Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff
Marc Russell Benioffis an American internet entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of Salesforce, a leading enterprise cloud computing company. As of March 2016, he owns approximately $3 billion worth of Salesforce shares. Benioff started Salesforce in March 1999 in a rented San Francisco apartment and defined its mission as The End of Software®. He is “credited with turning the software industry on its head” by using the Internet to “revamp the way software programs...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth25 September 1964
CountryUnited States of America
I've seen how important this concept is in business. To be truly successful, companies need to have a corporate mission that is bigger than making a profit. We try to follow that at salesforce.com, where we give 1% of our equity, 1% of our profits, and 1% of our employees' time to the community. By integrating philanthropy into our business model our employees feel that they do much more than just work at our company. By sharing a common and important mission, we are united and focused, and have found a secret weapon that ensures we always win.
I'm amazed by the potential of more companies employing integrated philanthropic initiatives at earlier stages in their life cycle. What if this were done on an even more massive scale? Consider what would happen if a top-tier venture-capital firm required the companies in which it invested to place 1% of their equity into a foundation serving the communities in which they do business.
Learning to code at a young age opened my eyes to the incredibly exciting world of technology and entrepreneurship. Our youth deserve the opportunity to learn the skills that will enable them to succeed in our connected world.
The concept that I like the most, and the one that I've taken most to heart, is the belief that people can't be united or focused unless they share a common philosophy-a philosophy that gives their effort a greater meaning.
We strive always to have a beginner's mind.
Philanthropy isn't just about big gifts; it's about participation. It is about the grace that comes from working together.
One person at a time, one company at a time.
Relationships with the media are really important. The media has a more important voice today than it has ever had. We don't advertise. We only have one marketing vehicle, which is editorial, and our ability to get our message out and communicate it effectively.
Once you know what you want and what is important for you to achieve, also define the values associated with it. What is important? That is something a lot of entrepreneurs pass by too quickly. For us, the things that were important were, No. 1, customer success. Nothing is more important to us than making sure every customer is successful in our service.
Some people would argue the other side: that the business of business is business, and companies should only be focused on profits. But in today's world, I don't think corporations can only be focused on profits, because they are inextricably linked with the communities that they serve. I do not believe you can be a leader in your industry without being a leader in your community. It's a fundamental shift in how you think about business.
Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.
Philanthropy can be integrated into business. I believe strongly that companies can be incredible agents of good in the world.
Social embedded business processes that solve concrete needs are key to enterprise social collaboration.
Mult-Tenancyi is really the future of our industry.