Jobs said, "There's three things you need to do right now. First: Your company, it better get 10 times larger than it is now in 24 months, or it's over. Second: You better sign a huge customer for this Salesforce automation product like Avon. And lastly: You better go build an application economy." This advice pushed Benioff to think outside the box and ultimately led him to create the AppExchange.
Reflecting on his conversation with Jobs, Benioff likened it to "meeting with your guru and getting a zen koan or something where now you have a puzzle I have to solve." This encapsulates how Jobs’ cryptic advice challenged him to innovate.
Benioff recalls asking Jobs for clarification on what he meant by building an application economy. Jobs replied, "I don't know, but you're going to go figure it out," driving Benioff towards a game-changing idea.
Ultimately, Benioff's realization was that Jobs wanted him to build an app store. Salesforce launched AppExchange in 2006, two years before Apple's app store, showcasing the influence of Jobs’ insights.
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