Salesforce in talks to acquire AI research firm Listen Labs for about $2 billion

Salesforce is said to be in advanced discussions to acquire Listen Labs, an AI-based customer research startup, for an estimated $2 billion. The platform supplies AI-generated market insights to major brands, including Anthropic, Google and Nestlé. Founded in 2023 by Alfred Wahlforss and Florian Juengermann, Listen Labs most recently raised capital at a $500 million valuation, with backing from Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, Conviction Partners, Pear and Neo.

While the talks are ongoing, a source cautions they could still fall apart. The prospective deal would add to a recent wave of high-value AI acquisitions, such as Nvidia's purchase of HuggingFace for about $12.9 billion and Stripe's acquisition of OpenRouter for roughly $8 billion. Salesforce has been intensifying its AI strategy, particularly around enterprise agents, and had previously considered buying HuggingFace before it was sold to Nvidia. Neither Salesforce nor Listen Labs have commented on the negotiations.