In a stunning and emotionally charged move, Silicon Valley titan Ron Conway has severed ties with Marc Benioff, resigning from the Salesforce Foundation board after a 25-year friendship. 'The man I once admired is now unrecognizable,' Conway declared in a scathing email, exposing a deep rift over Benioff’s recent political stance and controversial call for federal troops in San Francisco. But here's where it gets controversial: is Benioff’s support for Trump and his push for military intervention in a city he doesn’t even reside in a betrayal of progressive values, or a necessary step to address rising concerns about safety? Let’s dive in.
Ron Conway, a legendary venture capitalist known for his early investments in tech giants like Google and Facebook, announced his resignation on Thursday. His decision came just days after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff publicly endorsed President Trump and advocated for deploying the National Guard in San Francisco, the city where Salesforce is headquartered. The Salesforce Foundation, with nearly $400 million in assets as of 2023, focuses on empowering disadvantaged students through tech literacy and college preparation—a mission Conway has passionately supported for over a decade.
In his resignation email, obtained by The New York Times, Conway expressed profound disappointment in Benioff’s political shift. 'Your recent comments and failure to grasp their consequences have left me questioning the person I once deeply admired,' Conway wrote. The email laid bare the growing divide between two of San Francisco’s most influential tech leaders, sparked by Benioff’s call for federal intervention and his apparent disregard for the impact of ICE immigration raids on families with no criminal records.
And this is the part most people miss: Conway didn’t make this decision lightly. He personally reached out to Benioff, hoping for a moment of reflection on the dangers of the Trump administration’s policies. But after days of discussion, Conway felt Benioff remained detached from the real-world consequences of his statements, leaving him no choice but to step down.
Benioff’s comments, made during a New York Times interview, ignited a firestorm in San Francisco. The billionaire, once celebrated as Silicon Valley’s progressive icon, faced fierce backlash from city leaders. Mayor Daniel Lurie countered Benioff’s claims by releasing data showing that homicides in San Francisco are at a 70-year low, and drug overdose deaths have also declined. Yet, Benioff’s insistence on federal troops—echoing Trump’s own threats—has raised questions about his motives, especially since he’s been living in Hawaii and is registered to vote there, not in San Francisco.
Conway didn’t hold back in his critique, pointing out the irony of Benioff’s annual threats to move Salesforce’s flagship event, Dreamforce, to Las Vegas over safety concerns. 'Las Vegas has a higher violent crime rate than San Francisco,' Conway noted. 'Your push for a federal invasion seems more about avoiding security costs for Dreamforce than genuine concern for the city.'
As Dreamforce unfolds this week, Benioff has largely avoided addressing Trump, ICE, or immigration, instead focusing on 'everyone’s safety.' Salesforce issued a measured response to Conway’s resignation, expressing gratitude for his decade-long service and highlighting the company’s $840 million commitment to education. But the damage is done—the rift between these two tech titans is now public, and it’s sparking a broader conversation about the role of tech leaders in politics.
Here’s the question we’re left with: Can tech leaders like Benioff truly claim to champion progressive causes while aligning with policies that many view as regressive? Share your thoughts in the comments—this is a debate that’s far from over.
