Salesforce Employees Call Out CEO Over ICE Comments
Over 1,400 employees at Salesforce are expressing their anger regarding recent comments made by CEO Marc Benioff about ICE agents, urging him to sever ties with the agency. Reports indicated that during the company’s recent annual conference, Benioff made an inappropriate joke suggesting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be stationed to watch foreign staff.
This joke, made according to multiple sources like Business Insider and Wired, drew immediate backlash. A letter circulating among employees—which organizers intend to send to Benioff by Friday—demands that he prohibit ICE agents from utilizing Salesforce software, support reforms for the agency, and publicly address recent violent incidents, including the murders of Renee Good and Alex Preti in Minneapolis.
The letter emphasizes the need for Benioff to issue a statement calling for the withdrawal of undercover ICE agents from U.S. cities. This call for action reflects deeper concerns, noted in Wired, that Salesforce is pitching AI technology to help ICE quickly recruit 10,000 new staff members, which many view as unethical.
“Providing infrastructure for a mass deportation scheme that currently detains thousands—many with no criminal background—betrays our commitment to ethical technology use,” the letter asserts.
A source mentioned that “a lot of people are furious” following Benioff’s remarks. In his keynote speech in Las Vegas, after acknowledging international employees, he joked about ICE monitoring them, escalating tensions within the company beyond prior incidents. Last year, Benioff had also faced criticism for supporting President Trump’s proposal to deploy the National Guard in San Francisco, although he later reversed his stance.
Benioff has historically backed Democratic candidates and issues, including support for figures like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. While he aimed to distance himself from political matters after acquiring Time magazine, he humorously remarked about donating the magazine cover to Trump when the former president was named 2024’s Person of the Year.
This latest internal conflict comes at a challenging time for Salesforce, especially as shares in the company took a hit alongside concerns about AI potentially replacing existing services.
