Benioff retracts Natl Guard call for SF as ICE AI documents emerge

Marc Benioff, the cofounder and CEO of Salesforce, apologized on Friday and withdrew his suggestion that the National Guard be sent to San Francisco, after comments last week and internal company documents that provoked backlash from local officials and allies. The reversal came days after the company held its annual Dreamforce conference in the city and as documents showed Salesforce had pitched federal immigration enforcement on ways to expand hiring and use artificial intelligence in operations.

In an interview last week, Benioff said he supported deploying federal forces to help address public-safety concerns in San Francisco and suggested National Guard personnel could fill policing roles. He later posted on X that, after listening to city leaders and residents and following what he called the largest and safest Dreamforce in Salesforce history, he did not believe the National Guard was needed to address safety in the city. "My earlier comment came from an abundance of caution around the event, and I sincerely apologize for the concern it caused," he wrote, adding that he remained committed to working with the mayor and the San Francisco Police Department.