Salesforce History Timeline and Biographies | History Timeline Generator

1999

Foundation of Salesforce

Salesforce was founded in March 1999 by former Oracle executive Marc Benioff, along with Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez. The company aimed to deliver enterprise software through a new model: software as a service (SaaS).

2000

Launch of Salesforce.com

Salesforce.com was officially launched in 2000, providing businesses with a web-based CRM platform. This marked the beginning of the company's journey in transforming the CRM industry with cloud technology.

2003

First Annual Dreamforce Conference

Salesforce held its first annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, bringing together customers, partners, and developers to share knowledge and innovations in cloud computing.

2004

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Salesforce went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol CRM. The IPO raised $110 million, further fueling the company's growth and expansion.

2005

Introduction of AppExchange

Salesforce launched AppExchange, an online marketplace for third-party applications that integrate with the Salesforce platform, allowing customers to extend the functionality of their CRM systems.

2006

Launch of Service Cloud

Salesforce introduced Service Cloud, a customer service platform that enables companies to deliver exceptional customer support through multiple channels, including phone, email, and social media.

2009

Introduction of Salesforce Chatter

Salesforce launched Chatter, an enterprise social network that allows employees to collaborate in real-time, share files, and stay connected across the organization.

2010

Acquisition of Heroku

Salesforce acquired Heroku, a cloud platform-as-a-service (PaaS) company, to enhance its capabilities in building and deploying modern applications.

2011

Introduction of Salesforce1 Platform

Salesforce launched the Salesforce1 Platform, providing developers with tools to build mobile apps that integrate with Salesforce's CRM and other services.

2013

Acquisition of ExactTarget

Salesforce acquired ExactTarget, a leading digital marketing company, for $2.5 billion. This acquisition led to the creation of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

2014

Launch of Salesforce Lightning

Salesforce introduced Lightning, a new user interface and development framework designed to enhance productivity and user experience across its platform.

2016

Acquisition of Demandware

Salesforce acquired Demandware, a leader in cloud-based e-commerce, for $2.8 billion. This acquisition expanded Salesforce's capabilities in the retail sector.

2018

Acquisition of MuleSoft

Salesforce acquired MuleSoft, a company specializing in application networks and APIs, for $6.5 billion. This acquisition helped Salesforce enhance its integration capabilities.

2020

Acquisition of Tableau

Salesforce completed its acquisition of Tableau, a leading data visualization company, for $15.7 billion. This acquisition strengthened Salesforce's analytics and data visualization offerings.

2021

Acquisition of Slack

Salesforce acquired Slack, a popular business communication platform, for $27.7 billion. This acquisition aimed to enhance collaboration and communication within organizations using Salesforce.

2023

Launch of Salesforce Genie

Salesforce introduced Salesforce Genie, a real-time data platform that allows businesses to unify customer data and deliver personalized experiences at scale.