 roles globally, including around 12,000 in India
• Block has announced layoffs affecting more than 4,000 employees, about 40 percent of its workforce
  
  

According to Layoffs.fyi, more than 81,200 employees across 97 technology firms have been laid off so far in 2026, underscoring the scale of the restructuring underway.

AI investments reshape cost structures

The primary driver behind these layoffs is a shift in capital allocation. Technology firms are directing increasing amounts of investment towards AI infrastructure, including automation tools, cloud computing capacity and advanced data systems.

This shift is altering cost structures across the sector. Companies are seeking to improve efficiency and fund capital-intensive AI initiatives by reducing workforce expenses.

At the same time, the Salesforce hiring push signals that demand for early-career talent has not disappeared. Instead, roles are being redefined, with a greater emphasis on skills aligned to AI development, deployment and integration.

A changing talent equation

The divergence between hiring and layoffs reflects a more nuanced transformation in the labour market. While companies are trimming overall headcount, they continue to invest selectively in talent that supports future growth areas.

For graduates, this creates both opportunity and uncertainty. Entry-level roles may persist, but expectations around technical capability and adaptability are rising.