The CEO of Salesforce, long a progressive figure in Silicon Valley, is multiplying the signals of an unexpected political rapprochement. A symbolic shift in American tech in the midst of ideological restructuring.
At 61, the man who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 embodies a generation of leaders who rally around Donald Trump. “I fully support the president. I think he is doing an excellent job,” he told the New York Timespublicly endorsing this shift. A shift that reflects the broader repositioning of Silicon Valley.
Marc Benioff, long seen as the liberal conscience of Silicon Valley, finds himself caught between two fires with on one side a progressive fringe accusing him of having given in to Trumpian rhetoric, and on the other a technological right delighted to see it as a rallying sign.
So after having declared, in an interview with New York Timesthat he “would have nothing against” sending the National Guard to San Francisco to compensate for the lack of police personnel during the Dreamforce conference, the CEO of Salesforce was nevertheless forced to present a public apology on Friday.
Because his comments immediately triggered an outcry from the Democratic side, Governor Gavin Newsom and several local elected officials rejected the idea of a federal presence, recalling that crime in San Francisco was decreasing. Ron Conway, historic tech investor and influential figure in the Democratic camp, resigned from the board of the Salesforce Foundation, believing that their “values were no longer aligned”.
Unlike the Republican side, these declarations found an echo within the technological right, delighted to see it as a sign of openness. David Sacks, now Trump’s “AI and crypto czar”, publicly asked him to “join their team”, while Elon Musk relayed the controversy to his 190 million subscribers on X. Both, symbols of the new technological right, say they are ready to welcome Benioff into their camp.
These speeches illustrate the atmosphere that now reigns in the Valley, and where if you want to do business, it is good to show your support for Trump, even if it means denying your convictions. Economic pragmatism has taken precedence over political commitment, and Silicon Valley, once a symbol of independence and counter-power, now seeks proximity to Washington, even if it means blurring its bearings.
