Salesforce Staff Urge CEO Benioff to Drop ICE Projects

• Employees are demanding Salesforce cancel all active pitches to ICE and disclose what services it currently provides to the agency, expressing concern that company products may enable ICE recruitment and operational expansion
• The letter follows an incident where Benioff joked about ICE presence at a Las Vegas employee gathering, prompting criticism on internal Slack channels
• Salesforce stock is down 27% in 2026 amid investor concerns about AI models impacting software company growth, while over 900 Google employees have made similar demands to cut ties with ICE

Market Summary: Salesforce Faces Employee Pressure Over ICE Contracts

Key Developments

Over 1,400 Salesforce employees have signed an internal letter urging CEO Marc Benioff to terminate potential business relationships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The petition requests cancellation of all active pitches for ICE enforcement and hiring services, including AI technology aimed at helping the agency hire 10,000 new agents.

Corporate Response and Context

The controversy escalated after Benioff reportedly joked about ICE presence at an employee gathering in Las Vegas, drawing internal criticism. According to an October report, Salesforce described its software as an "ideal platform" for ICE agent recruitment. The company has not yet provided official comment on the employee demands.

Market Impact

This internal dispute comes during a challenging period for Salesforce:

• Stock performance: Down approximately 27% year-to-date in 2026
• Growth outlook: Company projected 9-10% growth for current fiscal year in December
• Investor concerns: Broader anxiety about AI models potentially undermining software company growth prospects

Broader Industry Implications

The Salesforce letter follows similar actions across the tech sector, with 900 Google employees making comparable demands last week. Several tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, have extended government software contracts with price discounts.

Government Relations

Benioff has maintained close ties with the Trump administration, attending White House dinners with tech executives and meeting with AI czar David Sacks. In May, Salesforce won a government-wide Slack contract through the U.S. General Services Administration.

Employees plan to submit the letter to Benioff by Friday, citing reputational risks and demanding transparency about ICE service scope.