As activist investors target Salesforce, what’s next for the CRM giant?

As the digital age continues to reshape and evolve the world of cloud computing and customer relationship management, the tech giant Salesforce finds itself in the midst of an increasingly contentious and uncertain future. In the last few weeks, activist shareholders have taken an active stance in an effort to push the CRM giant towards bigger and better business decisions—which begs the question, what’s next for Salesforce?

One of the most recent proposals by activist investor Elliott Management Corporation demands a restructuring that would see Marc Benioff, the company’s founder, step down as CEO and become Executive Chairman as Brandon Isono, a veteran of tech behemoths Amazon and Microsoft, assumes his place at the helm. Benioff, who has headed the organization for 20 years, rejected the proposal, citing his successful track record of guiding Salesforce’s transformation from a tiny start-up to one of the most influential enterprise software companies in the world.

The activist investors have continued to pressure Salesforce, citing the need for increased efficiency, greater focus on customer experience, and more streamlined operations. While the company’s current leadership disputes the need for outside guidance, the reality is that there are areas where the company could stand to make improvements—or, at the very least, leverage their existing strengths.

For starters, a more concerted effort towards innovation could help Salesforce better position itself against competing products like Microsoft Dynamics 365. Additionally, the company could benefit from deeper investments in tools and technologies that increase its appeal to the enterprise market. At the moment, Salesforce’s CRM suite is designed primarily for small and medium-sized businesses; however, making enterprise-level investments could open new opportunities for the company.

At the end of the day, it’s unclear how the activists’ efforts will shape the future of Salesforce. But one thing is for certain: the CRM giant is at an interesting crossroads and its decisions in the coming months—including how it responds to the demands of activist shareholders—will have a significant impact on the company’s trajectory. Wherever the company ends up, Salesforce has its sights set on continuing its reign as one of the leading CRM providers in the world—and with a much-needed shake-up on the horizon, that may prove to be easier said than done.