Marc Benioff

Marc Benioff
Born	Marc Russell Benioff 25 9, 1964
Birthplace	San Francisco, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive, entrepreneur, philanthropist
Known for	Co-founder, chairman and CEO of Salesforce; owner of Time
Education	University of Southern California (BS)
Spouse(s)	Lynne Krilich
Children	2
Awards	Fortune World's Greatest Leaders (2016), The Economist Innovation Award
Website	[https://www.salesforce.com/company/leadership/bios/bio-benioff Official site]

Marc Russell Benioff (born September 25, 1964) is an American internet entrepreneur, philanthropist, and business executive who co-founded the cloud computing company Salesforce and has served as its chairman and chief executive officer since its inception. Born and raised in San Francisco, Benioff showed entrepreneurial aptitude from a young age, beginning to write and sell software while still a teenager. After a formative period at Oracle Corporation under Larry Ellison, he launched Salesforce in 1999 with a vision of delivering enterprise software through the internet rather than through traditional on-premises installations — a model that would come to be known as Software as a service (SaaS). Under his leadership, Salesforce grew into one of the largest enterprise software companies in the world. Beyond his role at Salesforce, Benioff has been a prominent voice in corporate philanthropy, championing a model he calls the "1-1-1" integrated philanthropic approach, and has been involved in public advocacy on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights, homelessness, and, more recently, artificial intelligence regulation. In 2018, he and his wife Lynne Benioff purchased Time magazine.

Early Life

Marc Russell Benioff was born on September 25, 1964, in San Francisco, California. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, an environment that would later prove central to his career in the technology industry.

Benioff displayed an early interest in computers and software development. As a teenager, he began programming and selling his own software, demonstrating the entrepreneurial drive that would later define his career. At the age of 15, he created a program called "How to Juggle," which he sold for $75, marking one of his first commercial ventures in software. He continued developing and selling software throughout his high school years, earning enough to help fund his college education.

Benioff's family has roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. His connection to the city has remained a defining feature of both his personal and professional life. He has frequently spoken publicly about his deep ties to San Francisco, and Salesforce's global headquarters — housed in Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in the city — reflects that attachment. The Benioff family name has a broader presence as well; the family's connections have been documented in media coverage over the years.

Education

Benioff attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. His time at USC provided him with a foundation in business and technology that he would apply in his subsequent career. While still a college student, Benioff gained early industry experience through internships, including a notable stint at Apple Computer, where he worked as a summer intern in the Macintosh division. This exposure to one of the most innovative technology companies of the era helped shape his understanding of product development and corporate culture.

Career

Oracle Corporation

After graduating from USC, Benioff joined Oracle Corporation, the database and enterprise software company led by Larry Ellison. He spent thirteen years at Oracle, rising through the ranks to become one of the company's youngest vice presidents. During his tenure, Benioff gained extensive experience in enterprise software sales, marketing, and product development. His relationship with Ellison, who became a mentor and early investor in Benioff's subsequent ventures, proved instrumental in shaping his approach to business leadership and corporate strategy.

At Oracle, Benioff developed a deep understanding of the enterprise software market, including its distribution models, customer relationship dynamics, and the challenges associated with traditional on-premises software deployment. These insights would later inform his vision for a fundamentally different approach to delivering software to businesses.

Founding of Salesforce

In March 1999, Benioff co-founded Salesforce from a rented apartment in San Francisco. The company was built around the idea of delivering customer relationship management (CRM) software entirely over the internet, eliminating the need for customers to install and maintain complex software on their own servers. This approach, which Benioff branded with the slogan "No Software," represented a departure from the prevailing enterprise software model and anticipated the broader shift to cloud computing that would reshape the technology industry over the following decades.

The founding of Salesforce was supported by initial investments from Larry Ellison and other backers. Benioff's concept was considered unconventional at the time, as most enterprise software companies relied on selling expensive perpetual licenses and deploying software on customers' premises. Salesforce instead offered its CRM product on a subscription basis, accessible through a web browser. This Software as a service (SaaS) model reduced upfront costs for customers and created a recurring revenue stream for the company.

The company grew rapidly in its first years, attracting customers who were drawn to the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the subscription model. Salesforce held its initial public offering (IPO) in June 2004 on the New York Stock Exchange, a milestone that validated the SaaS business model and marked the company's emergence as a major force in enterprise technology.

Growth and Expansion of Salesforce

Under Benioff's leadership as chairman and CEO, Salesforce expanded well beyond its original CRM offering. The company developed and acquired a wide range of cloud-based enterprise applications and platforms, including tools for marketing automation, analytics, application development, and collaboration. Major acquisitions included the purchases of ExactTarget, MuleSoft, Tableau, and Slack Technologies, which significantly broadened Salesforce's product portfolio and market reach.

Benioff became known for his approach to corporate culture and leadership, which emphasized what he called "Ohana" — a Hawaiian term meaning family — to describe the interconnected community of employees, customers, partners, and stakeholders. He also pioneered the "1-1-1 model" of integrated corporate philanthropy, in which Salesforce pledged 1% of its equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of employees' time to charitable causes. This model was subsequently adopted by hundreds of other companies through the Pledge 1% movement.

Salesforce became one of the first major enterprise software companies to achieve significant scale purely through cloud-based delivery. By the 2020s, it had grown into one of the largest software companies in the world by revenue, with its platform serving hundreds of thousands of organizations globally. Benioff's leadership during this period of growth cemented his reputation as one of the most prominent figures in the technology industry.

