Facing new controversy, Benioff issues apology for National Guard comments

article

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff delivers the keynote address at the start of the Dreamforce conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO - Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who has been facing heavy criticism this week for saying he would support the deployment of the National Guard to San Francisco, on Friday apologized for his comments.

"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," Benioff wrote in a post to X (formerly Twitter). "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.

Past remarks

The backstory:

Benioff initially voiced his support for deploying National Guard troops in a New York Times interview published Oct. 10. In the same interview, which was conducted via phone from Benioff's private plane en route to San Francisco, the Salesforce CEO admitted he spends most of his time on the Big Island of Hawaii, and could not estimate how many days each year he spends in San Francisco.

His comments immediately drew condemnation from city and state officials.

Mayor Daniel Lurie joined with District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto to rebuke Benioff's statements at a press conference on Tuesday.

"We've seen crime go down in Union Square by 40 percent. Citywide, crime is down 30 percent," Lurie said. "We are at 70-year lows when it comes to homicides, and car break-ins are at 22-year lows. We have a lot of work to do, but I trust our local law enforcement."

Jenkins echoed Lurie's message, saying scenes of unrest like those coming out of Chicago are not what San Francisco wants or needs.

"To see tear gas and all the things that are happening — we don't want that chaos here," Jenkins said. "Our job is to maintain order, and the public trusts us to get that job done."

Lurie said he'd spoken privately with Benioff in the days following the interview's publication.

"What I said to him is what I'm saying to you all right now — we are working relentlessly every day, and public safety is our number one priority," Lurie said. "People are entitled to their opinions, but they're not entitled to their own facts."

The cost

By the numbers:

Benioff's initial comments stemmed from complaints that he was having to pay for "hundreds of off-duty law enforcement officers" to patrol the area around the Moscone Center, the site of his company's annual Dreamforce conference, which this year attracted 45,000 visitors to the city.

Salesforce has a market cap of $232 billion, and Forbes reports Benioff's personal net worth stands at $8.7 billion.

At Dreamforce earlier this week, Benioff walked back his comments, saying, "The number one thing on my mind is safety — that's just what's coming out."

He added that Salesforce will donate $1 million to the San Francisco Police Department to fund larger hiring bonuses for new officers. City officials said details about how and when that process would begin have not yet been released.

Benioff's vocal support of deploying troops to San Francisco not only dominated the headlines during the week of his company's biggest annual event, it also cost him a close friend and business ally.

Venture capitalist Ron Conway on Thursday resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation after more than 10 years, saying their values no longer aligned.

"It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired," Conway wrote to Benioff in an email that was seen by the New York Times.

Conway and Benioff have been close friends for more than 25 years.

The Salesforce Foundation had roughly $400 million in assets at the end of 2023 and works to help disadvantaged students by improving tech literacy and college preparation.

More controversy

What's next:

Benioff's Friday apology came less than 24 hours after the New York Times reported that Benioff had previously communicated with federal officials about using artificial intelligence to help the Trump Administration accelerate hiring for mass deportation by "hiring 10,000 new (ICE) officers and agents expeditiously." 

The paper cited screenshots of the conversations.

Salesforce did not dispute the authenticity of the materials, but representatives for the comment declined to offer comment.

The federal government and the U.S. military are among Salesforce's largest clients. The company has 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 for the company.

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.