Ron Conway, founder of SV Angel, speaks at the TechCrunch Disrupt NYC 2015 conference in New York on May 4, 2015.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Days after President Donald Trump suggested sending federal troops to San Francisco, sales force CEO Marc Benioff faces several repercussions.
Renowned startup investor Ron Conway has backed the following companies: google, airbnb CNBC confirmed that Stripe resigned from the Salesforce Foundation board on Thursday. Mr. Conway, a longtime Democratic donor and member of Mr. Kamala’s venture capital firm, has contributed about $500,000 to at least two funds linked to Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful 2024 campaign.
The New York Times first reported Conway’s departure from the Salesforce Foundation. A Salesforce spokesperson confirmed his departure in an emailed statement.
“We are deeply grateful to Ron Conway and his incredible contributions to the Salesforce Foundation Board of Directors over more than a decade,” the spokesperson said, noting that the organization “has committed $250 million to public schools and education nonprofits to advance opportunity and access for young people, including $30 million announced this week.”
The Trump administration recently deployed the National Guard to Portland, Oregon and Chicago, sparking protests and lawsuits that resulted in citizens and immigrants being detained without legal representation.
In an article published in the New York Times over the weekend, Benioff said he would welcome troops to San Francisco, where Salesforce is based. The company’s annual Dreamforce conference kicked off Tuesday in downtown San Francisco.
“We don’t have enough police officers, so if they can become police officers, I’m all for it,” Benioff told the Times.
Benioff later appeared to backtrack on his comments, writing to X that safety is “first and foremost the responsibility of our city and state leaders.” But by that point, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other right-wing figures had seized on his original comments and amplified them to their audience.
Musk has drawn criticism for his personal drug use, and characterized downtown San Francisco as a “drug zombie apocalypse.” And on Wednesday, President Trump called San Francisco a “chaos” and threatened to deploy the National Guard.
According to the newspaper, Conway told Benioff in an email that their “values no longer align.” Mr. Benioff has donated to members of both parties, but has supported Democratic presidential candidates including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.
Conway is the founder and managing partner of SV Angel, an early-stage venture firm. He has been a longtime technology advocate in San Francisco, founding the trade association sf.citi and helping launch FWD.us, which focuses on immigration reform.
The Salesforce Foundation isn’t Benioff’s only philanthropic connection. Conway is also a major donor to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.
Mr. Conway did not respond to requests for comment.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco leaders issued statements and held a press conference Wednesday to send the message that federal troops are not welcome in the city and that crime is down.
Conway has supported Newsom in 2021, including when he opposed the Democratic governor’s recall effort.
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