Salesforce#Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce was founded on March 8, 1999 by former Oracle executive Marc Benioff, together with Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company.{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Eugene |title=CEO of $50 billion Salesforce shared his epic founding story to inspire a small business owner |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-benioff-shares-founding-story-2015-9 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Brian |title=History of Salesforce: Timeline and Facts |url=https://www.thestreet.com/technology/history-of-salesforce |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TheStreet |date=February 27, 2020 |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Ron |date=2019-03-08 |title=Salesforce at 20 offers lessons for startup success |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/08/salesforce-at-20-offers-lessons-for-startup-success/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} The first prototype of Salesforce was launched in November 1999.

Two of Salesforce's earliest investors were Larry Ellison, the co-founder and first CEO of Oracle, and Halsey Minor, the founder of CNET.

Salesforce was severely affected by the dot-com bubble bursting at the beginning of the new millennium, resulting in the company laying off 20% of its workforce. Despite its losses, Salesforce continued strong during the early 2000s. Salesforce also gained notability during this period for its "the end of software" tagline and marketing campaign, and even hired actors to hold up signs with its slogan outside a Siebel Systems conference.{{Cite web |title=The Launch of Salesforce.com and the End of Software |url=https://www.provokemedia.com/latest/article/the-launch-of-salesforce-com-and-the-end-of-software |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=PRovoke Media |language=en}} Salesforce's revenue continued to increase from 2000 to 2003, with 2003's revenue skyrocketing from $5.4 million in the fiscal year 2001 to over $100 million by December 2003.

{{Cite web

|date=2020-03-19

|title=The History of Salesforce

|url=https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/the-history-of-salesforce/

|access-date=2022-08-24

|website=Salesforce News |language=en-US

}}

In 2003, Salesforce held its first annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.{{Cite web |last=Cowley |first=Stacy |date=2005-09-08 |title=Year of rapid growth precedes Salesforce.com user show |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2808661/year-of-rapid-growth-precedes-salesforce-com-user-show.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Computerworld |language=en}}

In June 2004, the company had its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under the stock symbol CRM and raised US$110 million.{{Cite web

| url=http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/CRM-News/Daily-News/Salesforce.com-IPO-Raises-$110-Million-44252.aspx

| title=Salesforce.com IPO Raises $110 million

| first=Jason |last=Compton

| work=Destination CRM.com

| date=June 23, 2004

| access-date=November 1, 2015}}{{Cite news |agency=Reuters |date=2004-06-23 |title=Salesforce.com Top I.P.O. of the Year |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/23/business/salesforcecom-top-ipo-of-the-year.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |issn=0362-4331}} In 2006, Salesforce launched Idea Exchange, a platform that allows customers to connect with company product managers.{{Cite web |last=Farber |first=Dan |title=Salesforce.com preps new release and IdeaExchange |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-com-preps-new-release-and-ideaexchange/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}}

In 2009, Salesforce passed $1 billion in annual revenue. Also, in 2009, the company launched Service Cloud, an application that helps companies manage service conversations about their products and services.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce.com Launches The Service Cloud, A Customer Service SaaS Application |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/01/14/salesforcecom-launches-the-service-cloud-a-customer-service-saas-application/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

In 2014, the company released Trailhead, a free online learning platform.{{Cite web |last=Zaveri |first=Paayal |title=4 people share how they used Salesforce's free online learning tool Trailhead to break into the tech industry and land great jobs |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-jobs-in-the-salesforce-ecosystem-trailhead-users-2021-8 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} In October 2014, Salesforce announced the development of its Customer Success Platform.{{Cite web |last=Hinchcliffe |first=Dion |title=Dreamforce 2014: Converging on cloud, apps, mobile, analytics, and community |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/dreamforce-2014-converging-on-cloud-apps-mobile-analytics-and-community/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}} In September 2016, Salesforce announced the launch of Einstein, an artificial intelligence platform that supports several of Salesforce's cloud services.{{Cite web |date=2016-09-18 |title=Salesforce forms research group, launches Einstein A.I. platform that works with Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud |url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/09/18/salesforce-forms-research-group-launches-einstein-a-i-platform-that-works-with-sales-cloud-marketing-cloud/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Einstein celebrates its first birthday with several new features |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/19/salesforce-einstein-celebrates-its-first-birthday-with-a-couple-of-new-features/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=September 19, 2017 |language=en-US}} It reportedly acquired a 20-year license to be the exclusive business-oriented software company allowed to use Albert Einstein's likeness for $20 million.{{Cite news |date=2024-03-27 |title=Salesforce Paid $20 Million for the Face of Its AI Strategy |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-27/salesforce-paid-20-million-to-license-einstein-for-ai |access-date=2024-04-22 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}

Salesforce launched the Sustainability Cloud (Net Zero Cloud as of 2022), which is used by companies to track progress towards achieving their net zero emissions goals.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Ron |date=2022-12-08 |title=Salesforce to expand Sustainability Cloud into full ESG reporting tool |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/08/salesforce-to-expand-sustainability-cloud-into-full-esg-reporting-tool/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

In 2020, Salesforce joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing energy giant and Standard Oil-descendant ExxonMobil.{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Pippa |date=2020-08-24 |title=Salesforce, Amgen and Honeywell added to Dow in major shake-up to the average |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/24/salesforce-amgen-and-honeywell-added-to-dow-in-major-shakeup-to-the-average.html |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=CNBC |language=en}} Salesforce's ascension to the Dow Jones was concurrent with that of Amgen and Honeywell. Because the Dow Jones factors its components by market price, Salesforce was the largest technology component of the index at its accession.{{Cite web |last=Monica |first=Paul R. La |date=2020-08-31 |title=Apple is no longer king of the Dow. Meet tech's new leader {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/31/investing/salesforce-dow/index.html |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=CNN |language=en}}

