Salesforce Exec's Trump Comments Spur Board Member's Resignation

A high-profile Silicon Valley investor has resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation, citing a sharp disagreement with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's recent comments supporting President Trump and calling for National Guard troops to be deployed in San Francisco. Ron Conway, a longtime friend of Benioff and a major Democratic donor, stepped down after a decade on the board in an email sent to Benioff Thursday and seen by the New York Times. It was in an interview with the Times that Benioff made his initial comments, claiming National Guard troops are needed to put a stop to crime in San Francisco, where the billionaire's company is based. San Francisco officials pushed back, pointing to to falling crime rates including a 70-year low in homicides.

Politico calls Conway and Benioff "mainstays of San Francisco's resolutely Democratic campaign scene," and notes that this schism is telling as Trump makes inroads with tech leaders. In the pointed email, Conway said Benioff's remarks signaled a split in their values, writing, "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 said he tried to discuss the issue with Benioff but found the CEO unmoved by concerns about the Trump administration or the effects of federal immigration raids nationwide. Benioff, who now lives in Hawaii, said he supported the idea of Guard troops because San Francisco lacks enough police officers. Conway pointed out in his email that Benioff doesn't "even live or vote" in the city.

Conway also criticized Benioff's repeated threats to move Salesforce's Dreamforce conference out of San Francisco for safety reasons, calling the threats ironic given Las Vegas, where Benioff has considered moving it, has a higher violent crime rate. The Salesforce Foundation, which reported nearly $400 million in assets last year, is a major funder of Bay Area schools and progressive groups. President Trump has welcomed support from business leaders like Benioff and Elon Musk (who was quick to amplify Benioff's recent comments) for a possible National Guard deployment in San Francisco, even as federal law generally bars the military from domestic policing. Benioff has not responded publicly to Conway's email, but Salesforce said in a statement it is grateful for Conway's time on the board, CNBC reports.