Benioff SF troop comment lead Ron Conway resign Salesforce Foundation

Days after suggesting that President Donald Trump should send federal troops to San Francisco sales force CEO Marc Benioff is facing some consequences.

Ron Conway, well-known startup investor who backs the following companies: Google, Airbnb Stripe resigned from the Salesforce Foundation board on Thursday, CNBC confirmed. Conway is a longtime Democratic donor who is a member of VCs on Kamala’s behalf and has donated nearly $500,000 to at least two funds tied to Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful 2024 campaign.

New York Times He was the first to report that Conway was leaving the Salesforce Foundation. A Salesforce spokesperson confirmed his exit in an emailed statement.

“We express our deep gratitude to Ron Conway and his incredible contributions to the Salesforce Foundation Board of Directors for more than a decade,” the spokesperson said, noting that the group “has donated $250 million to public schools and nonprofit education organizations to advance opportunity and access for young people.” $30 million announced this week“

The Trump administration recently deployed the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, sparking protests and lawsuits and leading to the detention of citizens and immigrants without legal representation.

One story In an article in the New York Times late last week, Benioff stated that he would invite his troops to San Francisco, the home of Salesforce. The company’s annual Dreamforce conference kicked off Tuesday in downtown San Francisco.

“We don’t have enough police, so if they can be police, I support that, too,” Benioff told the Times.

Benioff later appeared to backtrack on his comments, writing to X that security was “first and foremost the responsibility of our city and state leaders.” However, at this point, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other right-wing figures adopted his original comments and brought them to their audiences.

Musk, who was criticized for his statements personal drug useHe called downtown San Francisco a “drug zombie” doomsdayAnd on Wednesday, Trump called San Francisco a “mess” and suggested possibly sending in the National Guard.

According to the Times, Conway told Benioff in an email that “their values ​​are no longer aligned.” While Benioff has donated to members of both parties, supported Democrats including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris are running for president.

Conway is the founder and managing partner of SV Angel, an early-stage venture firm. He is a long-time tech advocate in San Francisco, founded the trade organization sf.citi and helped found FWD.us, which focuses on immigration reform.

The Salesforce Foundation isn’t the only one connected to Benioff’s philanthropic efforts. Conway is also a major donor to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Conway did not respond to a request for comment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco leaders issued statements and held news conferences Wednesday to send the message that federal troops are not welcome in the city and that crime is down.

Conway has supported Newsom, including in 2021 when she opposed a recall effort against the Democratic governor.

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