Salesforce Bets Its Future on Data, Not Interface
Source: a16z
Salesforce's shift to headless APIs reflects a change in where CRM vendors extract value as AI agents become the primary interface to enterprise software. Rather than compete on UI/UX—increasingly irrelevant when agents make decisions—Salesforce is positioning itself as the authoritative backend for customer data that AI systems will query and act upon. Enterprise software competition is likely to consolidate around control of datasets and API reliability rather than feature richness or user experience, shifting how vendors price, package, and defend their platforms.