Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized on Friday for making comments in support of President Donald Trump potentially sending federal troops to San Francisco, where his company is based.
"Having listened closely to my fellow San Franciscans and our local officials, and after the largest and safest Dreamforce in our history, I do not believe the National Guard is needed to address safety in San Francisco," Benioff wrote in a post on X.
The Trump administration recently deployed the National Guard to Portland, Oregon and Chicago, sparking protests and lawsuits and resulting in citizens and immigrants being detained without legal representation.
In a story published late last week in The New York Times, Benioff indicated that he would welcome troops to San Francisco. The company's annual Dreamforce conference was held in downtown San Francisco from Tuesday through Thursday of this week.
"We don't have enough cops, so if they can be cops, I'm all for it," Benioff told the Times.
Benioff faced blowback for his comments from local politicians and other leaders. California Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco politicians on Wednesday issued statements and held press conferences to deliver the message that federal troops are not welcome in the city, and that crime is coming down.
Prominent startup investor Ron Conway, who backed companies including Google, Airbnb and Stripe, resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation on Thursday. According to the New York Times, Conway told Benioff in an email that their "values were no longer aligned."
Conway is a longtime Democratic donor who was a member of VCs for Kamala, and donated around $500,000 to at least two funds tied to Kamala Harris' unsuccessful 2024 election campaign. While Benioff has donated to members of both parties, he has supported Democrats for president, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.
Venture capitalist David Sacks, who is now Trump's AI and crypto czar, said after the news about Conway that Benioff could join the Republicans. On Tuesday, Sacks, a longtime friend and associate of Elon Musk, was featured with Benioff in an onstage interview at Dreamforce.
"Dear Marc @Benioff, if the Democrats don't want you, we would be happy for you to join our team," Sacks wrote on X. "Cancel culture is over, and we are the inclusive party."
Following Benioff's initial comment to the Times, Benioff appeared to walk back his comments, writing on X that safety is "first and foremost, the responsibility of our city and state leaders." However, by that point, Musk and other right-wing figures had seized on his original comments, amplifying them to their audiences.
Musk, who has drawn criticism for his personal drug use, characterized downtown San Francisco as a "drug zombie apocalypse." And on Wednesday, Trump called San Francisco "a mess," and suggested possibly sending in the National Guard.
"My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused," Benioff wrote in his Friday post. "It's my firm belief that our city makes the most progress when we all work together in a spirit of partnership."
Opposition to Benioff's initial suggestion also came from Garry Tan, CEO of startup incubator Y Combinator. He wrote on X that "We don't need the National Guard," but he used his post to go after liberal local officials and judges perceived as too lenient.
— CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.