In a classic Silicon Valley plot twist, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has done the ultimate tech executive backpedal, walking back his controversial suggestion to deploy National Guard troops in San Francisco.

After causing a massive stir by openly supporting President Trump’s potential military intervention in the city, Benioff quickly realized he might have stepped in some seriously spicy political quicksand. His rapid-fire apology on social media platform X read like a crisis management textbook case study.

The Great Walkback

Benioff’s initial comments to the New York Times suggesting the National Guard could effectively replace local law enforcement sparked immediate backlash, even within his own professional circles. The tech mogul’s statement that “We don’t have enough cops” quickly became a PR nightmare, leading to significant fallout.

Silicon Valley’s Shifting Loyalties

This incident highlights a growing trend of tech billionaires increasingly cozying up to controversial political figures, a phenomenon that’s becoming all too familiar in the Bay Area’s rapidly changing political landscape. Benioff’s pivot wasn’t just a simple “sorry,” but a calculated retreat from potentially alienating his core customer base and local community.

The Aftermath

The drama didn’t stop at his apology. Reports emerged that prominent venture capitalist Ron Conway even quit the Salesforce Foundation board over Benioff’s comments, demonstrating just how toxic his initial stance had become. Moreover, additional reporting revealed Salesforce’s complex relationship with government agencies like ICE, adding another layer of complexity to Benioff’s political misstep.

In true tech billionaire fashion, Benioff managed to turn a potential PR disaster into a somewhat graceful, if not entirely convincing, moment of public reflection.