Salesforce cofounder and Chief Technology Officer Parker Harris told employees last week that CEO Marc Benioff’s jokes about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were “a exceptionally bad joke,” according to a transcript of Harris’ remarks verified by Business Insider. The comments came during an internal meeting of the product and tech team, following Benioff’s remarks at a company event in Las Vegas.
Harris acknowledged the controversy surrounding Benioff’s jokes, which reportedly included a suggestion that ICE agents were monitoring international employees at the company’s kickoff event. “But that’s something that Marc did, and I’m not gonna call him out in public out on the internet,” Harris said, according to the transcript. He cautioned against further public discussion of the matter, stating that doing so was “a violation of the Code of Conduct, and it’s a fireable offense.”
The incident has sparked significant internal backlash at Salesforce. Slack General Manager Rob Seaman, whose company is owned by Salesforce, publicly stated he could not “defend or explain” Benioff’s comments, adding that they did not align with his personal values. Salesforce VP Craig Broscow also expressed disappointment, suggesting Benioff should publicly acknowledge the remarks were upsetting to employees, according to reports.
Harris addressed Seaman’s post during the meeting, noting that the Slack executive “got in big trouble ‘cause it went out on the internet.” He reiterated his personal disapproval of the joke, stating, “Personally, I’m not OK with that joke.”
The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of heightened scrutiny of ICE’s practices and growing employee concern over Salesforce’s business relationships with the agency. Employees are reportedly circulating an open letter urging Benioff to denounce ICE and prohibit the use of Salesforce software by immigration agents, according to Wired. The letter references recent incidents in Minneapolis as catalysts for the call to action.
Harris attempted to contextualize the situation, stating that Salesforce is “not a political organization” and encouraging employees to exercise their democratic rights at the ballot box. He also asserted that Salesforce’s software was not being used in connection with the events in Minneapolis. “It’s hard right now with what is going on [in] the US,” Harris said. “What’s going on, like, Minneapolis is not about our software.”
Harris concluded by saying he was open to further discussion of the issue, but requested that it remain confidential. Benioff has not publicly addressed the controversy or the internal reaction to his remarks.
