Marc Benioff
Co-founder & CEO at Salesforce
Marc Benioff is the co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, the second largest B2B SaaS company in the world, a pioneer of cloud computing and SaaS business models.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Marc Benioff shares stories from 25 years of building Salesforce, including his mentorship under Steve Jobs, the story behind gifting the appstore.com domain, and his approach to staying ahead of technology waves from cloud to AI agents. He emphasizes beginner's mind, relentless experimentation, and the power of generosity in founder relationships.
Leadership Principles
- → The mindset should be 'I can't wait for the next thing' — never resist the next wave
- → Throw everything against the wall, see what sticks, then turn winning tactics into winning strategies
- → Don't look at the stock price — the stock isn't the goal
Notable Quotes
"I'm throwing everything against the wall. I'm looking at what's going to stick. I am looking to try to find the winning tactic and turn it into a winning strategy."
— On his approach to Salesforce's legendary launch strategy
"I actually never look at the stock. I find the stock to be very distracting. The stock isn't the goal. That's not why we're doing this."
— On maintaining focus on mission rather than market cap
"You want the mindset of, 'Oh, the next thing is coming. I can't wait for the next thing.'"
— On approaching AI and agents with excitement rather than resistance
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