Across 2020 and 2021, Salesforce saw some notable leadership changes; in February 2020, co-chief executive officer Keith Block stepped down from his position in the company.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce grabs Vlocity for $1.33B, a startup with $1B valuation |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/25/salesforce-grabs-vlocity-for-1-33b-a-startup-with-1b-valuation/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=February 26, 2020 |language=en-US}} Marc Benioff remained as chairman and chief executive officer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wishtv.com/news/business/salesforce-leader-steps-down-as-software-company-reports-2020-revenue/|title=Salesforce leader steps down as software company reports 2020 revenue|author=Staff Reports|date=2020-02-25|website=WISH-TV {{!}} Indianapolis News {{!}} Indiana Weather {{!}} Indiana Traffic|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-28}} In February 2021, Amy Weaver, previously the chief legal officer, became CFO. Former CFO Mark Hawkins announced that he would be retiring in October.{{Cite news |last=Trentmann |first=Nina |date=2021-02-01 |title=Salesforce CFO Hands Reins to Successor After More Than Six Years at Helm |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-cfo-hands-reins-to-successor-after-more-than-six-years-at-helm-11612186200 |access-date=2021-02-06 |issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite news |last=Ovide |first=Shira |date=2014-07-01 |title=Salesforce.com Names Autodesk Executive as Financial Chief |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://online.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-com-names-autodesk-executive-as-financial-chief-1404160414 |access-date=2021-02-06 |issn=0099-9660}} In November 2021, Bret Taylor was named vice chair and co-CEO of the company.{{Cite news |last=Wells |first=Aaron Tilley and Georgia |date=2021-12-18 |title=At Twitter and Salesforce, Bret Taylor Steps Into the Limelight |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-twitter-and-salesforce-bret-taylor-steps-into-the-limelight-11639841401 |access-date=2022-03-16 |issn=0099-9660}}

In December 2020, it was announced that Salesforce would acquire Slack for $27.7 billion, its largest acquisition to date.{{Cite web|url= https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/1/21719666/salesforce-slack-acquisition-purchase-announced|title=Salesforce is acquiring workplace chat app Slack for $27.7 billion|website=The verge.com|date=December 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-12-01}} The acquisition closed in July 2021.{{Cite web |last=Lawler |first=Richard |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/21/22587666/slack-acquisition-salesforce-closed-messaging-cloud |title=Now Salesforce officially owns Slack |website=The Verge |language=en |date=2021-07-21 |access-date=2021-07-22}} Journalists covering the acquisition emphasized the price Salesforce paid for Slack, which was a 54% premium compared to Slack's market value.{{cite web |last1=Wilhelm |first1=Alex |title=Salesforce slumps 8.5% as its post-Slack selloff continues |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/02/salesforce-slumps-8-5-as-its-post-slack-selloff-continues/ |website=TechCrunch |access-date=16 February 2023 |date=2 December 2020}}{{better source needed|date=January 2024|reason=This is a single opinion from a borderline outlet, per WP:TECHCRUNCH}}

In April 2022, "Salesforce.com, Inc." changed its legal name to "Salesforce, Inc."{{cite web |last=Yumi |first=Ibrahimzade |title=Salesforce Changes Legal Name |url=https://salesforcetime.com/2022/03/27/salesforce-changes-legal-name/ |website=Salesforce Time |access-date=18 February 2024 |date=March 27, 2022}}

Acceleration Economy reported that Salesforce had surpassed SAP to become the world's largest enterprise software vendor in August 2022.

The next month, Salesforce announced a partnership with Meta Platforms. The deal called for Meta's consumer application WhatsApp to integrate Salesforce's Customer 360 platform to allow consumers to communicate with companies directly.{{Cite web |title=Meta announces WhatsApp-Salesforce integration to let businesses chat with customers {{!}} Seeking Alpha |url=https://seekingalpha.com/news/3884560-meta-platforms-announces-whatsapp-salesforce-integration-to-let-businesses-chat-with-customers |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=seekingalpha.com |date=September 20, 2022 |language=en}}

In November 2022, Salesforce announced it would terminate some employees from its sales team.{{cite news |last1=Ford |first1=Brody |title=Salesforce Cuts Hundreds of Sales Workers on 'Accountability' |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-08/salesforce-cuts-hundreds-of-sales-workers-on-accountability?srnd=premium&sref=CIpmV6x8 |access-date=8 November 2022 |work=Bloomberg |date=8 November 2022}} That same month, Salesforce announced its co-CEO and vice chair, Bret Taylor, would be stepping down from his roles at the end of January 2023, with Benioff continuing to run the company and serve as board chair. Within the week, former Tableau CEO Mark Nelson and former Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield also announced their departures. When asked about the departures, Benioff stated, "people come and people go"; Salesforce's stock dropped to a 52-week low after Nelson's resignation.{{cite news |last=Duffy |first=Clare |date=2022-11-30 |title=Salesforce Co-CEO Bret Taylor steps down, leaving Marc Benioff alone at the top |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/tech/salesforce-bret-taylor-stepping-down/index.html |work=CNN}}{{Cite news |date=2022-12-06 |title=Salesforce CEOs exit with a third departure in a week |language=en-US |work=The Stack |url=https://thestack.technology/salesforce-ceos-leave/ |access-date=2022-12-09}}{{Cite web |last=Stankiewicz |first=Kevin |title='People come and people go,' says a defiant Benioff. And we're sticking with the Salesforce CEO despite the smoke |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/08/were-sticking-with-salesforce-and-benioff-despite-the-smoke-.html |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=CNBC |date=December 8, 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Salesforce crashes to 52-week-low as Slack boss Butterfield departs (NYSE:CRM) {{!}} Seeking Alpha |url=https://seekingalpha.com/news/3914027-salesforce-crashes-to-52-week-low-as-slack-boss-butterfield-departs |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=seekingalpha.com |date=December 5, 2022 |language=en}}

In January 2023, the company announced a layoff of about 10%, or approximately 8,000 positions. According to Benioff, the company hired too aggressively during the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in working from home led to the layoff. The company also reduced office space as part of the restructuring plan.{{cite news |last1=Simonetti |first1=Isabella |last2=Huang |first2=Kalley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/technology/salesforce-layoffs.html |title=Salesforce to Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff and Cut Office Space |work=The New York Times |date=2023-01-04 |accessdate=2023-01-04 }} The same month brought an announcement from activist investor Elliott Management that it would acquire a "big stake" in the company.{{Cite news |last=Cooper |first=Lauren Thomas and Laura |title=WSJ News Exclusive {{!}} Elliott Management Takes Big Stake in Salesforce |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/activist-takes-big-stake-in-salesforce-11674432531 |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}

In January 2024, Salesforce announced it was laying off 700 employees (about 1%) of its global staff.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-26 |title=Salesforce to Cut About 700 Workers, Adding to Tech Layoff Flood |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-26/salesforce-to-cut-about-700-workers-adding-to-tech-layoff-flood |access-date=2024-01-26 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}

