Salesforce is in talks to acquire the artificial intelligence-powered customer research platform Listen Labs for about $2 billion, according to a Wednesday report from Business Insider. The discussions are ongoing and may not result in a final agreement, the report noted. Neither Salesforce nor Listen Labs responded to a request for comment from PYMNTS.
How the Platform Works
Listen Labs helps companies better understand their customers by designing studies, reaching a global network of 50 million participants, and conducting interviews at scale using an AI moderator. The platform delivers results and builds on past reports to compound learnings, according to the company’s website. The company currently holds a valuation of $500 million following a financing round earlier this year, which highlights its significant standing within the competitive market for customer intelligence tools.
At Listen, the mission is to ensure every important decision starts with real people, not guesses. The company built what it describes as the world’s fastest research platform, allowing companies to upload an idea and get answers within hours to help move faster on product, market, and growth. The firm specifically targets the need for rapid iteration, enabling teams to bypass lengthy traditional research cycles and immediately act upon consumer sentiment.
When the firm announced a $100 million Series B financing round in January, it said it had launched nine months earlier and interviewed more than 1 million people. At that time, it was already providing customer feedback to companies like Microsoft, Sweetgreen, and Perplexity. The platform’s ability to scale so quickly allowed it to secure high-profile partnerships almost immediately after its launch, demonstrating strong demand for its AI-driven methodologies.
Recent Salesforce Deals
The potential acquisition comes as Salesforce has been active in the market. In June, the company announced its intent to acquire the AI customer service platform Fin for $3.6 billion. That deal was expected to give Salesforce access to an AI agent capable of resolving complex queries across various communication channels including live chat, email, WhatsApp, SMS, phone, and Slack. The integration of Fin was aimed at enhancing the company’s service capabilities by automating responses to standard inquiries.
Also in June, Salesforce agreed to acquire m3ter, a metering and rating platform built for consumption-based monetization. The company said this move would bring high-volume mediation, metering, and rating capabilities to its Agentforce Revenue Management. Salesforce later confirmed the completion of that acquisition on July 1. This specific addition was designed to support businesses that operate on usage-based pricing models by streamlining how they manage and bill for their services.
