Silicon Valley veteran Ron Conway has resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation after a decade of service, causing a rare public rift within the tech-philanthropy community.
The resignation comes in direct response to CEO Marc Benioff's recent comments, in which he expressed support for former President Donald Trump and the deployment of National Guard troops to San Francisco.
Conway – considered the “Godfather of Silicon Valley” for his early investments in Google, Airbnb and others – is also a well-known Democratic donor and progressive civic activist. In his resignation letter sent to Benioff, he wrote:
“I am extremely sad to say that because of your recent comments and your failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the man I have long admired.”
He cited the CEO's support for federal intervention in the city and alleged detachment from social issues such as immigration raids and community investment by ICE.
Conway and Benioff have been involved for more than 25 years. Their separation indicates not only a personal rift but broader philosophical divergence. He was so closely associated that his resignation came as a shock to the Bay-area tech community.
Benioff's comments, made in an interview with The New York Times, suggested that San Francisco lacked adequate policing and might need federal troops – comments that drew immediate reaction from city officials, civic leaders and progressive donors.
Mayor Daniel Lurie, among others, countered that homicides are at a 70-year low and drug-related deaths have declined – undermining the perception of civil unrest resulting from the federal military deployment.
For the Salesforce Foundation, the departure of Conway – an influential board member and philanthropist – creates reputational risks. With assets of nearly $400 million and a large footprint in education and workforce-development grants, the foundation now faces a question about whether its leadership aligns with its stated values.
Meanwhile, for Benioff, the incident highlights the stress tech leaders face in navigating political support, civic policy commentary and public perception. A CEO publicly associating with the deployment of federal troops to a liberal city like San Francisco is an unusual move for a company rooted in a 1-1-1 philanthropic model and progressive branding.
In financial markets, such corporate governance signals matter: board instability, values-alignment disputes and stakeholder mis-alignment can raise questions between institutional investors and ESG-focused funds.
Benioff has since issued a public apology, stating that his previous comments regarding the security of the company's annual Dreamforce conference “came out of an abundance of caution” and that he now believes the National Guard is not needed in San Francisco.
Salesforce has also reaffirmed its commitment to San Francisco through a $15 billion five-year investment plan. But this phenomenon could have lasting consequences: Activism within tech and donor backlash is intensifying, and boards may face increased scrutiny over leadership's political views.