Salesforce offers several customer relationship management (CRM) services, including: Sales Cloud,{{Cite web |last=Lager |first=Marshall |date=February 10, 2009 |title=Salesforce.com Expands the Cloud to Sales – CRM Magazine |url=http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/CRM-News/Daily-News/Salesforce.com-Expands-the-Cloud-to-Sales-52602.aspx |access-date=February 1, 2012 |website=Destinationcrm.com}} Service Cloud,{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2009 |title=Salesforce.com Launches The Service Cloud, A Customer Service SaaS Application |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/01/14/salesforcecom-launches-the-service-cloud-a-customer-service-saas-application/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312023620/http://techcrunch.com/2009/01/14/salesforcecom-launches-the-service-cloud-a-customer-service-saas-application/ |archive-date=March 12, 2011 |access-date=February 1, 2012 |website=TechCrunch}} Marketing Cloud,{{Cite web |last=Gagliordi |first=Natalie |title=Salesforce intros new Marketing, Commerce cloud features as part of Digital 360 update |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-intros-new-marketing-commerce-cloud-features-as-part-of-digital-360-update/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}} and Commerce Cloud and Platform. Additional technologies include Slack.

Other services include app creation, data integration and visualization, and training.{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2009 |title=Everything You Need To Know About Salesforce's Service Cloud 2 |url=https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7839-best-crm-software.html |access-date=February 23, 2022 |website=businessnewsdaily.com |publisher=TechCrunch}}

Salesforce launched a suite of features called Salesforce Foundations in September 2024, bundling connected functionality across department-specific Sales Cloud and Service Cloud products.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-05 |title=Salesforce enhances basic features for Sales Cloud and Service Cloud customers |url=https://siliconangle.com/2024/09/05/salesforce-enhances-basic-features-sales-cloud-service-cloud-customers/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=SiliconANGLE |language=en-US}}

Launched at Dreamforce in 2016, Salesforce Einstein was the company’s first artificial intelligence product, developed from a set of technologies underlying the Salesforce platform.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Ron |date=2016-10-07 |title=Lights, cameras, Dreamforce |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/07/lights-cameras-dreamforce/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

In March 2023, Salesforce announced ChatGPT integration in Slack was available to any organization, and the launch of Einstein GPT, a generative AI service.{{Cite web |last=Kerner |first=Sean Michael |date=2023-03-07 |title=Einstein AI was good, but Salesforce claims Einstein GPT is even better |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/einstein-ai-was-good-but-salesforce-claims-einstein-gpt-is-even-better/ |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}

In March 2024, Salesforce launched Einstein Copilot: Health Actions, a conversation assistant based on its earlier artificial intelligence platform Einstein. It helps with making appointments, referrals, and gathering patient information.{{Cite web |last=Jowitt |first=Tom |date=2024-03-08 |title=Salesforce Launches AI Tools For Doctors, Healthcare |url=https://www.silicon.co.uk/e-innovation/salesforce-launches-ai-tools-for-doctors-healthcare-sector-553741 |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Silicon UK |language=en-GB}}In July, Salesforce released an AI agent, the Einstein Service Agent, with the ability to perform customer service actions, like enabling product returns or refunds.{{Cite web |last=Kerner |first=Sean Michael |date=2024-07-17 |title=Salesforce debuts Einstein Service Agent, a new AI Agent for customer self-service |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/salesforce-debuts-einstein-service-agent-a-new-ai-agent-for-customer-self-service/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}

In September 2024, the company deployed Agentforce (succeeding Salesforce Einstein), an agentic AI platform where users can create autonomous agents for customer service assistance, developing marketing campaigns, and coaching salespersons.{{cite web |last1=Schmeiser |first1=Lisa |last2=Vartabedian |first2=Matt |title=Salesforce Debuts Einstein Successor Agentforce {{!}} No Jitter |url=https://www.nojitter.com/ccaas/salesforce-debuts-einstein-successor-agentforce |website=www.nojitter.com |access-date=7 January 2025 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Devlin |first=Kieran |date=2025-03-06 |title=Salesforce To Empower Employee Experience with AgentExchange Agentic AI |url=https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/cpaas/salesforce-to-empower-employee-experience-with-agentexchange-agentic-ai/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=UC Today |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Fujita |first=Akiko |date=September 13, 2024 |title=Salesforce deploys autonomous AI agents, hailing 'the third wave of the AI revolution' |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/salesforce-deploys-autonomous-ai-agents-hailing-the-third-wave-of-the-ai-revolution-160551970.html}}

Salesforce Platform (formerly known as Force.com) is a platform as a service (PaaS) that allows developers to add applications to the main Salesforce.com application.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E180025742400363509.html|title=What Cloud Computing Really Means|date=April 7, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|first1=Eric|last1=Knorr|first2=Galen|last2=Gruman|agency=IDG|access-date=January 23, 2015}}{{Failed verification|date=November 2017}} These applications are hosted on Salesforce.com infrastructure.{{Cite web|url=http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Apps/Salesforcecom-Unveils-Forcecom-Cloud-Computing-Architecture/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909093427/http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Apps/Salesforcecom-Unveils-Forcecom-Cloud-Computing-Architecture/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 9, 2012|title=Salesforce.com Unveils Force.com Cloud Computing Architecture|website=Eweek.com}}

Force.com applications are built using Apex, a proprietary Java-like programming language{{Cite news|url=https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_intro_what_is_apex.htm|title=What is Apex? {{!}} Apex Developer Guide {{!}} Salesforce Developers|access-date=November 7, 2017}} to generate HTML originally via the "Visualforce" framework. Beginning in 2015{{Cite web|url = http://docs.releasenotes.salesforce.com/en-us/spring15/release-notes/rn_lightning.htm|title = Salesforce Spring15 Release Notes|access-date = January 26, 2015|publisher =Salesforce.com}} the "Lightning Components" framework has been supported. The Apex compiler was designed by James Spagnola.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cusUVO9IQjc|title=Switching it up with Apex|website=YouTube |date=Apr 18, 2018}}

As of 2014, the Force.com platform had 1.5 million registered developers according to Salesforce.{{Cite press release|url=https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/the-history-of-salesforce/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/KELBWQIVcfk |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=The History of Salesforce|date=March 19, 2020 |publisher=Salesforce}}{{cbignore}}

