Latest news with #AmitWalia
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Can ChatGPT Conquer Loneliness? The Pivot To AI In Therapy And Dating
Gen Z woman smiling at her phone getty Strolling through New York City a few weeks ago, one thing was unmistakable--ChatGPT has very much become a part of the zeitgeist. Whether shooting pool at Doc Hollidays in the East Village or sipping on a Bellini at Cipriani's in Soho, nearly all of the conversations overheard had some mention of the AI companion. My own AI use has increased substantially since first demoing ChatGPT on BBC TV. And not just with ChatGPT, but also with Claude, Grok, Gemini in Google Search, Meta AI on Facebook, even Rufus while shopping on Amazon. I spend so much time with AI these days, the expectation of how I interact with the appliances around me has been changing as well, including disappointment that I can't have a normal conversation with my refrigerator when I come home hungry, or with my TV when I want to order Lily Collins' green leather boots from Emily in Paris, or when I don't know why my car is flashing red. It's 2025, shouldn't I just be able to ask my devices for what I want, or better yet, shouldn't they already know. After all, cars are driving themselves and my phone talks to me all day long, about everything. During an on-the-record Informatica press dinner that I attended right before the company was acquired by Salesforce, CEO Amit Walia casually shared with our table of reporters how he has been using ChatGPT as a therapist, echoing the same sentiment that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said at Dreamforce last year: 'It's pretty helpful." With so many of us increasing our engagement with AI, and possibly dependence on it, it feels like we're approaching a tipping point. Former SNL comedian Colin Quinn warned of this during his set at the Comedy Cellar. He said, first they'll appear as friendly companions, part of our community, smiling at us in church. Next, he laughed, Armageddon. And that does seem to be the stage we're at with AI as our ever-affirming companion, sans Armageddon. Mark Zuckerberg recently shared a stat that the average American has fewer than three friends, yet demand is meaningfully more, like 15 friends. But Justin McLeod, CEO of the popular dating app Hinge, explained to me why it's not likely that AI will ever be able to fill the gap. 'AI is great when it comes to providing services, like people using it instead of Googling, asking it to solve problems and figure things out,' he said. 'What I'm concerned about are people using it as an emotional companion, like having this be my virtual boyfriend or girlfriend or my best friend--because it's tempting, it's tantalizing, It's always there for you. It's always going to say the right thing. And so why put in all this work into a relationship." 'But like junk food, it's ultimately going to feel really unfulfilling to have a relationship with AI, because there's no mutual sentient connection. It has no needs, you're not showing up for it in any way. You're not being of use to it in anyway. People want to feel useful and needed by friends as much as they want their friends to be there. You want the vulnerability and risk of putting yourself out there and feeling what that feels like. That is the richness, and without that, relationships become very hollow and empty,' he said. And yet it is AI that is making Hinge so effective at helping users find their match. The company has been leveraging AI to help increase users success at landing a first date, including AI-powered coaching that nudges users with guidance to make their profile standout and prompts like 'Are you sure?' to encourage them think twice before sending a potentially offensive comment. Parent company Match is all in on AI as well. Its CEO Spencer Rascoff recently took the stage with ChatGPT-maker Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, to announce that Tinder is partnering with Altman's World start up to biometrically scan irises in Japan to age verify users.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Salesforce Is Paying $8 Billion for 'the Plumbing of AI'
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) announced Tuesday that it will acquire Informatica (NYSE:INFA) in a cash deal valued at approximately $8 billion. The acquisition underscores Salesforce's intent to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities by integrating a core player in enterprise data management. Under the terms of the deal, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 per share — an 11% premium over the company's closing price of $22.55 on Friday, TechCrunch reported. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Informatica CEO Amit Walia framed the acquisition as a shared effort to bring data and AI to life, describing Informatica in a statement as the plumbing for AI and data. Informatica's Intelligent Data Management Cloud platform helps enterprises connect, manage, and unify complex data systems across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. "Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey," Walia said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have a shared vision for how we can help organizations harness the full value of their data in the AI era." Steve Fisher, Salesforce's chief technology officer, said that the truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data, adding that Informatica's metadata and catalog tools will complement Salesforce's agentic AI platform, Agentforce. Trending: The acquisition builds on Salesforce's previous investments in data and AI. It follows the company's multibillion-dollar acquisitions of Slack at $27.7 billion in 2021, Tableau at $15.7 billion in 2019, and MuleSoft at $6.5 billion in 2018. According to Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Informatica will be integrated alongside Data Cloud, Tableau, and MuleSoft to enable autonomous agents to deliver smarter, safer, and more scalable outcomes for every company. Salesforce's operating and financial chief Robin Washington said the company will move quickly to leverage Informatica's capabilities across public sector, life sciences, healthcare, and financial services verticals, where governed, trustworthy data is critical. The deal is expected to close in early fiscal 2027, pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing was taken private in 2015 through a $5.3 billion deal led by private-equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Informatica says it serves more than 5,000 customers across nearly 100 countries, including over 80 of the Fortune 100, according to its acquisition announcement. The transaction will be financed through a combination of Salesforce's cash and new debt, the company said in the announcement. Read Next: How do billionaires pay less in income tax than you?. Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? SALESFORCE (CRM): Free Stock Analysis Report INFORMATICA (INFA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Why Salesforce Is Paying $8 Billion for 'the Plumbing of AI' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Bloomberg
