Salesforce (Slack, Tableau, Mulesoft)
Risk Level:
Summary:
Salesforce is a software-as-a-service CRM provider and also the owner of Slack Technologies, Tableau, and more. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff consistently uses the publicly held company to advance his ideological agendas. He leverages corporate power to change policies he does not like or terminate clients with whom he disagrees. Salesforce dropped the Republican National Committee as a client, refuses to license its CRM to firearms vendors, and has threatened to divest from certain states based on state legislation. The company lacks viewpoint protections, though it frequently advocates for legislation like the Equality Act. Salesforce corporately funds ideological groups hostile to freedom of expression, such as Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). For these reasons, Salesforce receives a "High Risk" rating.
Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.
Salesforce used to work with the Republican National Committee but dropped them as a client in 2021 (1)(2). Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff, threatened to withdraw Salesforce events and presence in Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina due to state-level laws (3)(4). The company also will not do business with anyone who legally sells firearms or accessories (5)(6). Salesforce also has a written policy requiring vendors have pro-LGBTQ policies (7). Slack banned Libs of TikTok from the messaging platform without explicit explanation (8).
Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.
Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.
Salesforce does not have viewpoint protection for its employees (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
Salesforce corporately advocates for the Equality Act and transgender participation in youth sports (1)(2). Salesforce also denounced state election integrity efforts (3). In 2016, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff signed an open letter to then-Missouri House of Representatives Speaker Todd Richardson opposing SJR39, a religious freedom bill (4). Salesforce has vocally opposed other religious freedom legislation (5). Benioff also used corporate leverage to oppose the North Carolina bathroom bill, HB2, which required people to use the bathroom of their biological gender (6)(7). Salesforce also signed onto an amicus brief asking for the Supreme Court to rule against Jack Phillips and force him to make a cake for a gay wedding (8). The company also joined an amicus brief against President Trump’s travel ban in 2017 (9). In 2021, Marc Benioff denounced the Texas abortion law and offered to relocate employees out of the state (10). Salesforce opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (11). CEO Benioff spoke out in opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade (12).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
Salesforce funds the ACLU and Planned Parenthood (1)(2). Salesforce offers to pay for employee relocation expenses due to state anti-abortion policies (3). Salesforce previously offered $50,000 relocation packages to employees who wanted to leave Indiana after a religious freedom law was enacted in the state in 2015 (4).
Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.
Salesforce’s PAC has donated to the Equality PAC and heavily favors Democratic candidates in its contribution patterns (1).
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 23, 2023
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