Launched in 2005, the Salesforce AppExchange is an online app store that allows users to sell third-party applications and consulting services.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce AppExchange Revolutionized Software Distribution When It Launched Ten Years Ago Today |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/14/salesforce-appexchange-turns-10-today/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=January 14, 2016 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=R. Dallon |date=2021-07-14 |title=Salesforce launches Trusted Reviews and Chat to enhance AppExchange |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/salesforce-launches-trusted-reviews-and-chat-to-enhance-appexchange/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechRepublic |language=en-US}}

As of 2021, the exchange has over 5,000 apps listed.{{Cite web |title=Zaghop relaunches with Salesforce focus, after Bridge Connector shutters operations |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/01/12/zaghop-relaunches-with-salesforce-focus.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}{{Cite magazine |last=Finley |first=Klint |title=Salesforce Gives Every Company Its Very Own App Store |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/10/appexchange/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |issn=1059-1028}}

Launched in 2014, Trailhead is a free online learning platform with courses focused on Salesforce technologies.{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Rosalie |title=Salesforce will sell its employee training tools to other companies so they can be more like Salesforce |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-launches-new-learning-platform-called-mytrailhead-2019-3 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Extends myTrailhead Online Learning Platform Globally |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/salesforce-extends-mytrailhead-online-learning-platform-globally |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=PCMAG |date=March 21, 2019 |language=en}}

Desk.com was a SaaS help desk and customer support product acquired by Salesforce for $50 million in 2011,{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Buys Customer Service SaaS Assistly For $50M To Reach Small Businesses |date=September 21, 2011 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/21/salesforce-buys-social-customer-service-saas-startup-assistly-for-50m-in-cash/ |access-date=September 21, 2011 |publisher=Techcrunch}}{{Cite web |title=Salesforce sweetens the deal for growing SMBs with new Desk.com edition |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2943232/salesforce-sweetens-the-deal-for-growing-smbs-with-new-deskcom-edition.html |access-date=January 7, 2015 |publisher=PC World}}and consolidated with other services into Service Cloud Essentials in March 2018.{{Cite web |last=Dignan |first=Larry |title=Salesforce bulks up Essentials SMB efforts with Service Cloud Essentials, to sunset IQ CRM, Desk.com |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-bulks-up-essentials-smb-efforts-with-service-cloud-essentials-to-sunset-iq-crm-desk-com/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}}

Do.com was a cloud-based task management system for small groups and businesses, introduced in 2011, and discontinued in 2014.[https://venturebeat.com/2011/11/08/salesforce-com-debuts-do-com-its-take-on-the-social-productivity-app/ Salesforce debuts Do.com, a smart social productivity app for small teams], VentureBeat News{{Cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/10/25/salesforce-shut-social-productivity-app-com-january-31-2014/|title=Salesforce to Shut Down Social Productivity App Do.com on January 31|first=Emil |last=Protalinski|date=October 25, 2013|work=The Next Web}}[http://www.citeworld.com/article/2114662/sales-marketing-tech/salesforce-to-shut-down-do-com-task-management-service.html?null Salesforce to shut down Do.com task management service] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116164327/http://www.citeworld.com/article/2114662/sales-marketing-tech/salesforce-to-shut-down-do-com-task-management-service.html?null |date=January 16, 2015 }}, CiteWorld

File:SalesforceCustomerCompanyTour4.JPG

Salesforce is headquartered in San Francisco in the Salesforce Tower.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Melia |title=Salesforce moved into a new $1 billion skyscraper in San Francisco, and the offices are unlike anything we've seen |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-tower-office-tour-photos-2018-5 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} Salesforce has 110 offices, including ones in Hong Kong, Israel, London, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo.{{Cite web |author=Kathryn Vasel |title=Here's what Salesforce has learned as it reopens offices |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/10/success/salesforce-return-to-office/index.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=CNN|date=May 10, 2021 }}{{Cite web |last=Levitsky |first=Allison |date=2022-03-02 |title=Salesforce is opening four new office towers - Protocol |url=https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/salesforce-opening-new-towers |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=www.protocol.com |language=en}}

File:Salesforce Tower New York.jpg

Standard & Poor's added Salesforce to the S&P 500 Index in September 2008.{{Cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=abSHUiBFprac&refer=us |title=Salesforce.com, Fastenal to Replace Fannie, Freddie in S&P 500 |work=Bloomberg |date=September 9, 2008 |last=Martin |first=Eric}} In August 2020, S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Salesforce would replace ExxonMobil in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

According to Marc Benioff, Salesforce corporate culture is based on the concept of Ohana.{{Cite web |last=Schwantes |first=Marcel |date=2019-05-13 |title=What Salesforce Does for Its Employees That Makes Other Companies Jealous |url=https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/what-salesforce-does-for-their-employees-that-make-other-companies-jealous.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Inc.com |language=en}}

In 2021, Cynthia Perry, a design research senior manager, resigned, alleging discrimination in the workplace and posting her resignation letter on LinkedIn.{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Joe |title=Salesforce's equality struggles after Cynthia Perry leaves - Protocol |url=https://www.protocol.com/enterprise/salesforces-benioff-diversity-inclusion-woes |access-date=31 January 2024 |work=www.protocol.com |date=8 February 2021 |language=en}}

On September 10, 2021, Benioff tweeted that the company is prepared to help any employee who wishes to move out of the state of Texas, following abortion legislation in Texas, announced on September 1, 2021.{{Cite news|title=Texas abortion ban prompts Salesforce to help employees, families "exit" state |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/salesforce-to-pay-texas-employees-relocation-costs-in-wake-of-abortion-ban-law/ |date=13 September 2021 |last=De Chant |first=Tim |website=Ars Technica}}

For the fiscal year 2022, Salesforce reported revenue of US$26.49 billion, an increase of 25% year-over-year and 24% in constant currency.{{Cite web |last=Condon |first=Stephanie |date=2022-03-01 |title=Salesforce posts record Q4 results with $1B in sales from the "Data" business |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-posts-record-q4-results-with-1b-in-sales-from-the-data-business/ |access-date=2023-02-21 |website=ZDNET |language=en}} Salesforce ranked 126 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States companies by revenue.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-01 |title=Salesforce {{!}} Company Information |url=https://fortune.com/company/salesforce-com/fortune500/ |access-date=2023-02-21 |publisher=Fortune 500}}

