For years, Marc Benioff was seen as San Francisco’s big-hearted billionaire — the tech magnate who poured millions into local causes and preached compassion for the city’s homeless.
While other Silicon Valley executives bought yachts and built private rockets, the Salesforce founder cultivated a reputation for progressive philanthropy and civic pride.
But 2025 appears to have ushered in a different Benioff, The New York Times reported.
The benevolence remains, but the liberal leanings have vanished. In a wide-ranging interview this week, Benioff said he “avidly supports” President Donald Trump and believes the National Guard should be deployed to San Francisco — an idea that city leaders once considered unthinkable.
“We don’t have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I’m all for it,” Benioff said, endorsing Trump’s proposal to send federal troops to help clean up crime-ridden areas.
Benioff’s comments mark a dramatic political shift for the Salesforce CEO, whose company’s headquarters sit in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Long a fixture of the city’s liberal business elite, he was known for pushing other executives to “stop complaining about the homeless and start helping them.”
Now, nine months into Trump’s second term, Benioff’s tone has changed. Speaking from his private jet en route to San Francisco for his company’s annual Dreamforce conference, he said the city desperately needs to “re-fund” the police and restore public order.
“San Francisco needs help. I’m paying hundreds of off-duty law enforcement officers just to keep our convention safe,” Benioff said. “We need to re-fund the police.”
Dreamforce, which begins Tuesday, will bring roughly 50,000 visitors to San Francisco — a major economic boost for a city still reeling from business closures and population loss. But the event also comes as residents express growing frustration with open-air drug use and property crime, particularly in the Tenderloin District near City Hall.
San Francisco’s violent crime rate remains lower than in many other major cities, but its police force is understaffed. The city has about 1,500 officers, down sharply from its peak a decade ago. Benioff said it needs at least 1,000 more.
“You’ll see. When you walk through San Francisco next week, there will be cops on every corner,” he said. “That’s how it used to be.”
Benioff’s political evolution follows a broader trend among high-profile tech executives. Several Silicon Valley leaders have moved closer to Trump in recent months, citing business pragmatism and security concerns.
Apple CEO Tim Cook presented Trump with a 24-karat gold gift during an August visit to the Oval Office, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised the president as “a very refreshing change” during a White House dinner for tech leaders.
Industry insiders say the shift reflects a recognition of Trump’s influence over federal policy and contracting. Salesforce, for example, holds hundreds of software contracts with the federal government — including key defense and cybersecurity projects.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Democratic-led cities, accusing them of failing to maintain law and order. During an Oval Office meeting in August, he listed San Francisco alongside Los Angeles, Washington, and Chicago, saying Democrats had “destroyed” those cities and vowing to “clean that one up, too.”
Benioff said he agreed with that assessment. “We’ve lost our balance,” he said. “It’s time to bring it back.”
San Francisco officials have yet to respond publicly to Benioff’s remarks, but his comments are sure to stir backlash among city leaders who have resisted federal intervention.
Still, for Benioff — who once embodied the progressive ideals of Silicon Valley — the pivot appears intentional. He insists it’s not about politics, but about results.
“I love this city,” Benioff said. “But loving San Francisco means fixing it, not pretending it’s okay.”
