SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — After a week of controversy that at times threatened to overshadow his company’s Dreamforce conference, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has apologized for his comments about the deployment of the National Guard to San Francisco. Benioff made the comments last week, speaking to the New York Times, telling the newspaper: “We don’t have enough cops. If they can be cops, I’m all for it.”
The backlash to Benioff’s comments was immediate with city leaders such as Mayor Danielle Lurie and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins touting the city’s declining crime statistics. Venture capitalist Ron Conway, a longtime Benioff backer, abruptly withdrew from the Salesforce board over the remarks.
While Benioff has sometimes tried to respond to comments, he has also avoided responding to them directly in a Dreamforce keynote.
Finally, on Friday, a full week after the initial statements, the CEO issued an apology.
“After listening closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe there is a need for the National Guard to address safety in San Francisco.” Benioff is published on X. He added: “My previous comments were the result of extreme caution regarding the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern I caused.”
He continued, “I believe our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership.” “I remain extremely grateful to Mayor Lowry, the SFPD, and all of our partners, and I am fully committed to making San Francisco safer and stronger.”
Benioff is a native San Franciscan and Salesforce is the city’s largest private employer. However, for the past few years, he has lived primarily on the Big Island of Hawaii. On Wednesday, several days after Benioff made his comments to The New York Times, President Donald Trump said his administration would “look to San Francisco” for potential federal intervention.