In 2008, Salesforce migrated from Sun Fire E25K servers with SPARC processors running Solaris, to Dell servers with AMD processors, running Linux.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/14/salesforce_sun_server_dell/|title=Salesforce.com pulls plug on Sun's flagship Unix servers|work=The Register}}

In 2012, Salesforce announced plans to build a data center in the UK to handle European citizens' personal data.{{Cite web|url=http://gigaom.com/2013/05/02/salesforce-finally-solidifies-european-data-center-plans/|title=Salesforce finally solidifies European data center plans|last=Meyer|first=David|website=Gigaom.com|date=May 2, 2013}} The center opened in 2014.{{Cite web |last=Osborne |first=Charlie |title=Salesforce opens first European data centre in the UK |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-opens-first-european-data-centre-in-the-uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221162550/http://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-opens-first-european-data-centre-in-the-uk/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 21, 2014 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}}

In 2013, Salesforce and Oracle announced a nine-year partnership focusing on applications, platforms, and infrastructure.{{Cite web |date=June 29, 2013 |title=Why Oracle And Salesforce, Once Bitter Rivals, Are Now On Cloud Nine |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/29/why-oracle-and-salesforce-once-bitter-rivals-are-now-on-cloud-nine/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Salesforce announced that it will use Amazon Web Services hosting for countries with restrictive data residency requirements and where no Salesforce data centers are operating.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Inks Huge Deal With This Cloud Provider |url=https://fortune.com/2016/05/25/salesforce-inks-major-aws-deal/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Fortune |language=en}}

In 2006, Salesforce acquired Sendia, a mobile web service firm, for $15 million{{Cite news |last=Vara |first=Vauhini |date=2006-04-11 |title=Salesforce.com to Buy Sendia |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB114471556202622400 |access-date=2022-03-16 |issn=0099-9660}} and Kieden, an online advertising company.{{Cite news |date=2006-08-22 |title=Salesforce.com Acquires Kieden |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115621940407242022 |access-date=2022-03-16 |issn=0099-9660}} In 2007, Koral, a content management service, was acquired.{{Cite web |last=Farber |first=Dan |title=Salesforce.com snags Koral's Web 2.0 content management service |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-com-snags-korals-web-2-0-content-management-service/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}} In 2008, Salesforce acquired Instranet for $31.5 million.{{Cite web |last=Elahi |first=Amina |title=These are all the Chicago companies Salesforce has acquired |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/blue-sky/ct-salesforce-acquisitions-chicago-bsi-20160926-story.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=chicagotribune.com|date=September 26, 2016 }} In 2010, Salesforce acquired multiple companies, including Jigsaw, a cloud-based data service provider, for $142 million,{{Cite web |date=April 21, 2010 |title=Salesforce.com acquires Jigsaw for $142 million |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-com-acquires-jigsaw-for-142-million/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106104245/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/salesforcecom-acquires-jigsaw-for-142-million/33362 |archive-date=January 6, 2012 |access-date=February 1, 2012 |publisher=ZDNet}} Heroku, a Ruby application platform-as-a-service, for $212 million,{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2010 |title=Salesforce.com Buys Heroku For $212 million In Cash |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/12/08/breaking-salesforce-buys-heroku-for-212-million-in-cash/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} and Activa Live Chat, a live chat software provider.{{Cite web |date=September 24, 2010 |title=Salesforce Buys Enterprise Chat Startup Activa Live |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/24/salesforce-buys-enterprise-chat-startup-activa-live/ |access-date=February 1, 2012 |publisher=TechCrunch}}

In 2011, Salesforce acquired Dimdim, a web conferencing platform, for $31 million,{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Buys Web Conferencing Platform DimDim For $31 Million In Cash |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/01/06/salesforce-buys-web-conferencing-platform-dimdim-for-31-million-in-cash/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=January 6, 2011 |language=en-US}} Radian6, a social media tracking company, for $340 million,{{Cite web |title=Salesforce.com Buys Manymoon |url=http://kara.allthingsd.com/20110201/salesforce-buys-manymoon |access-date=January 20, 2011 |publisher=All Things Digital}} and Rypple, a performance management software company.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Buys Social Performance Platform Rypple; Will Launch 'Human Capital Management' Unit Successforce |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/12/15/salesforce-acquires-social-performance-platform-rypple-will-launch-human-capital-management-unit-successforce/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=December 15, 2011 |language=en-US}} Rypple became known as Work.com in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce Debuts Rypple-Powered Work.com To Help Companies Manage Talent, Partners With Facebook |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/19/salesforce-debuts-rypple-powered-work-com-to-help-companies-manage-talent/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} In 2012, Salesforce acquired Buddy Media, a social media marketer, for $689 million,{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2012 |title=Salesforce Lines Up Against Oracle On Social Push; Buys Buddy Media For $689M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/06/04/salesforce-lines-up-against-oracle-on-social-push-buys-buddy-media-for-689m/ |access-date=June 27, 2013 |publisher=TechCrunch}} and GoInstant, a browser collaboration startup, for $70 million.{{Cite web |date=July 9, 2012 |title=Salesforce.com Reported To Buy GoInstant For $70 Million |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/07/09/salesforce-com-reported-to-buy-goinstant-for-70-million/ |access-date=June 27, 2013 |publisher=TechCrunch}}

