Salesforce fallout: Benioff says he no longer believes National Guard needed in SF, issues apology

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A week ago, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said President Donald Trump should send National Guard Troops to San Francisco to help with crime. Now - he's apparently had a change of heart.

On Friday, Benioff issued an apology on X, retracting his support for troops in San Francisco:

"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. My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused."

The apology comes after a big shake-up on the Salesforce Foundation's board and the New York Times' revealing article about Benioff's pitch to help ICE with its hiring process.

Silicon Valley billionaire, venture capitalist, and longtime Democratic donor Ron Conway has resigned from the Salesforce Foundation board. In an email obtained by ABC7 News' media partners at SF Standard, Conway said he was "shocked and disappointed" by Benioff's initial remarks.

Conway, who is known as the "Godfather of Silicon Valley," said that "I barely recognize the person I have so long admired."

As for the New York Times' report, it obtained internal documents that allegedly show Salesforce is trying to win another contract with the federal government, this time pitching their AI to help ICE triple its staff as raids ramp up nationwide.

"The US government is the number one customer of Salesforce, worth billions of dollars to the company every year. So, he does seem to be going for more," said Heather Knight, with the New York Times.

MORE: Dreamforce kicks off with Benioff moving past his call for troops to be deployed in SF

Salesforce is headquartered in San Francisco, a sanctuary city for immigrants. We asked Mayor Daniel Lurie about this.

"One reason we are so safe is because of our sanctuary policies. It has kept us safe for decades. Everybody here is in lockstep that those polices keep this city safe. The numbers are bearing it out. 70-year low on homicides. We are at a 22-year low in car break-ins, tent encampments are down. We have more people applying to be police officers and sheriff deputies, so that is my response. We are going to keep being San Francisco," said Mayor Lurie.

The Times' report comes a week after Benioff vented about needing to hire off-duty SFPD officers for Dreamforce and called on President Trump to send the National Guard to San Francisco.

On Friday, during a press conference on safety, San Francisco's law enforcement leaders said the city is equipped to tackle crime.

MORE: SF leaders respond after Trump vows to 'strongly recommend' sending troops to city

"There is no need for any federal assistance when it comes to boots on the ground law enforcement. We have it covered. We got this with our local agencies. The San Francisco police department, the sheriff's department," said San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto.

University of San Francisco Immigration professor Bill Hing said both Benioff's National Guard comments and Salesforce's offering services to help ICE are concerning.

"I'm so disappointed at Mr. Benioff. He has done many good things for San Francisco," said Professor Hing. "I understand he's donated money to public schools. I understand he's donated money to hospitals. What he just did in supporting ICE is he just insulted the vast majority of San Franciscans who believe in immigration."

Benioff promised $15 billion to San Francisco in the next five years and $1 million to help with SFPD recruitment. The mayor didn't say anything about not accepting that money from Salesforce after the latest findings of their pitch to ICE.