Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has issued an apology for his comments supporting the potential deployment of federal troops to San Francisco, the city where his company is based. Benioff’s remarks, which indicated he would welcome troops, were published in The New York Times (NYT) last week, coinciding with the company’s annual Dreamforce conference held in downtown San Francisco this week. The comments drew criticism after the Trump administration recently deployed the National Guard to cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago. Those deployments sparked protests and lawsuits and resulted in citizens and immigrants being detained without legal representation.In a post shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Benioff wrote: “Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco. My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused. It’s my firm belief that our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership. I remain deeply grateful to Mayor Lurie, SFPD, and all our partners, and am fully committed to a safer, stronger San Francisco. ❤️🌁🌉”
What made Marc Benioff issue the apology
In a recent interview with the NYT, Benioff said: “We don’t have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I’m all for it.”Benioff’s remarks drew criticism from local leaders and politicians. This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco officials released statements to emphasise that federal troops were not needed in the city and that crime rates were declining.Startup investor Ron Conway, who has supported companies such as Google, Airbnb, and Stripe, resigned from the Salesforce Foundation board this week. The NYT reported that Conway emailed Benioff, saying their “values were no longer aligned.”Conway, a Democratic donor and member of the VCs for Kamala group, contributed about $500,000 to funds linked to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign. Benioff has donated to both parties but has supported Democratic presidential candidates, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris.Venture capitalist David Sacks, currently serving as Trump’s AI and crypto adviser, suggested after Conway’s resignation that Benioff may move toward the Republican Party. Earlier in the week, Sacks appeared with Benioff for an onstage interview at Dreamforce.