In 2013, Salesforce acquired ExactTarget, an email marketer, for $2.5 billion.{{Cite web |title=With ExactTarget Acquisition, Salesforce.com Has Spent Close To $3.5 Billion To Get Into The Chief Marketing Officer's Suite |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/04/with-exacttarget-acquisition-salesforce-com-has-spent-close-to-3-5-billion-to-get-into-the-chief-marketing-officers-suite/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} In 2014, Salesforce acquired RelateIQ, a data company, for $390 million.{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2014 |title=Salesforce Buys Big Data Startup RelateIQ For Up To $390M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/11/salesforce-buys-big-data-startup-relateiq-for-up-to-390m/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} In 2015, Salesforce acquired multiple companies for undisclosed sums, including Toopher, a mobile authentication company,{{Cite web |date=April 1, 2015 |title=Mobile Authentication Startup Toopher Acquired By Salesforce |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/04/01/toopher-salesforce/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} Tempo, an AI calendar app,{{Cite web |date=May 29, 2015 |title=Salesforce Acquires Smart Calendar Startup Tempo, App Will Shut Down On June 30 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/29/salesforce-acquires-tempo/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} and MinHash, an AI platform.{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2015 |title=Salesforce Has Acquired MinHash, Creators Of The AILA Virtual Marketing Assistant |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/12/14/salesforce-has-acquired-an-ai-startup-called-minhash-to-build-out-its-marketing-analytics/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} The company also acquired SteelBrick, a software company, for $360 million.{{Cite web |date=2015-12-23 |title=Salesforce buys quote-to-cash company SteelBrick for $360 million |url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/12/23/salesforce-buys-quote-to-cash-company-steelbrick-for-360m/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Salesforce acquired Demandware, a cloud-based provider of e-commerce services, for $2.8 billion{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Eugene |title=Salesforce just bought a startup called Twin Prime, adding to its $5 billion buying binge |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-acquired-twin-prime-startup-2016-12 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Salesforce buys Demandware for $2.8B, taking a big step into e-commerce |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/01/salesforce-buys-demandware-for-2-8b-taking-a-big-step-into-e-commerce/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=June 2016 |language=en-US}} and Quip, a word processing app, for $750 million.{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2016 |title=Salesforce buys word processing app Quip for $750M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/01/salesforce-buys-word-processing-app-quip-for-750m/ |publisher=TechCrunch}} In 2017, the company acquired Sequence, a user experience design agency.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce acquires Sequence to build out its UX design services |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/01/salesforce-acquires-sequence-to-build-out-its-ux-design-services/ |access-date=February 1, 2017 |publisher=TechCrunch}} In 2018, Salesforce acquired several companies, including MuleSoft, a cloud service company, for $6.5 billion,{{Cite web |date=March 20, 2018 |title=Salesforce is buying MuleSoft |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-is-in-talks-to-buy-mulesoft-briefly-sending-shares-through-the-roof-2018-3 |access-date=March 20, 2018 |website=Business Insider}}{{Cite web |title=Salesforce buys MuleSoft in a deal worth 6.5 billion |url=http://fortune.com/2018/03/20/salesforce-mulesoft-acquisition-deal |access-date=March 20, 2018 |website=Fortune}} as well as Rebel, an email services provider,{{Cite web |title=Salesforce acquires Rebel, maker of 'interactive' email services, to expand its Marketing Cloud |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/05/salesforce-acquires-rebel-maker-of-interactive-email-services-to-expand-its-marketing-cloud/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=October 5, 2018 |language=en-US}} and Datorama, an AI marketing platform, for undisclosed amounts.{{Cite news |date=2018-07-16 |title=Salesforce agrees to acquire Datorama |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-salesforce-com-m-a-datorama-idUSKBN1K61U5 |access-date=2022-03-16}}

In 2019, Salesforce completed its acquisition of analytics software company Tableau for $15.7 billion{{Cite web |title=Salesforce closes $15.7B Tableau deal |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/01/salesforce-closes-15-7b-tableau-deal/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=August 2019 |language=en-US}} in 2019, and Slack Technologies for $27.7 billion in 2021.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-21 |title=Salesforce completes $27.7B Slack acquisition |url=https://venturebeat.com/2021/07/21/salesforce-completes-27-7b-slack-acquisition/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}} Salesforce also made smaller acquisitions throughout 2019, 2020, and 2021, which included ClickSoftware for $1.35 billion,{{Cite web |date=2019-08-08 |title=Salesforce is acquiring ClickSoftware for $1.35B |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/07/salesforce-is-acquiring-clicksoftware-for-1-35b/ |website=techcrunch.com}} consulting firm Acumen Solutions for $570 million,{{Cite web |last=Lin |first=Belle |title=A senior Salesforce exec explains how its under-the-radar purchase of Acumen Solutions will help it win more government IT deals under the Biden administration |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-acumen-solutions-acquisition-win-government-tech-deals-12-30 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} CRM firm Vlocity for $1.33 billion, privacy compliance startup Phennecs for $16.5 million,{{Cite web |title=Salesforce, Inc. acquired Phennecs for $16.4 million. {{!}} MarketScreener |url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/SALESFORCE-COM-INC-12180/news/Salesforce-Inc-acquired-Phennecs-for-16-4-million-40564329/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=www.marketscreener.com |date=April 4, 2022 |language=en}} and robotic process automation firm Servicetrace for an undisclosed amount.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce steps into RPA buying Servicetrace and teaming it with MuleSoft |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/02/salesforce-steps-into-rpa-buying-servicetrace-and-teaming-it-with-mulesoft/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=August 2, 2021 |language=en-US}}

Salesforce's most recent acquisition was Slack-bot maker Troops.ai, announced in May 2022, and expected to close in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Trueman |first=Charlotte |date=2022-05-11 |title=Salesforce acquires Slack-bot maker Troops.ai |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/3660079/salesforce-acquires-slack-bot-maker-troops-ai.html |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=Computerworld |language=en}}

In September 2023, Salesforce acquired Airkit.ai, a creator of AI-powered customer service applications and experiences.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-09-21 |title=Salesforce to acquire Airkit.ai, a low-code platform for building AI customer service agents |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/21/salesforce-airkit/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} In December 2023, Salesforce announced it would acquire Spiff, an automated commission management platform for an undisclosed amount.{{Cite web |last=Sawers |first=Paul |date=2023-12-19 |title=Salesforce acquires automated commission management platform Spiff |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/19/salesforce-spiff-commission/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

In April 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that Salesforce was in advanced talks to acquire Informatica at a price below its $11 billion market capitalization at the time.{{Cite news |last=Cimilluca |first=Lauren Thomas, Laura Cooper and Dana |title=Exclusive {{!}} Salesforce in Advanced Talks to Buy Informatica |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/salesforce-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-informatica-ba9ec09c |access-date=2024-04-22 |work=WSJ |language=en-US}} The deal was later reported to have been abandoned.{{Cite news |last=Sen |first=Anirban |date=2024-04-21 |title=Salesforce abandons pursuit of Informatica, source says |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/salesforces-talks-buy-informatica-fizzle-wsj-reports-2024-04-21/ }}

