Salesforce (Slack, Tableau, Mulesoft)
Corprate Bias Ratings
Risk Level:
Summary:
Salesforce is a software-as-a-service CRM provider and the owner of Slack Technologies, Tableau, and more. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff 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 covers the cost of "medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children. Salesforce funds Planned Parenthood and covers employee relocation for purpose of abortion. Salesforce is a gold partner of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a founding member of the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality (PGLE), and pledged $1 million dollars to BLM and related causes. The company regularly uses its reputation to push gender ideology and is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. The company is a signatory of the Business Roundtable's 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism. Salesforce has also donated to the Equality PAC. 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 has received a score of 100 on the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index. Among other requirements, this means the company has a written policy pledging to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. (7)(8). Slack banned Libs of TikTok from the messaging platform without explicit explanation (9).
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 protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).
Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.
Salesforce’s PGLE membership reflects its commitment to “operationalize” company coverage of transgender surgery and treatment, the vetting of business partners based on LGBTQ+ policies, and the financial support of LGBTQ organizations on a global level (1)(2)(3). The company corporately advocates for the Equality Act and transgender participation in youth sports (4)(5). Salesforce also denounced state election integrity efforts (6). 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 (7). Salesforce has vocally opposed other religious freedom legislation (8). Benioff also used corporate leverage to oppose the North Carolina bathroom bill, HB2, which required people to use the bathroom of their biological gender (9)(10). 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 (11). The company also joined an amicus brief against President Trump’s travel ban in 2017 (12). In 2021, Marc Benioff denounced the Texas abortion law and offered to relocate employees out of the state (13). 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 (14). CEO Benioff spoke out in opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade (15). Salesforce subsidiary Slack’s CEO Stewart Butterfield is a signatory to CEOs For Gun Safety (16). Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is a member of the Business Roundtable and Former CEO Keith Block signed its 2019 Statement on the Purpose of Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders and customers (17)(18).
Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.
Salesforce has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (1)(2). Salesforce funds Planned Parenthood and has pledged over $1 million to BLM-related causes, including the ACLU (3)(4)(5)(6). Salesforce offers to pay for employee relocation expenses due to state anti-abortion policies (7). The company is a gold partner of the HRC and a founding member of the PGLE (8)(9). 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 (10). The company is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (11).
Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.
Salesforce has donated to the Equality PAC (1).
All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
August 24, 2023
Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer
Related Resources:
Voting History
| Date | ESG Category | Proponent | Summary of Resolution | Mgmt Rec | Total Vote % in Favor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/8/23 | Governance | The National Center for Public Policy Research | Policy to Forbid All Company Directors From Sitting on Any Other Boards | Against | 0.50% |
| 6/8/23 | Governance | The Natioinal Legal and Policy Center | Independent Chair of the Board | Against | 22.50% |