Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff put subtle pressure on San Francisco to shape up, lest the city’s biggest business conference look for greener pastures. And at least so far, it seems like he’s happy with the results.
Benioff made sure to note that San Francisco has “never looked better” on the first day of Dreamforce 2024 and touted the benefits to the city, including “$100 million in economic activity.”
Asked if he plans to keep the conference in the city next year as well, he said in a brief interview, “I’d like to as long as everything goes well. If it all goes well, why not?”
Still, it’s not an unequivocal endorsement, particularly given Benioff’s previous threat to relocate the conference to another city. He later called those comments tough love meant to push city leaders to make SF “shiny, clean, and safe.”
“Look outside. It’s amazing,” Benioff said. “Everybody loves San Francisco. This is the heart of AI. This is the future of the world. We’re a lot more fun than Las Vegas.”
Benioff’s remarks are in line with Salesforce shying away from a strong commitment to hold Dreamforce in San Francisco in 2025 unless a “safe and secure environment” is demonstrated, as reported by the San Francisco Business Times. The company is using that as leverage in negotiations with hotels over room rates and other concessions.
In the interview, Benioff highlighted the police presence at Dreamforce and thanked law enforcement for keeping the event secure.
Benioff has taken a particular interest in police reform and law enforcement — using the phrase “Refund the Police” on his Twitter feed six times over the past year.
Police staffing is a hobby horse for Benioff, who has said he wants to get the San Francisco Police Department beefed up to more than 2,000 officers. He supported a charter amendment proposal from Supervisor Matt Dorsey that would establish a new minimum staffing level for the police force and incentivize officers to delay retirement.
Benioff is also opposed to a policy passed by the SF Police Commission this year to limit what’s known as “pretextual stops,” which are low-level traffic stops made to investigate an unrelated crime. Opponents of pretextual stops argue that the practice leads to over-policing of Black and Latino communities, putting people at risk based on speculation rather than evidence.
When asked whether he supports any specific candidate in the upcoming mayor’s race, Benioff declined to comment, noting that he hasn’t publicly endorsed individual candidates since purchasing Time magazine in 2018.