In September 2024, Salesforce acquired data management firm Own for $1.9 billion, giving Own's about 1000 employees the deadline of January 31, 2025 in those positions.{{cite news |last1=Ford |first1=Brody |title=Salesforce Plans Layoffs at Acquisition Own in Strategy Shift |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/salesforce-plans-layoffs-acquisition-own-185717413.html |accessdate=20 November 2024 |work=Yahoo Finance |date=19 November 2024}} Salesforce has also acquired PredictSpring and Tenyx in 2024.{{cite web |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Salesforce to acquire startup Own for $1.9 billion in cash |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/05/salesforce-to-acquire-own-for-1point9-billion-in-cash.html |website=CNBC |access-date=6 September 2024 |language=en |date=5 September 2024}}

In November 2007, a phishing attack compromised contact information on a number of Salesforce customers. Some customers then received phishing emails that appeared to be invoices from Salesforce.{{Cite web |last=Berlind |first=David |title=Phishing-based breach of salesforce.com customer data is more evidence of industry's need to act on spam. Now. |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/phishing-based-breach-of-salesforce-com-customer-data-is-more-evidence-of-industrys-need-to-act-on-spam-now/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=ZDNet |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McMillan |first=Robert |date=2007-11-06 |title=Salesforce.com falls for phishing scam, warns customers |url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2539610/salesforce-com-falls-for-phishing-scam--warns-customers.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Computerworld |language=en}} Salesforce stated that "a phisher tricked someone into disclosing a password, but this intrusion did not stem from a security flaw in [the salesforce.com] application or database."

In 2017, at DEF CON, two security engineers were fired after giving a presentation on an internal project called MEATPISTOL.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce sacks two top security engineers for their DEF CON talk |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/10/salesforce_fires_its_senior_security_engineers_after_defcon_talk/ |access-date=October 9, 2018 |website=Theregister.co.uk}} The presenters were sent a message 30 minutes prior to the presentation telling them not to go on stage, but the message wasn't seen until after they finished.{{Cite web |last=Whittaker |first=Zack |date=August 9, 2017 |title=Salesforce fires red team staffers who gave Defcon talk |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/salesforce-fires-red-team-staffers-who-gave-defcon-talk/ |access-date=August 9, 2017 |website=Zdnet.com}} The MEATPISTOL tool was anticipated to be released as open-source at the time of the presentation, but Salesforce did not release the code to developers or the public during the conference. The terminated employees called on the company to open-source the software after being dismissed.{{Cite web |title=Security researchers fired after giving talk to hackers |url=http://news.sky.com/story/security-researchers-fired-after-giving-talk-to-hackers-10981960 |access-date=October 9, 2018 |website=News.sky.com}}

The not-for-profit organization Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) rejected a US$250,000 donation from Salesforce because the company has contracts with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-19 |title=Aid group Raices rejects $250,000 from Salesforce over border agency contract |url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/19/salesforce-raices-immigration-customs-border-protection |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}

In December 2019, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that Salesforce was one of 91 companies who "paid an effective federal tax rate of 0% or less" in 2018, as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Their findings were published in a report based on the 379 Fortune 500 companies that declared a profit in 2018.{{cite news | first = Jesse | last = Pound | title = These 91 companies paid no federal taxes in 2018| work = CNBC | date = December 16, 2019 | url = https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/16/these-91-fortune-500-companies-didnt-pay-federal-taxes-in-2018.html | access-date = 2020-02-11}}

In March 2019, Salesforce faced a lawsuit by 50 anonymous women claiming to be victims and survivors of sex trafficking, abuse, and rape, alleging the company profited from and helped build technology that facilitated sex trafficking on the now-defunct Backpage.com.{{Cite web | url=http://fortune.com/2019/03/27/salesforce-lawsuit-backpage-sex-trafficking/ | title=on Backpage.com | work=Fortune | date=March 27, 2019 | access-date=March 31, 2019 | author=Natasha Bach}} In March 2021, a judge granted partial dismissal of the case, dismissing charges of negligence and conspiracy, but allowed the case to proceed regarding charges of sex trafficking.{{Cite news |last=Banks |first=Gabrielle |date=2021-03-24 |title=Judge says tech giant Salesforce should stand trial for helping Backpage attract pimps and promote sex trafficking |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/Tech-giant-Salesforce-to-stand-trial-for-creating-16050424.php |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Houston Chronicle |language=en-US}} In March 2024, the case was dismissed without prejudice.{{Cite web |title=Doe v. Salesforce, Inc., Civil Action 3:23-CV-0915-B {{!}} Casetext Search + Citator |url=https://casetext.com/case/doe-v-salesforce-inc-2 |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=casetext.com}} In September 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied a request to reverse the dismissal.{{Cite web |last=Alafriz |first=Olivia |date=2024-09-26 |title=Salesforce Beats Travelers Bid to Duck Trafficking Case Costs |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/insurance/salesforce-beats-travelers-bid-to-duck-trafficking-case-costs |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Bloomberg Law}}

{{update section|date=March 2023}}

In July 2021, Salesforce Japan faced a discrimination lawsuit from a former employee, according to Japanese legal media.[https://www.bengo4.com/c_5/n_13323 発達障害の女性、大手IT・セールスフォースを提訴「合理的配慮を受けられず、雇い止めされた」弁護士ドットコム 2021年7月20日] The firm declined to comment on the suit to the media. The ex-employee, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD, claimed she was discriminated against because of her disability and terminated in the firm's Japan web marketing team.

The suit alleged that the anonymous woman, as an employee at Salesforce Japan from 2018 to 2020, faced hate speech, microaggressions and rejection of reasonable accommodation from the manager. She alleged that her attempts to resolve the problem were met with pressure from HR and job coach. The lawsuit is still continuing in Tokyo district court.{{cite web |url=https://www.genkoku2021.com/ |title=原告からのご報告 |language=Japanese |trans-title=Report from Plaintiff |website=genkoku2021 |access-date=August 7, 2022}}[http://www.jlaf-tokyo.jp/shibu_katsudo/news/573.pdf 発達障害当事者が障害者採用で入社したにも関わらず、合理的配慮の提供を受けられず、休職を余儀なくされた上、雇止めにされた事例で、訴訟を提起いたしました－セールスフォース・ドットコム事件 自由法曹団東京支部ニュース2021年8月号]

In Japan, the legal disability quota for private companies is 2.3%. But Salesforce Japan has not met the quota and pay levy from 2009 to 2021 except 2017. In 2020 the firm did not report the number of disabled employees to Japanese labor official. Depending on the result of lawsuit, it is undeniable that the firm may face a risk of negative impact to disability hiring such as performance improvement plan on the disability employment act or disclosure as social punishment from the labor official.{{cite news|url=https://weekly-economist.mainichi.jp/articles/20230207/se1/00m/020/043000c|title=オムロンが募集要項でうたうのは「コミュニケーション力 ＜ 技術力」 長谷川祐子

|language=Japanese|website=weekly-economist.mainichi.jp/|date=30 January 2023|accessdate=6 December 2023}}

