10 Things You Didn’t Know about Marc Benioff

If you know anything at all about Marc Benioff it is that he is a billionaire (his net worth is approximately $3.8 billion) and co-founder who is currently serving as CEO of Salesforce.com. He has achieved massive success. He’s been at it for a decade and a half and the man has gained some valuable knowledge on his way. He is well known for breaking sales records. In fact, he’s quickly approaching the five and a half billion dollar mark as of right now. Yes, cloud computing is a lucrative business.

You would expect a mogul such as Benioff to demand the very best accommodations and enjoy the life of luxury that he has earned. We know that he sponsors concerts as a part of the Salesforce annual conferences, but are they simply for entertainment purposes or does Marc have other reasons for doing this?

We’ve discovered that there is a lot more to Marc Benioff that most people realize. He is not your average multi billionaire. When you get to the heart of the matter, Marc is a humanitarian who takes an active interest in giving back to the community. He has a sense of humility that most people don’t readily see.

Here are ten things about Marc Benioff that you probably didn’t know.

1. He has donated generously to a children’s hospital. He is currently working with the Gates foundation to expand care for children born prematurely. Benioff is a benefactor for countless children who are in need of medical intervention and he’s shown a consistent commitment to improving services at this hospital.

2. The hospital that Marc donated millions to made him give extra. To have his name put on it, he had to give them millions more. He shelled out the cash and it is now called the Benioff Hospital.The reason for wanting his name associated with the institution, he claims, is not for the prestige, but rather because it will serve as an inspiration for others to get involved in helping with donations.

3. Marc has a heart for children in the pubic school system. Although he has already made several generous donations, he is planning to give another large sum to schools in the San Francisco area. He continues to make generous gestures to strengthen their tech programs. Marc understands the value of being tech savvy in today’s world. He has these values in common with Bill and Melinda Gates who have made substantial contributions to the public school systems.

4. Benioff doesn’t always stay at luxury hotels. When he travels, he prefers B&B accommodations. Perhaps he enjoys the simple life. It’s possible that he enjoys living a normal life whenever he can. We’re still learning about who Marc Benioff really is as a person.

5. Marc sponsors free concerts annually. These are for the customer conferences that he hosts each year. The concerts are actually fundraisers to help the hospital. The rumor is that the upcoming conference will feature a Bruno Mars concert. The fundraising goal amount for this year is in the neighborhood of $8 million.

6. He has the opinion that San Francisco may be living in a golden age economically. He believes that the age of prosperity is going to soon come to an end. This is why he is active in community development. Instead of being a part of the problem he wants to do his best to be a part of the remedy in whatever way he can.

7. Benioff stated that he wants to help build a “safety net” within the social strata of San Francisco. This includes improving schools, shelters for the homeless and improving medical services. It is tied in with his sense that San Francisco is headed for a fall. If this is in fact the case and there is a crisis in the city, his ideas would be on the mark for investing in places for the homeless to take refuge. There is already a significant homeless population in the Bay area.

8. Benioff likes the way Apple is being run. He suggested that his mother should purchase stock in the company. This is the ultimate show of confidence. He credits part of his success to his positive associations with Steve Jobs. Jobs mentored Marc in the early days of his career and he gives credit where it is due.

9. He does not claim an allegiance to any of the established political parties. He believes that it is enough to be an American. He shows support for the President but makes no commitment beyond that. He claims that he is not really that close to anyone in the political arena. One thing is for certain, the American dream is something that he has had a lot of success in achieving. He could have the white picket fence and a chicken in every pot with the wealth that he has amassed.

10. Benioff has encountered a type of spiritual enlightenment. This occurred on a trip to India. It was at this time that he realized that he must give back to the people. His interactions with a guru opened his eyes to the needs of other people and that he is in a position to help them. This led him to the creation of his philanthropy philosophy that companies must be diligent in making donations in several areas of operation including money, product and time donations.