President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns, which aimed to deport undocumented immigrants with criminal records, have sparked widespread debate and unrest.
These operations have been widely criticized over reports of alleged abuse, and the resulting backlash has included lawsuits and significant negative attention online.
Recently, Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce and owner of Time magazine, reportedly received “faint boos” from employees after making a joke about ICE crackdowns during a company-wide meeting.
According to sources, Benioff thanked Salesforce employees who came all the way to attend the Las Vegas event. He then asked them to stand and joked that ICE agents were in the back of the room, ready to deport them. An attendee told Gazetteer SF that the comments drew negative reactions from a crowd of more than 1,000 staff members.
Time Owner Marc Benioff Booed for Making ICE Joke at International Employeeshttps://t.co/4tRnhRnRiQ
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) February 11, 2026
The 61-year-old billionaire, reportedly worth $7.5 billion according to Forbes, allegedly continued with another joke referencing ICE. He also criticized Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, saying he didn’t understand what it was about.
“It’s hard to believe this company still has values when you make completely off-base jokes about ICE in your opening keynote,” said one employee in an internal Slack viewed by the Gazetteer. “That’s unacceptable.”
The message reportedly received nearly 800 supportive emoji reactions, as employees circulated a letter urging Benioff to publicly condemn recent ICE actions and prevent Salesforce technology from being used by immigration authorities.
Manager Rob Seaman, formerly Salesforce’s chief digital officer, reportedly told his team in an internal message that he could not defend or justify the remarks, and they did not align with his personal beliefs.
Woah. The general manager of Slack, which is owned by Salesforce, wrote this internally about Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff making ICE jokes:
“I cannot defend or explain them. They do not align with my personal values and I know this to be the case for many of you as well.”
— Charles Rollet (@CharlesRollet1) February 11, 2026
Benioff founded Salesforce in 1999 while working from a San Francisco apartment. The company is a pioneer in cloud computing, which became the third-largest enterprise software company and the largest enterprise applications company in the world.
According to Bloomberg, Benioff owns about 2.4% of the company, based on a November 2025 regulatory filing. He and his wife, Lynne, have also contributed millions to major philanthropic causes.
Meet Marc Benioff
He’s a Proud Jew who has donated over a billion dollars to charity!
Oh and he also Founded @salesforce, a $300B+ cloud computing powerhouse that pioneered Software and now employs over 70,000 people.
Born in 1964 to a proud Jewish family in San Francisco,… pic.twitter.com/xSQCY4c5i3
— Yossi Farro (@FarroYossi) February 4, 2026
They gave $250 million to the University of California, San Francisco, and the Oakland Children’s Hospital. According to Politico, Benioff has been an outspoken Trump ally and has previously made this clear.
In November 2025, Marc Benioff supported Donald Trump and his decision to deploy National Guard troops in San Francisco. ICE agents and National Guard were also sent to cities like Los Angeles, Washington, DC and Chicago as protests broke out in several cities.
People condemned the reported abuse, arrests, and deportations of U.S. citizens under the ICE crackdowns, accusing the Trump administration of moving the country toward authoritarianism.
In an interview with The New York Times, Benioff said he was “all for” sending National Guard troops into the city to address crime. He also praised Trump’s performance as president, saying he is “doing a great job.”
“I fully support the president,” Benioff told the Times.
His comments represent a significant departure from his long history of supporting Democratic candidates, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, a longtime friend and vocal Trump critic. One of Newsom’s children is reportedly Benioff’s Godchild.
Salesforce Employees Demand CEO Marc Benioff Cut Ties With ICE After Controversial Joke Sparks Backlash: Report – Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) – Benzinga:Re: Here is a better idea: fire all of those employees. https://t.co/KIdt8vLQlB
— Michael Myers (@TechChartVoodoo) February 11, 2026
Figures such as State Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco and frequently criticizes Trump, acknowledged Salesforce “as a great San Francisco company that does so much good for our city” but slammed Marc Benioff’s comments supporting the President.
