Salesforce + HubSpot Simultaneously Overhaul Partner Programs — 'The Great Thinning' of Ecosystem to Fight Hyperscalers

MarTech·high signal

Both Salesforce and HubSpot announced major partner program restructurings in March 2026 to consolidate around AI delivery quality: Salesforce collapsed 4 tiers into 2 and 170 badges into 28 competencies; HubSpot introduced a $400/month partner membership fee waived only for active platform users. Analyst Jay McBain calls it 'the great thinning' — ecosystems shrinking from breadth to depth as both companies fight hyperscalers (Microsoft, AWS, Google) and AI vendors (OpenAI, Anthropic) for control of enterprise AI stacks. Strategic stakes: whichever platform consultants recommend is where deals land.