Marc Benioff
Born 1964 · Age 61
American internet entrepreneur and philanthropist; co-founder, chairman and CEO of Salesforce; owner and co-chair of Time; major philanthropic donor and investor.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area
Marc Russell Benioff is born in San Francisco, California. He is of Jewish heritage and grandson of Marvin Lewis.
Sold first software 'How to Juggle' for $75
While in high school Benioff sold his first application, 'How to Juggle', for $75.
Founded Liberty Software (first company)
At age 15 Benioff founded Liberty Software, developing and selling Atari 8-bit games (e.g., Flapper, King Arthur's Heir). Royalties helped pay for college.
Graduated Burlingame High School
Completed secondary education in Burlingame, California (class of 1982).
Matriculated at University of Southern California (USC)
Entered USC (Marshall School of Business); later joined Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and ran Liberty Software out of his dorm.
Interned at Apple (Macintosh division) as programmer
Summer internship writing assembly code for the Macintosh; met and was influenced by Steve Jobs.
Joined Oracle Corporation (first corporate job)
Joined Oracle in a customer-service role after graduation; began 13-year tenure with the company across sales, marketing and product development.
Graduated USC with B.S. in Business Administration
Received a Bachelor of Science in business administration from USC; member of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Named Oracle's 'Rookie of the Year'
Recognized internally at Oracle for outstanding early performance.
Became youngest vice president in Oracle history
Promoted within Oracle and became the company's youngest VP at the time.
Senior Vice President at Oracle; took sabbatical and spiritual trip to India
By 1996 Benioff was senior vice president at Oracle; he took a sabbatical and traveled to Kerala, India, where a meeting with Amma (Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) influenced his philanthropic outlook.
Founded Salesforce (from San Francisco apartment)
Launched Salesforce with the mission slogan 'The End of Software' and pioneered delivering CRM via the web (SaaS).
Founded Salesforce Foundation and established 1-1-1 philanthropy model
On 'Day 1' Benioff integrated philanthropy into Salesforce: 1% equity, 1% product and 1% employee time for nonprofits.
Expanded Salesforce into platform for developers (early AppExchange/Platform idea)
In the early 2000s Benioff extended Salesforce's offering toward a platform model allowing third‑party developers to build apps (the roots of AppExchange/Force.com).
Appointed co‑chair of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee
Appointed by President George W. Bush to co‑chair the advisory committee on information technology.
Co‑authored 'Compassionate Capitalism' (book)
Co‑wrote Compassionate Capitalism: How Corporations Can Make Doing Good an Integral Part of Doing Well (with Karen Southwick).
Co‑authored 'The Business of Changing the World' (book)
Co‑wrote The Business of Changing the World: 20 Great Leaders on Strategic Corporate Philanthropy (with Carlye Adler).
Co‑authored 'Behind the Cloud' (book)
Published Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company (with Carlye Adler).
Reached millionaire status by age 25 (reported)
Sources note Benioff had reached millionaire status by age 25 — milestone in his early financial trajectory (reported in retrospectives).
Named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
Recognized by the WEF as a Young Global Leader; later became a member of the WEF Board of Trustees.
Salesforce given The Economist's Innovation Award (company milestone tied to leadership)
Under Benioff's leadership Salesforce received business/innovation awards recognizing the company's impact to enterprise software.
Named one of the 'Best CEOs in the World' and received Economist Innovation Award
Named among Barron's 'Best CEOs in the World' and recipient of The Economist's Innovation Award.
Co‑founded Pledge 1% (nonprofit)
Together with Scott Farquhar Benioff co-founded Pledge 1%, a nonprofit promoting the 1-1-1 philanthropy model for companies.
Voted Fortune 'Businessperson of the Year' and received honorary degree from USC
Fortune readers voted him Businessperson of the Year. USC awarded Benioff an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters; he also gave a USC commencement address.
Cancelled travel and programs to Indiana over RFRA (LGBTQ action)
Announced Salesforce would cancel employee programs and travel in Indiana after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed; later contributed to a revised bill.
Initiated company‑wide equal pay review; allocated funds to correct disparities
Ordered a review of salaries to ensure pay equity; dedicated approximately $8 million (2015–2017) to correct compensation differences by gender, race, and ethnicity.
Donated to Ocean Science Initiative at UCSB (over $80M since 2016)
Since 2016 Benioff donated over $80 million to the Benioff Ocean Science Initiative at UC Santa Barbara.
Named one of Fortune's 'World's 50 Greatest Leaders'
Recognized by Fortune as one of the world's 50 greatest leaders.
Public activism: criticized tech leaders on homelessness
In Oct 2018 Benioff publicly criticized other tech executives for 'hoarding' money and urged more action on homelessness in the Bay Area.
Purchased Time magazine (with wife Lynne) for $190M
Marc and Lynne Benioff bought Time magazine for $190 million.
Co‑authored 'Trailblazer' (NYT bestseller)
Published Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change (with Monica Langley); the book became a New York Times bestseller.
Founded Time Ventures (investment fund)
Launched Time Ventures, a venture fund that invested in frontier technology and climate startups (e.g., Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Universal Hydrogen, NCX).
