Marc Benioff has agelong been San Francisco’s liberal-leaning billionaire, nan tech executive who funded bum services, donated to nan city’s nationalist schools, and hosted Hillary Clinton fundraisers.
But successful a new, wide-ranging phone interview pinch nan New York Times from his backstage plane, Benioff revealed a governmental translator that seemed to astonishment moreover his ain communications team, contempt that Salesforce has hundreds of contracts pinch nan national government.
The Salesforce laminitis declared he “fully supported” President Trump and thought National Guard troops should patrol San Francisco streets. He gushed astir sitting crossed from Trump astatine a Windsor Castle authorities dinner, telling nan president “how grateful I americium for everything he’s doing.” He praised Elon Musk’s authorities ratio efforts and said he hadn’t intimately followed news astir migration raids aliases Trump’s attacks connected nan media.
The 50-minute speech reportedly ended aft Benioff turned to his nationalist relations executive, apparently noticing her expression. “What astir nan governmental questions?” he could beryllium heard asking. “Too spicy?”
Though Benioff’s displacement mirrors Silicon Valley’s broader accommodation of Trump, nan speech offered a uncommon glimpse of conscionable really acold that repositioning tin go. The mobility now: will different Bay Area tech CEOs travel Benioff’s lead and telephone for national troops successful their ain backyard?