The Fortune 500 company’s autonomous AI agent platform recently surpassed 1 million AI agent-customer conversations, with agents now autonomously resolving 85% of all customer queries, according to Robin Washington, president and chief operating and financial officer (COFO) at Salesforce. The company officially launched Agentforce in October.
During a virtual interview on Tuesday with Edith Cooper, cofounder of Medley—a membership-based community for personal and professional growth—Washington discussed the future of AI agents in the workplace.
“Our support teams are able to focus on more complex customer questions,” she said. “These are engagements that really require human judgment, creativity, empathy—all things that AI can’t do.”
She described this as one of the most transformative moments in the history of technology, which inspired her to take on an operating role at Salesforce.
Washington shared that she uses Agentforce herself. Her AI agent supports her by handling routine tasks, allowing her to focus on deeper, more meaningful work. “It’s my support function that I use a lot,” she said. She also sees how these tools can help her become a better leader.
“I think as leaders, we have to appreciate that there’s this unprecedented opportunity for growth and value creation with AI,” Washington said. She emphasized the importance of cross-functional buy in and setting the right tone at the top of the company.
However, she also stressed the need to keep humans at the center of AI implementation. According to MIT research, the most effective use of AI in the workplace is not to fully replace humans, but to combine the strengths of both AI and human workers—especially for tasks where humans still outperform AI.
Career Advice: Step outside of your comfort zone
Washington began her tenure as president and COFO of Salesforce in March, a newly created position. A longtime Salesforce board member with expertise in technology, including agentic AI, she leads the company’s operational and financial strategy.
“I’m approaching about 40 years of being on this journey of operating and financial roles in different industries,” she told Cooper.
Before joining Salesforce, Washington held roles, including EVP and CFO of Gilead Sciences, CFO of Hyperion Solutions, and chief accounting officer of PeopleSoft.
Washington described herself as a continuous learner who thrives in fast-paced environments that require constant reinvention. She values sponsorship, hiring people she can learn from, and fostering an environment for diverse thinkers.
“I think the outcomes are broader and better when you’ve got diverse thinking at the table,” she said.
Another key aspect of her career journey is her willingness to step outside her comfort zone. “I don’t think it always came naturally to me, but I’ve commonly used the phrase ‘get comfortable being uncomfortable,’ because I know when I am uncomfortable and not quite sure how things are going to turn out, it’s really a learning opportunity.” She added that failures are opportunities as well.
Washington reflected on her career, including moving to Silicon Valley in her 20s, working abroad to gain global experience, switching from tech to biotech, and taking on a CFO role early in her career.
“I remember, a lot of people told me, ‘You’re crazy,’” Washington said. “I just always raised my hand for that tough assignment.”
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
Leaderboard
Ken Cook, CFO, was appointed interim CEO of The Wendy's Company (Nasdaq: WEN). Kirk Tanner, president and CEO, is leaving to become the president and CEO at The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) and will depart on July 18. Wendy's board of directors has launched a search for a permanent CEO. Cook, who remains CFO, played a key role in developing Wendy's long-term growth strategy. Before joining the Company, he spent 20 years at United Parcel Service, Inc. in leadership roles.
Matt Parson was appointed EVP and CFO of SAS, a data and AI company. Parson succeeds long-time CFO David Davis, who is retiring after nearly 40 years at SAS. Parson spent 12 years at Red Hat, where he played a key role in its international expansion as the company scaled from $200 million to nearly $3 billion in annual revenue. He has since served as CFO at CloudBees and Paymentus, guiding the latter through an IPO. And Parson most recently held dual roles as CFO and COO at ExtraHop.
Big Deal
JM Search, an executive search firm focused on private equity, has released its 2025 CFO Compensation & Insights Study, based on responses from 312 sitting CFOs at primarily investor-backed businesses.
The report provides an analysis of base compensation, cash bonuses, and equity—including compensation perception gaps between first-time and seasoned CFOs. It also explores the factors driving CFO retention and departures in today’s market, as well as how career paths, CFO responsibilities, and value creation priorities are evolving.
Going deeper
In an episode of Wharton’s “This Week in Business” podcast, the professor and director of the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School breaks down new data on rising 401(k) contributions, the influence of automatic enrollment, and the savings behaviors of younger generations.
Overheard
“Thank you for your contributions.”
—Elon Musk, owner of the social platform X (formerly Twitter), posted on Wednesday in response to Linda Yaccarino stepping down as CEO of X after two years at the helm. Yaccarino announced her resignation on Wednesday in a post on X, expressing pride in the company’s turnaround and gratitude to Musk for entrusting her with the role, Fortune reported.
