How the prediction was framed

Sacks’ prediction had two parts:

1. The ~20% post‑earnings drop in late May 2024 would be a buying opportunity for Salesforce (CRM).
2. Marc Benioff would successfully pivot Salesforce to benefit from the AI trend rather than missing it or being caught flat‑footed.

1. Was the May 2024 crash a buying opportunity?

• After weak Q1 FY25 results, Salesforce fell about 20% on May 30, 2024, closing near $216, its worst day since 2004. (upi.com)
• The next day (May 31, 2024) it rebounded but still finished the month around $232–234 per share. (statmuse.com)
• From that level, CRM went on a very strong run:
  • It reached a highest closing price of $365.66 on December 4, 2024, up roughly 55–60% from the late‑May closing level. (statmuse.com)
  • It ended 2024 at about $333 per share, still ~40% above the May 31 close. (digrin.com)
• By late November 2025, the stock has round‑tripped back near its May 2024 level (around $230.54 vs. ~$232–234 then), meaning a buy‑and‑hold investor from May 2024 to now would be roughly flat and would have underperformed the broader market. (statmuse.com)

However, Sacks did not specify a holding period—only that the drop would prove to be a buying opportunity. In the 6–12 months after the call, buyers had multiple chances to realize very substantial gains (40–60% at year‑end 2024 and even more at the December 4 peak). In common investing language, that qualifies the May 2024 plunge as having been a buying opportunity, even if the stock later gave back those gains.

2. Did Benioff pivot Salesforce to AI instead of missing the trend?

Evidence strongly supports that Salesforce leaned into AI rather than missing it:

• Salesforce launched Einstein Copilot, a conversational generative‑AI assistant embedded across its CRM, first announced in February 2024 and made generally available in April 2024; it’s grounded in customer data via Data Cloud and marketed as part of the “Einstein 1 Platform” (now Salesforce Platform). (salesforce.com)
• Salesforce then introduced Agentforce, positioning itself as the “#1 AI CRM” and emphasizing autonomous AI agents that automate customer‑facing workflows. Earnings commentary highlighted hundreds of early Agentforce deals and a large AI deal pipeline. (cnbc.com)
• By mid‑2025, management and analysts were pointing to fast‑growing AI and data‑related annual recurring revenue (hundreds of millions to over $1 billion in ARR) and to AI as a central driver of Salesforce’s long‑term growth plan, including guidance to exceed $60 billion in revenue by 2030 with AI‑driven products like Agentforce 360 at the core. (reuters.com)
• Internally, Benioff has said AI “digital employees” now do roughly 30–50% of Salesforce’s own work, underlining how aggressively the company has adopted AI in its operations. (sfchronicle.com)

There is ongoing debate about how quickly Salesforce can monetize these AI offerings, and some recent commentary notes investor concern that AI could be more disruptive than accretive until monetization catches up. (barrons.com) But the factual record is clear: Salesforce did not sit out the AI wave—it rebranded itself as an AI‑first CRM platform, launched multiple AI products, built a substantial AI deal pipeline, and tied its long‑term financial guidance directly to AI.

Overall assessment

• Stock call: The May 2024 plunge was a buying opportunity over the subsequent year, with 40–60% gains available to investors who bought near the lows and exited during the 2024–early‑2025 rally.
• Strategic/AI call: Benioff did pivot Salesforce aggressively toward AI, with Einstein Copilot, Agentforce, and AI‑driven revenue and internal usage becoming central to the company’s narrative and product roadmap.

Given that both key elements of Sacks’ prediction largely materialized, despite later volatility and lingering questions about AI monetization, the prediction is best classified as right overall.