VC legend Ron Conway quits Salesforce Foundation after Benioff’s National Guard comments

In Brief

Ron Conway, the laminitis of task steadfast SV Angel, known for its aboriginal investments into Google, Airbnb, and Meta, has resigned from Salesforce Foundation, the New York Times reported. The resignation pursuing Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff saying past week helium “fully supported” President Trump and thought National Guard troops should patrol San Francisco streets.

Conway has been connected the committee of Salesforce Foundation, whose ngo is to enactment acquisition and workforce improvement for disadvantaged youth, for a decade. The philanthropic enactment donated $36 cardinal successful 2023, and ended that twelvemonth with $400 cardinal successful assets, according to taxation filings, the New York Times reported.

Benioff and Conway person been friends for 25 years and shared left-leaning governmental views for the bulk of that time. But the Salesforce CEO’s existent ideological viewpoints upset Conway.

“It saddens maine immensely to accidental that with your caller comments, and nonaccomplishment to recognize their impact, I present hardly admit the idiosyncratic I person truthful agelong admired,” Conway wrote connected Thursday successful an email to Benioff obtained by the New York Times.

In an interrogation with the New York Times past week, Benioff praised Elon Musk’s authorities ratio efforts and said that helium wasn’t keeping up with reports connected migration raids oregon Trump’s attacks connected the press. This adjacent though Benioff owns the news mag Time, which helium purchased successful 2018.

Benioff is 1 of the galore high-profile tech leaders and investors who, contempt having antecedently supported the Democratic Party, person present voiced their enactment for Trump.

The rift betwixt Benioff and Conway unfolded during Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, 1 of the largest events held annually successful San Francisco. Neither Salesforce nor Conway instantly responded to a petition for comment.

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