Tech CEO Warns of Pulling Convention From Liberal S.F.

Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of software giant Salesforce, has warned the company could move its annual Dreamforce convention from San Francisco if participants of this year's event fall victim to the city's surging crime wave.

Dreamforce is the city's largest convention, with 40,000 people expected to attend the event Sept. 12-14. But San Francisco, which ranks among the most left-wing cities in the U.S., has been rocked by increases in homelessness, drug use, and crime.

"If this Dreamforce is impacted by the current situation with homelessness and drug use it may be the last Dreamforce" in the city, Benioff told the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday.

San Francisco is averaging more than two drug overdose deaths a day, and is on pace for a record high, the Chronicle reported. Robberies are up 16% from this point last year, homicides are up 12.1%, and motor vehicle thefts are up 11.3%, according to San Francisco Police Department statistics.

Benioff said his company, which is based in San Francisco, is working to ensure the convention is free of incidents. He told the Chronicle organizers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will bring world leaders, including President Joe Biden, and corporate CEOs to San Francisco on Nov. 14-16, will be watching his convention closely.

"We're working hand-in-hand with the city as we always do," Benioff told the Chronicle. "We'll bring a significant number of people to the city — 40,000 people — and it will generate $57 million in the downtown economy. So, it's in all of our interests for it to go well, and for APEC to go well. This should be the focus of the city."

Dreamforce is billing itself as the largest artificial intelligence event in the world this year, with speakers including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Stanford AI professor Fei-Fei Li, and actor Matthew McConaughey, according to its website. The Foo Fighters also are scheduled to perform at the event's concert.

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