New Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff controversy over ICE
Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference wrapped up this week, but CEO Marc Benioff is facing new controversy following a report that he offered to help the federal government hire immigration enforcement agents.
SAN FRANCISCO – Salesforce’s annual Dreamforce conference wrapped up this week, but CEO Marc Benioff is facing new controversy following a report that he offered to help the federal government hire immigration enforcement agents.
The New York Times reported Thursday that Benioff communicated with federal officials about using artificial intelligence to help the administration accelerate hiring for mass deportations. The paper cited screenshots of the conversations.
Salesforce did not dispute the authenticity of the materials that the Times reported, but said it could not comment on them.
The report comes amid a turbulent week for the San Francisco-based software giant.
Longtime Salesforce Foundation board member Ron Conway resigned earlier in the week, saying his values “no longer aligned” with Benioff’s.
The CEO also drew backlash before Dreamforce began, after publicly supporting the idea of deploying National Guard troops in San Francisco to address public safety concerns. Both of those stories were also reported by The New York Times.
At the conference, Benioff addressed the crowd several times during the three-day event but largely avoided the controversies.
“The number one thing that’s on my mind is safety,” he said during one session. “It’s all about trust and safety — it’s our highest value here.”
The federal government and the U.S. military are among Salesforce’s largest clients.
The company has previously worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under past administrations, but the Times report said Benioff’s apparent offer to assist with expanding immigration enforcement marks a new step.
Salesforce is not the only Bay Area company engaging with the Trump administration. The White House recently held a summit with leaders from OpenAI, Google, Oracle, Apple and Meta to discuss artificial intelligence and federal technology partnerships.
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