Salesforce didn’t just promote AEs with AgentForce.
They took Solutions Engineers—some of them second-line leaders—and moved them into quota-carrying sales roles. That wasn’t just a hiring decision. It was a signal.
For years, SaaS has been built around strict role segmentation.
AEs sell. SEs validate. CS retains.
Every function has its swim lane, and every team has its handoff. Now it appears Salesforce is collapsing those lanes entirely.
If this model works, sales orgs will look completely different in a few years.
SEs and technical specialists won’t just support revenue, they’ll own it.
AEs will be expected to go deeper on technical execution.
Comp plans will shift from closed-won to adoption-driven incentives.
Buyers are already losing patience with sellers who don’t understand their own product.
This move also eliminates another buyer frustration: countless handoffs to yet another support person. Instead, it gives them one person who can sell them the solution and make sure it actually works
If Salesforce is making this move, mid-market SaaS will follow.
The question isn’t whether the AE role is changing. It’s whether companies can adapt before they get left behind.
They took Solutions Engineers—some of them second-line leaders—and moved them into quota-carrying sales roles. That wasn’t just a hiring decision. It was a signal.
For years, SaaS has been built around strict role segmentation.
AEs sell. SEs validate. CS retains.
Every function has its swim lane, and every team has its handoff. Now it appears Salesforce is collapsing those lanes entirely.
If this model works, sales orgs will look completely different in a few years.
SEs and technical specialists won’t just support revenue, they’ll own it.
AEs will be expected to go deeper on technical execution.
Comp plans will shift from closed-won to adoption-driven incentives.
Buyers are already losing patience with sellers who don’t understand their own product.
This move also eliminates another buyer frustration: countless handoffs to yet another support person. Instead, it gives them one person who can sell them the solution and make sure it actually works
If Salesforce is making this move, mid-market SaaS will follow.
The question isn’t whether the AE role is changing. It’s whether companies can adapt before they get left behind.
