Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's ice joke sparks internal backlash
At a recent Las Vegas event, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff made a joke about ICE keeping tabs on international employees, which drew groans from the crowd and quickly set off controversy within the company.
Employees pen letter urging Benioff to cut ties with ICE
More than 1,400 employees signed an open letter urging Benioff to cut ties with ICE and stop Salesforce AI from being used for enforcement.
They called out his comments as "tone-deaf."
Reporters have also documented Benioff's past remarks supporting Trump and suggesting deployment of National Guard troops.
The uproar has also weighed on Salesforce's stock, which dropped 6.3% after the event and is down 27% since January.
Benioff's history of controversial remarks
This isn't Benioff's first run-in with criticism—he previously apologized for backing Trump's National Guard deployment in San Francisco and once joked about layoffs ruining an exec's birthday.
Many employees now see his latest remarks as clashing with the company's stated values of equality.