Since the pandemic began, Benioff has lived on the Big Island of Hawaii, where he has bought several parcels of land.
He is registered to vote there, not in San Francisco.
Though Trump has touted his use of the military to fight crime, troops are generally forbidden by law from engaging in domestic law enforcement.
Leaders in San Francisco have condemned Benioff for his remarks and for suggesting the president should send troops to the city.
Mayor Daniel Lurie released new statistics this week that showed homicides in San Francisco were at a 70-year low and that drug overdose deaths have also dropped.
Conway, a close friend of Benioff’s for over 25 years and a ten-year board member of the Salesforce Foundation, informed Benioff in a contentious email that their values no longer coincided and that he was leaving his position as a director. The email, which was viewed by the New York Times, exposed the disagreement between two of San Francisco’s most well-known tech leaders regarding Benioff’s political change and his contentious request for the deployment of federal troops in the city. .
In the email, Conway, a prominent Democratic donor, wrote to Benioff, “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.”. .
According to the email, Conway spoke with his longtime friend about Benioff’s remarks because they were so upsetting to him. They spent the next few days discussing the issue. Conway was not, however, appeased that Benioff had considered the risks associated with the Trump administration or the consequences of his accusations. .
In the email, Conway wrote, “I have conveyed to you, on multiple occasions in the past few days, that I am shocked and disappointed by your remarks advocating for an unwelcome federal troop invasion of San Francisco, as well as by your deliberate ignorance and disengagement from the effects of the ICE immigration raids on families with NO criminal history.”. “”.
backlash in San Francisco.
Benioff resigned after he told the New York Times last week that he supported President Trump and believed that National Guard troops should be sent to San Francisco, the location of Salesforce, to help deter crime. Leaders in the liberal city were incensed by Benioff’s remarks. Benioff was a billionaire and was regarded as Silicon Valley’s only progressive tech titan. .
Conway informed Benioff of San Francisco’s efforts to increase police numbers and lower crime in a city “where you don’t even live or vote.”. Since the start of the pandemic, Benioff has purchased multiple pieces of land on Hawaii’s Big Island. Instead of San Francisco, he is registered to vote there. < . Benioff and Elon Musk, who also supported the idea, may have been mentioned by President Trump when he stated on Wednesday that San Francisco might be the next location he deploys National Guard troops and that he appreciates the "great support" for such a deployment. Despite Trump's boasts about using the military to combat crime, troops are legally prohibited from participating in domestic law enforcement. < . San Francisco leaders have denounced Benioff for his comments and for recommending that the president deploy troops to the city. According to new data released this week by Mayor Daniel Lurie, drug overdose deaths and homicides in San Francisco have both decreased to levels not seen in 70 years. < . While Benioff is busy organizing Dreamforce this week, the Times reports that he has previously threatened to move the event to Las Vegas for safety reasons, despite saying that San Francisco is "a lot more fun than Vegas.". . "It's ironic that you are obsessed with moving Dreamforce to Las Vegas and that you keep threatening to do so every year, given that violent crime is more common in Las Vegas than in San Francisco," Conway wrote. You don't want to pay for additional security for Dreamforce, so San Francisco doesn't need a federal invasion. ".". Benioff has largely avoided talking about immigration, Trump, ICE, and H-1B visas during Dreamforce this week. Fortune's Jeremy Kahn was present and asked Benioff directly about this, but on Tuesday, he stated that his top priority is everyone's safety. A request for comment from Fortune regarding Conway's resignation was not immediately answered by Benioff. A Salesforce representative, however, responded calmly to Conway's resignation in a statement to Fortune, stating, "We have deep gratitude for Ron Conway and his incredible contributions to the Salesforce Foundation board for over a decade," pointing out the company's record $840 million donation to public schools and educational causes. Then...
