*By Jacqueline Corba*
Salesforce has saved a seat at its executive meetings for Einstein, an artificial intelligence-powered robot developed by the cloud computing company.
"The fact that we are using our own products to really drive our forecasting, it's pretty amazing," said Bob Stutz, CEO of Salesforce's Marketing Cloud. "It is really great to have that tool that you can use every single day to run your business."
Salesforce's chief executive, Marc Benioff, has been an outspoken proponent of the company's use of A.I., and said that Einstein has [been at every weekly senior staff meeting](http://fortune.com/2018/01/25/salesforce-benioff-einstein-davos-ai/) for the last year.
Stutz said Einstein pulls his weight on a team that has grown its quarterly revenue by 41 percent year over year.
"We are on an incredible tear right now," Stutz said in an interview with Cheddar. "It's really helping customers connect with their consumers across sales, marketing, service ー it's a real growth driver for us nowadays."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/inside-salesforce-marketing-cloud-growth).
Scott Belsky, the chief product officer at Adobe and author of 'The Messy Middle,' told Cheddar that good design now shapes how we use technology, on everything from new voice tech to augmented reality.
Astronaut Scott Kelly saw the sun rise and set about 32 times each day during the 520 total days he spent in outer space. He also spent considerable time looking at Planet Earth. Naturally, it changed his perspective ー in the most literal sense. Kelly shares that new perspective through images in his latest book, "Infinite Wonder: An Astronaut's Photographs from a Year in Space."
The internet can be a toxic place ー but it doesn't have to be, according to Deepak Chopra. The bestselling author and new age advocate is helping to build a healthier internet through a new Amazon Alexa skill that delivers his daily "intentions." The skill is a result of a partnership with A.I.-provider LivePerson's innovation lab, LivePerson Studios.
Credible.com is revamping how people refinance their mortgages ー in the time it takes to download an app. The platform has launched what it calls a modern mortgage marketplace, providing users with real-time rates from multiple lenders. Stephen Dash, founder and CEO of Credible.com, said it was time to rebuild the mortgage shopping and application process.
Shankar Chandran, managing director of Samsung Catalyst Fund, told Cheddar at the Web Summit that Samsung is always looking for the next "trillion-dollar opportunity." The gold rush in Silicon Valley is all about data and A.I. now, he said.
Photo-editing app VSCO has already hit 2 million paid subscribers after crossing the 1 million subscribers threshold just in the first quarter of 2018. “It’s really a testament to how consumer-driven we are,” VSCO CEO Joel Flory told Cheddar. VSCO charges $20 per year for its subscription, and the business is now operating at break-even, Flory said.
Disney unveiled the name of its streaming service, Disney +, and some we're less than impressed. Rich Greenfield, analyst at BTIG, said that may be just fine for Disney.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Disney announced earnings for its latest quarter on Thursday, posting better than expected earnings and revenue as the company gets ready to launch its own streaming service to compete with Netflix and Amazon. Disney is also focused on closing its acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
OkCupid is getting political. The popular dating app is finding that millennials are prioritizing politics more than ever when looking for a partner in love. Melissa Hobley, CMO of OkCupid, said the app has been asking its users more questions about their political views and using that information to improve their matches.
