Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff faced intense criticism following a joke regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Benioff made the remarks about ICE monitoring international employees during an internal company event in Las Vegas.
The live audience booed the remarks, triggering immediate backlash on internal Slack channels. Employees described the comments as vile and out of touch.
The general manager of Salesforce-owned Slack stated internally that he could neither defend nor explain the CEO's comments. This incident follows an ongoing employee campaign urging Salesforce to cancel its existing contracts with ICE.
Salesforce shares rose on Friday despite the internal turmoil. The stock movement aligned with a broader market rally fueled by positive inflation data.