I'm buzzing, teary-eyed, and all sorts of cloud 9. Amidst all the jaw-dropping technology, it should be no surprise that for me, it's the great people behind all the great innovations that took the spotlight.

Here are my takeaways:
Enthusiasm Meets Realism in AI: Apart from the Main Keynote from Marc Benioff, the second most popular session (maybe third, i don't know, as I heard the Matthew Mcconaughey session had people queuing up for almost 2 hours ) was the sit down interview with Sam Altman, CEO of #OpenAI. While you can Google all the important things from that session, what really stood out for me was when he said that the level of enthusiasm, hopefulness, and excitement around the world—balanced with wanting to successfully address the downsides of #AI was really extraordinary to see. This wasn't just "Silicon Valley talk"; it was a global perspective. That blend of hope and caution, excitement and responsibility - is good, but of course already expected. Overall, it was no fluff, just humility and a genuine understanding that we're all learners on this AI path.
The Challenge and Thrill of New Tech: Salesforce wowed us with #DataCloud and #Einstein1. But for us and our #team, there is an extra challenge and responsibility - separating fluff from real, and curating what is attainable, and useful for all our clients. How do we leverage these innovations for quick, meaningful #ROI? Good news is that there is really nothing different needed from us and we just need to stay true to what we have done best - understanding and putting ourselves in our clients' shoes, understanding their real pain points, their opportunities for growth and scale, and the capacity to invest in #technology and through those, we can easily identify what makes sense for each of our clients. It won't be easy - it will be like sifting for gold; separating the valuable, real life changing and simple, from costly extras, low value and complex. And guess what, that challenge excites me a lot!

The Great People behind the Great Innovations: The best parts for me were the smaller forums and sessions that customers can interact with the product managers and the people behind the great tech. Seeing the faces behind the Salesforce products we use daily and hearing them answer all of the users' burning questions — it was electric. The #FlowBuilder roadmap session was a roller coaster of feels. The product managers weren't just presenting; they were sharing their own joys and frustrations which are aligned with all of us, at least those that have used #Flows a lot for a while now, and since they are in tune with us, the exciting new stuff they have instore for flows are anything short of exciting and will make us even love it more. The Architecture Keynote showed Parker Harris and Zayne Turner being more passionate on helping us implement well-architected solutions for our clients, and it is our responsibility to follow through and use the tools they are continuously providing. Wrapping up, as cliche as it may sound - I think the future is bright. It's been eight years since my last #dreamforce, and while #salesforce itself has transformed, the impact it leaves me with is stronger than ever. The improvements in tools leave the Salesforce geek in me giggling, while the new technology and product lineup proves Salesforce is here to stay. This company isn't just keeping up; they're setting the pace. And they're listening — really listening.

Donnie Banez
Solution Architect
Director, Cinch + Strike
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