In January 2023, Salesforce reported that 8,000 employees had been laid off as a result of over-hiring during the Covid lockdown and a global economic downturn. In March 2023, the Wall Street Journal reported that actor Matthew McConaughey was paid 10 million dollars yearly for his role as a "creative advisor and TV pitchman". American musician will.i.am was also cited to be on the company's payroll due to his "strong understanding of technology".{{cite web|url=https://www.techspot.com/news/97772-salesforce-which-laid-off-8000-workers-pays-creative.html |title=Salesforce, which just laid off 8,000 workers, pays 'creative advisor' Matthew McConaughey $10 million per year |last=Thubron |first=Rob |website=Techspot |date=March 2023 |publisher=TechSpot, Inc. |access-date=March 1, 2023}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-layoffs-marc-benioff-ohana-culture-8b3e82c |title=At Marc Benioff's Salesforce, It's One Big Family—Until Trouble Hits |last1=Dotan |first1=Tom |last2=Bindley |first2=Katherine |website=Wall Street Journal |date=February 28, 2023 |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc. |access-date=March 1, 2023}}

In September 2024, former Salesforce Senior Director Dina Zelikson filed a lawsuit against the company in San Francisco Superior Court, alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation during a medical leave.{{Cite web |title=BMMclaw |url=https://bmcclaw.com/2024/09/former-senior-director-sues-salesforce-for-wrongful-termination-during-health-crisis/}}

In 2009, Salesforce began investing in startups.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-salesforce-ventures-helped-fortify-salesforce-empire-2018-8|title=Inside Salesforce Ventures — the investment arm behind a $1 billion software ecosystem fueling growth|last1=Peterson|first1=Becky|date=August 18, 2018|website=BusinessInsider.com|publisher=Business Insider|access-date=4 February 2019}} These investments became Salesforce Ventures, headed by John Somorjai{{Cite web|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/embargoed-salesforce-com-to-set-up-a-venture-capital-fund/|title=Salesforce.com to Set Up a Venture Capital Fund|last1=De La Merced|first1=Michael J.|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 10, 2014}} In September 2014, SFV set up Salesforce1 Fund, aimed at start-ups creating applications primarily for mobile phones.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce.com Launches $100 Million Salesforce1 Fund |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/08/salesforce-com-launches-100-million-salesforce1-fund/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} In December 2018, Salesforce Ventures announced the launch of the Japan Trailblazer Fund, focused on Japanese startups.{{Cite web |title=Salesforce doubles down on Japan with dedicated $100M fund |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/06/salesforce-ventures-japan-trailblazer-fund-100-million/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=December 6, 2018 |language=en-US}}

In August 2018, Salesforce Ventures reported investments totaling over $1 billion in 275 companies, including CloudCraze (e-commerce),{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170105/BLOGS11/170109932/salesforce-software-maker-cloudcraze-lands-20-million-led-by-insight-venture|title=Salesforce software maker CloudCraze lands $20 million|last1=Pletz|first1=John|date=January 5, 2017|website=Crain's Chicago Business|publisher=Crain Communications|access-date=3 February 2019|quote=Salesforce's venture-capital arm also invested in the deal.}} Figure Eight (artificial intelligence),{{Cite web |title=Appen acquires Figure Eight for up to $300M, bringing two data annotation companies together |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/10/appen-acquires-figure-eight/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=March 10, 2019 |language=en-US}} Forter (online fraud prevention),{{Cite web |title=Forter raises $300M on a $3B valuation to combat e-commerce fraud |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/25/forter-raises-300m-on-a-3b-valuation-for-a-platform-to-combat-e-commerce-fraud/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=TechCrunch |date=May 25, 2021 |language=en-US}} and FinancialForce (automation software).{{Cite web |last1=Darrow |first1=Barb |date=June 20, 2017 |title=This Salesforce Ally Is Gearing Up to Take on Microsoft and Oracle |url=http://fortune.com/2017/06/20/salesforce-financialforce-microsoft/ |access-date=3 February 2019 |website=Fortune |publisher=Time Inc.}} In 2019, SFV's five largest investments—Domo (data-visualization software), SurveyMonkey (online survey software), Twilio (cloud-communication), Dropbox (cloud storage), and DocuSign (secure e-signature company)—accounted for nearly half of its portfolio.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-investment-domo-twilio-docusign-dropbox-2018-8|title=Salesforce owns $1.2 billion worth of other companies — here are its 5 biggest investments in public companies|last1=Peterson|first1=Becky|date=November 14, 2018|website=BusinessInsider.com|publisher=Business Insider|access-date=4 February 2019|quote=the company's five largest public investments account for $505 million}} In 2021, Salesforce announced that its investments had resulted in $2.17 Billion annual gain.{{Cite web |last=Levy |first=Ari |date=2021-03-06 |title=How Salesforce became Silicon Valley's best late-stage tech investor |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/06/how-salesforce-became-silicon-valleys-best-late-stage-tech-investor.html |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=CNBC |language=en}} In June 2023 Salesforce increased the size of its Generative AI Fund for startups from $250 million to $500 million,{{Cite web |last=Wiggers |first=Kyle |date=2023-06-12 |title=Salesforce pledges to invest $500M in generative AI startups |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/12/salesforce-pledges-to-invest-500m-in-generative-ai-startups/ |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}} and in September 2024 to $1 billion.{{cite web |last1=Nieva |first1=Richard |title=Salesforce's Venture Arm Commits Another $500 Million To Its Generative AI Fund |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardnieva/2024/09/16/salesforce-ventures-500-million-generative-ai-fund/ |work=Forbes |access-date=11 October 2024 |language=en}}

• Salesforce Tower (San Francisco, US)
• Salesforce Tower (Indianapolis, US)
• Salesforce Tower (London, UK)
• Salesforce Tower (Sydney, AU)
• Salesforce Singapore{{cite web |title=Salesforce Global Offices |url=https://www.salesforce.com/ap/company/locations/ |website=Salesforce |access-date=19 September 2023 |language=en}}

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