Donated to UCSF (multiple gifts totaling hundreds of millions)
From 2010–2019 the Benioffs donated roughly $275 million to UCSF Children's Hospital and related initiatives; broader UCSF donations continued beyond 2019.
Elected member of the National Academy of Engineering
Recognized for contributions to engineering and technology leadership by election to the NAE in 2019.
Donated $35M to UCSF for prostate cancer research
The Benioffs donated $35 million to establish a prostate cancer research initiative at UCSF (announced 2019).
Backed 1t.org (trillion‑trees initiative)
Announced financial backing (with wife) for 1t.org, a global movement to plant and conserve one trillion trees over a decade.
Named CNN Business CEO of 2020
Recognized by CNN Business as the CEO of the year for 2020.
Procured 50 million pieces of PPE for U.S. hospitals (COVID‑19 response)
In March 2020 Benioff procured 50 million pieces of personal protective equipment for hospitals and first responders in the United States.
Promoted Bret Taylor to co‑CEO (Salesforce co‑CEO structure)
In November 2021 Bret Taylor was promoted to co‑CEO alongside Marc Benioff (announcement in Nov 2021).
Time Ventures‑backed Planet Labs and IonQ went public
Two companies Time Ventures backed — Planet Labs and IonQ — completed public listings in 2021 (Planet Labs IPO announced July 7, 2021; IonQ went public via a SPAC/merger in 2021).
Founding partner of Earthshot Prize and WEF Friends of Ocean Action member
Benioff and his wife were founding partners of Prince William's Earthshot Prize and founding members of WEF's Friends of Ocean Action (2020–2021 involvement).
Universal Hydrogen Series B raised $62M (backed by Time Ventures)
Universal Hydrogen raised a $62 million Series B (Oct 14, 2021); Time Ventures is listed among investors/backers.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised $1.8B (investor group included Benioff)
Commonwealth Fusion Systems closed a large fundraising round (reported Dec 2021 $1.8 billion) with investors including prominent backers such as Benioff/Time Ventures.
Named Knight (Chevalier) of the Legion of Honour (France)
Appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by the French government in recognition of philanthropic/aid efforts (2022).
Estimated net worth reported by Bloomberg Billionaires Index
Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated Benioff's net worth at approximately $8.31 billion (as of Feb 2022).
NCX raised $50M (Time Ventures investor)
NCX raised a $50 million round in March 2022; Time Ventures is noted as an investor backing natural‑capital technologies.
Bret Taylor stepped down; Benioff returned to sole CEO
Bret Taylor resigned as Salesforce co‑CEO on Nov 30, 2022, returning Marc Benioff to sole CEO status.
Pledged $300M donation for reforestation and climate entrepreneurs
In 2021–2023 the Benioffs pledged large climate philanthropy including a $300 million pledge to plant trees and fund ecologically focused entrepreneurs (publicized in Oct 2021; ongoing efforts in 2023).
Public stances on homelessness and SF policy
In 2023 Benioff publicly urged San Francisco leaders to convert office space to housing and 'refund the police' on multiple occasions, using his platform to influence local policy debates.
Announced mass dismissal of ~7,000 Salesforce employees
In January 2023 Benioff announced layoffs of approximately 7,000 employees via a two‑hour all‑hands call — an action he later called 'a bad idea.'
Salesforce reported as one of the largest employers in San Francisco and anchor tenant of Salesforce Tower
As of 2024 Salesforce is one of the biggest employers in San Francisco and is anchor tenant of Salesforce Tower; company headcount reported by Salesforce as 70,000+ (company materials).
Reported to own >600 acres in Hawaii (purchases totaling $24.5M as of Feb 2024)
NPR investigation (Feb 2024) revealed Benioff had purchased over 600 acres near Waimea on Hawai'i's Big Island, totaling roughly $24.5M as of Feb 2024.
Hosted GLIDE annual charity lunch auction (succeeding Warren Buffett)
In 2024 Benioff succeeded Warren Buffett as host of GLIDE’s annual charity lunch auction, raising $200,100 in the auction and receiving a $1.5M pledge (winner remained anonymous).
Received Yale Legend in Leadership and Colin Powell Distinguished Leadership Awards
Salesforce bio notes Benioff received both the Yale Legend in Leadership Award and the Colin Powell Distinguished Leadership Award in 2024.
Named to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's Top 50 list for 10th time
The Chronicle of Philanthropy included Benioff among its Top 50 philanthropic donors for the 10th time (2024 listing).
Donated $150M to Hawai'i medical organizations
In March 2024 Marc and Lynne Benioff donated $150 million to multiple Hawaii medical organizations to expand facilities and link regional care with UCSF Health.
Donated 440 acres to Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation
Benioff spokesperson stated that as of March 2024 the Benioffs had given away nearly 75% of the land they purchased in Hawaii, including 440 acres to a nonprofit for community development/affordable housing.
Hosted GLIDE auction again (winner: Yi Shi)
In 2025 Benioff returned as host of GLIDE’s annual charity lunch auction; auction was won by AI entrepreneur Yi Shi. All proceeds support GLIDE's anti‑poverty work.
Key Achievement Ages
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