Benioff's ICE Jokes Spark Internal Backlash at Salesforce
Salesforce CEO caught heat from employees after cracking jokes about ICE at a company event.
Marc Benioff apparently thought immigration enforcement humor would land well with his workforce. It didn't.
The Salesforce CEO made jokes about ICE during an internal company event, including quips about the agency surveilling employee travel. Internal Slack messages obtained by Business Insider reveal staffers weren't amused.
Employees took to the company's messaging platform to vent their frustration and disappointment with the CEO's remarks. The jokes touched a particularly sensitive nerve given ongoing national debates around immigration enforcement.
Salesforce has previously faced criticism over its contracts with government agencies, including a 2018 employee protest over its work with Customs and Border Protection. Benioff defended those deals at the time.
The incident highlights the tightrope tech executives walk when mixing politics with workplace culture. Sometimes the joke's on them.