Salesforce cofounder criticises Benioff’s ICE remarks in internal company meeting

Salesforce cofounder and chief technical officer Parker Harris addressed internal backlash over CEO Marc Benioff’s recent jokes about ICE during a company meeting, telling employees he was “not OK with it,” according to a verified transcript reviewed by Business Insider.

“Marc made a very bad joke,” Harris said. “But that's something that Marc did, and I'm not gonna call him out in public out on the internet.”

The remarks were delivered during a product and technology team meeting last week. 

An employee later shared a transcript in a Slack channel, which Business Insider confirmed as accurate.

Harris also referenced concerns about internal discussions being leaked externally. “So I'll start by saying that somebody already has, and it was immediately leaked,” he said, referring to previous criticism reported publicly.

He urged employees to keep conversations internal: “Let's talk about it with each other and not out to Business Insider and other places because it doesn't do us any good,” adding, “It's a violation of the Code of Conduct, and it's a fireable offense. And if we do catch you, we will fire you.”

During the Las Vegas employee kickoff, Benioff reportedly made “multiple” jokes involving ICE, including one about agents monitoring employee travel. 

The comments sparked criticism on Slack, owned by Salesforce. Slack General Manager Rob Seaman wrote that he could not “defend or explain” the remarks, adding: “They do not align with my personal values and I know this to be the case for many of you as well.”

Addressing that response, Harris said, “I'll tell you personally, and this is what Rob said as well, and I respect Rob for saying that, but he got in big trouble 'cause it went out on the internet. Personally, I'm not OK with that joke.”

Harris emphasised that Salesforce is “not a political organization” and encouraged employees to engage civically through voting. 

“I'm going to use my democratic right to vote, and that's how I'm gonna take action against some of the things that I'm not okay with,” he said.