Overview
- During Salesforce’s internal kickoff in Las Vegas, Marc Benioff joked that ICE agents were monitoring international attendees, prompting groans and widespread criticism on Slack.
- Employees are circulating an open letter urging a public denouncement of ICE, cancellation of all active pitches or opportunities related to enforcement and hiring, and a pause on Salesforce infrastructure and AI that could enable operational scale-up.
- More than 1,400 employees have signed the letter, according to people familiar with the effort, with organizers aiming to deliver it by Friday.
- The letter cites leaked materials showing Salesforce pitched its AI, including Agentforce, to help ICE expeditiously hire 10,000 agents and vet tip-line reports, and references the January killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
- Salesforce had not issued a substantive public response at the time of reporting, as outlets noted employee concerns about ethics, reputational risk, and Benioff’s past political remarks.