Artificial Intelligence and Technology Advocacy

In the mid-2020s, Benioff became an increasingly vocal advocate for the regulation of artificial intelligence. At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2026, Benioff called for regulatory action on AI, arguing that certain AI models had become "suicide coaches" in reference to documented cases in which individuals' deaths were linked to interactions with AI systems. He framed the issue in stark terms, asking, "What's more important to us, growth or our kids?"

Benioff's advocacy on AI regulation represented a notable stance from a technology CEO whose own company was actively developing and deploying AI products. Salesforce had introduced its own AI platform, known as Einstein, and later developed AI agents as part of its product line. His willingness to call for regulation of the broader AI industry while simultaneously integrating AI into Salesforce's offerings drew attention from media and industry observers.

Acquisition of Time Magazine

In September 2018, Marc and Lynne Benioff purchased Time magazine from Meredith Corporation for $190 million. The acquisition was made in a personal capacity, separate from Salesforce. Benioff has served as co-chair and owner of the publication, which continues to operate as one of the most recognized news magazines in the world. The purchase was part of a broader trend of technology billionaires acquiring legacy media properties, following Jeff Bezos's purchase of The Washington Post in 2013.

Controversies and Employee Relations

In February 2026, Benioff faced significant internal backlash after making remarks about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a company event. According to multiple reports, Benioff joked at an employee gathering that ICE was monitoring international employees in attendance who had traveled to the United States. The comments provoked a sharp reaction within Salesforce, with one employee describing the internal response as employees going "absolutely apeshit" on internal Slack channels.

Over 1,400 Salesforce employees subsequently signed an open letter demanding that Benioff cease business operations with ICE. The letter reflected both anger at the specific comments and broader concerns about the company's contractual relationships with the immigration enforcement agency.

Salesforce co-founder and chief technology officer Parker Harris publicly addressed the controversy, stating that Benioff's jokes were "not OK." The incident was not the first time Salesforce's relationship with ICE had generated internal controversy; employees had previously raised concerns about contracts with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE in earlier years.

In October 2025, Benioff made headlines when he suggested that President Donald Trump should send National Guard troops to San Francisco to address issues in the city. The comment drew attention because Benioff had previously been associated with more progressive political stances, and the suggestion marked what some observers described as an apparent shift in his public political positioning.

Personal Life

Marc Benioff is married to Lynne Krilich, and the couple has two children. The Benioffs reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Benioff has been involved in extensive philanthropic activity. He and his wife have donated to hospitals, schools, and community organizations. Among their most prominent contributions are donations to the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, which bear the family name. Their philanthropic efforts extend to environmental conservation and education initiatives as well.

Benioff has spoken publicly about the influence of mindfulness and meditation on his leadership style, citing time spent in Hawaii and his interest in Eastern spiritual practices as important personal influences. His adoption of the "Ohana" concept for Salesforce's corporate culture reflects these personal values.

He has also been a prominent public advocate on social and political issues in San Francisco. In addition to his support for LGBTQ rights — including opposition to discriminatory legislation in multiple U.S. states — Benioff has advocated for addressing homelessness in San Francisco, supporting a local business tax measure aimed at funding homeless services.

Recognition

Benioff has received numerous awards and recognitions for his business leadership and philanthropic contributions. In 2016, Fortune magazine named him among its "World's Greatest Leaders," a list recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in their respective fields.

In 2014, Fortune readers selected Benioff as "Businessperson of the Year" in the publication's reader's choice poll, reflecting his prominence among the business community and the public.

The Economist awarded Benioff an Innovation Award in its technology category, recognizing his role in pioneering the SaaS delivery model for enterprise software and his contributions to the broader technology industry.

Barron's magazine has featured Benioff in its coverage of prominent business leaders and technology executives, highlighting his role in shaping the cloud computing industry.

In 2009, the World Economic Forum named Benioff a Young Global Leader, a distinction he shared with other prominent technology figures including Mark Zuckerberg, Chad Hurley, and Kevin Rose.

Legacy

Marc Benioff's influence on the technology industry is most clearly reflected in the widespread adoption of the Software as a service (SaaS) model that Salesforce helped establish. When Benioff founded the company in 1999, the concept of delivering enterprise software through the internet on a subscription basis was far from mainstream. By the 2020s, cloud-based software delivery had become the dominant model in enterprise technology, and Salesforce's early success was instrumental in demonstrating the viability of this approach to both customers and investors.

The 1-1-1 philanthropic model that Benioff introduced at Salesforce has had a measurable impact beyond the company itself. The Pledge 1% initiative, which grew out of Salesforce's model, has been adopted by thousands of companies worldwide, creating a structured framework for corporate giving that integrates philanthropy into business operations from a company's earliest stages.

Benioff's approach to stakeholder capitalism — the idea that corporations have responsibilities not only to shareholders but also to employees, communities, and society at large — has been a recurring theme in his public statements and writings, including his book Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change. This positioning has at times placed him at the center of debates about the role of CEOs in public advocacy and whether corporate leaders should take stances on social and political issues. His record has been both praised and criticized: supporters have pointed to his philanthropic commitments and advocacy for equality, while critics have questioned whether his public statements have always been consistent with Salesforce's business practices, particularly regarding government contracts.

As a figure who has operated at the intersection of technology, media, philanthropy, and public policy, Benioff's career reflects the expanding influence of technology executives in American business and society. His ownership of Time magazine, his advocacy at the World Economic Forum, and his commentary on issues from AI regulation to urban policy in San Francisco illustrate the broad reach of his public role beyond the management of a single corporation.