Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Faces Backlash Over ICE Jokes

Employees demand public condemnation of immigration agency's 'unconstitutional conduct'

Apr. 12, 2026 at 4:30pm by

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An extreme close-up of a shattered car sensor lens reflecting a faint red light, conceptually illustrating the vandalism of self-driving cars.As tensions over autonomous vehicles escalate, a recent wave of targeted street vandalism exposes pent-up frustration with driverless technology.San Francisco Today

Salesforce employees are demanding a public condemnation of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from CEO Marc Benioff, following his controversial jokes about the agency at a company event. The internal open letter urges Benioff to denounce ICE's 'unconstitutional conduct' and prevent Salesforce's technology from being used for immigration enforcement.

Why it matters

This incident highlights the growing tensions between tech leaders and government agencies like ICE, as employees increasingly call for their companies to take a stand on social and political issues. Benioff's influence in Washington also adds weight to the debate, as he has previously intervened on immigration policy.

The details

The incident occurred during Salesforce's annual Company Kickoff in Las Vegas, where Benioff asked employees who had traveled from outside the US to stand up, then quipped that ICE agents were in the building keeping tabs on them. This joke reportedly caused a groan in the room, and employees flooded Slack channels with anger and disbelief.

  • The incident occurred during Salesforce's annual Company Kickoff in Las Vegas on April 10, 2026.
  • Last fall, Trump reportedly called off an ICE deployment in San Francisco after outreach from Bay Area tech leaders, including Benioff and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

The players

Marc Benioff

The CEO of Salesforce, a major cloud computing company.

Salesforce employees

Employees at Salesforce who are demanding a public condemnation of ICE from Benioff.

Renee Good

A victim of recent killings in Minneapolis that the open letter references as a 'devastating indictment of a system that has discarded human decency.'

Alex Pretti

Another victim of recent killings in Minneapolis that the open letter references as a 'devastating indictment of a system that has discarded human decency.'

Donald Trump

The former US President who reportedly called off an ICE deployment in San Francisco after outreach from Bay Area tech leaders.

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What they’re saying

“It's hard to believe this company still has values when you make completely off-base jokes about ICE in your opening keynote.”

— Salesforce employee

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.