29-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Informatica CEO Weighs In on $8 Billion Salesforce Deal
Opportunities in generative AI drove the Salesforce-Informatica deal to completion, says Informatica CEO Amit Walia. He joins Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow on "Bloomberg Technology." (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Informatica CEO discusses $8B Salesforce deal, AI & cloud strengths
Salesforce (CRM) announced it will be acquiring software company Informatica (INFA) in a deal valued at $8 billion. Informatica CEO Amit Walia comes on Market Domination to talk more about the deal and how it plays into Informatica's generative AI and cloud growth. Catch Yahoo Finance's interview with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, where he talks more about the Informatica acquisition and the company's first quarter earnings results. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Martechvibe
28-05-2025
- Business
- Martechvibe
Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Informatica
Salesforce and Informatica have entered into an agreement for Salesforce to acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion in equity value, net of Salesforce's current investment in Informatica. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 in cash per share. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Salesforce's data infrastructure, supporting the development and use of agentic AI. By combining Informatica's data catalogue, integration, governance, quality, privacy, metadata management, and Master Data Management (MDM) capabilities with the Salesforce platform, the goal is to create a unified framework for deploying AI agents reliably and at scale across enterprise environments. 'We're excited to acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion — uniting the world's #1 AI CRM with the #1 AI-powered MDM and ETL platform,' said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce. 'This combination brings together Salesforce's Einstein and Informatica's CLAIRE AI engines to forge the ultimate AI-data platform — trusted, explainable, and built to scale. Together, we'll supercharge Agentforce, Data Cloud, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Customer 360, enabling autonomous agents to act with intelligence, context, and confidence across every enterprise.' 'This is a transformational step in delivering enterprise-grade AI that is safe, responsible, and deeply integrated with the world's data.' ALSO READ: Saudi Airlines Selects Informatica to Transform Customer Experience Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica, said, 'Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey to bring data and AI to life by empowering businesses with the transformative power of their most critical asset — their data. 'We have a shared vision for how we can help organisations harness the full value of their data in the AI era.' Upon close, Salesforce plans to integrate Informatica's technology stack — including data integration, quality, governance, and unified metadata for Agentforce, and a single data pipeline with MDM on Data Cloud — seamlessly embedding this 'system of understanding' into the Salesforce ecosystem. 'Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data. The combination of Informatica's advanced catalogue and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this,' said Steve Fisher, President and Chief Technology Officer, Salesforce. 'Imagine an AI agent that goes beyond simply seeing data points to understand their full context — origin, transformation, quality, and governance. This clarity, from a unified Salesforce and Informatica solution, will allow all types of businesses to automate more complex processes and make more reliable AI-driven decisions.' Salesforce will also support Informatica's continued strategy of building best-in-class, AI-powered data management products — delivering a complete, end-to-end platform with industry-leading, integrated solutions to connect, manage, and unify data across any cloud, hybrid, or multi-cloud environment. ALSO READ: Informatica and Amazon Web Services Expand Relationship With New Innovations The proposed acquisition — pursued with strategic clarity and financial discipline, and aligned to Salesforce's responsible M&A framework — and the rapid integration of Informatica's premier data management capabilities with Data Cloud is a timely opportunity to further Salesforce's position in the AI revolution. 'Our acquisition strategy is methodical, patient, and decisive — targeting transformative assets like Informatica when the calculus aligns to maximise customer success,' said Robin Washington, President & Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Salesforce. 'This proposed acquisition will be a key enabler for Salesforce's next phase of AI-driven growth — and we will move quickly to integrate their capabilities and unlock synergies on a fast timeline, particularly in areas like Public Sector, Life Sciences, Healthcare, and Financial Services.' 'We're laser-focused on accelerated execution to increase our market differentiation and deliver sustained benefits for all Salesforce stakeholders.' Bruce Chizen, Informatica Chairman, said, 'Permira and CPP Investments partnership with Informatica is clear proof of the benefits of a long-term investing mindset and focus on transformational growth at scale. This exceptional outcome with Salesforce is testament to that philosophy.' Salesforce plans to invest in Informatica's ecosystem of data and infrastructure partners and apply the full power of Salesforce's marketing and distribution teams to push the growth of Informatica's cloud business. ALSO READ: Salesforce Announces Agentforce for Marketing Efficiency The Martechvibe team works with a staff of in-house writers and industry experts. View More
