Ron Conway, the founder of venture capital firm SV Angel — known for backing major startups like Google, Airbnb, and Meta — has stepped down from the Salesforce Foundation, according to The New York Times. His resignation came after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff publicly expressed “full support” for former President Donald Trump and suggested deploying the National Guard to patrol San Francisco’s streets to tackle crime and homelessness.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Benioff claimed that San Francisco required “a show of force,” advocating for the National Guard’s involvement to address what he described as worsening city conditions. He also praised Elon Musk’s efficiency in government operations and admitted he was not closely following Trump’s controversial immigration actions or attacks on the media — despite owning Time magazine since 2018.
Conway, who had served on the Salesforce Foundation’s board for 10 years, decided to resign in response to Benioff’s comments. The nonprofit, focused on improving education and career opportunities for underprivileged youth, donated $36 million in 2023 and ended the year with $400 million in assets, according to tax filings cited by The New York Times.
Benioff and Conway shared a 25-year friendship and were long aligned on liberal political values, but Conway said Benioff’s latest statements deeply disappointed him.
“It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired,” Conway wrote in an email to Benioff, obtained by The New York Times.
A Salesforce spokesperson confirmed Conway’s resignation to TechCrunch, saying, “We have deep gratitude for Ron Conway and his incredible contributions to the Salesforce Foundation Board for over a decade.”
Benioff now joins a growing list of prominent tech leaders and investors who have shifted their political allegiance toward Trump, despite previously supporting the Democratic Party. The fallout between Benioff and Conway reportedly occurred during Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference — one of San Francisco’s most significant annual tech events.
Neither Conway nor Salesforce provided additional comments beyond the official statement.
Update: This article has been updated to include a statement from a Salesforce spokesperson.
Source: techcrunch.com
