Marc Benioff is the CEO of Salesforce, a company he co-founded in 1999. His journey from a nominal salary of just $10 a year to a total compensation of $10 million in 2023 reflects his commitment to aligning his success...

Marc Benioff is the CEO of Salesforce, a company he co-founded in 1999. His journey from a nominal salary of just $10 a year to a total compensation of $10 million in 2023 reflects his commitment to aligning his success with the company's performance. As of October 2023, he owns around 15 million shares of Salesforce stock, worth over $5 billion, showcasing his confidence in the company's future. During his time at Salesforce, he introduced innovative performance-based compensation plans, tying bonuses to company growth metrics. Benioff's leadership style is distinct—he has a history of minimizing his salary while focusing on creating a sustainable business. The company thrives under his guidance, using cutting-edge cloud technologies that have transformed the way organizations manage customer relationships. He has also held various positions in the ranks of leadership, most recently becoming the sole CEO after a co-CEO system prompted by the resignation of Bret Taylor. This strategic shift indicates his long-term vision for Salesforce in the evolving tech landscape.

Quick Links

1. Rivals

2. Holdings

3. Insider Trading

4. Compensation History

5. Other Salesforce CEOs

S

Marc Benioff

Founder and CEO of Salesforce

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley

Field of Expertise

Business & Management

Sector of Economy

Technology

Born

September 25, 1963 - 61 years ago

CEO of Salesforce for

2 years 5 months (Jan 2023 - Present)

Previous Experience

Oracle Corporation

Rivals

Competitors/colleagues of Marc Benioff

M

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, Inc.

2022 Compensation

Stock

$0.00

Salary

$1.00

Bonus

$0.00

Other

$27.11M

Total Holdings

$207.33B

A

Sundar Pichai

CEO of Alphabet Inc.

2023 Compensation

Stock

$155.42M

Salary

$2.00M

Bonus

$0.00

Other

$6.80M

Total Holdings

$459.19M

A

Jayshree Ullal

CEO of Arista Networks

2023 Compensation

Stock

$15.05M

Salary

$300.00K

Bonus

$200.00K

Other

$10.40K

Total Holdings

$3.15B

A

Shantanu Narayen

CEO of Adobe

2023 Compensation

Stock

$0.00

Salary

$1.50M

Bonus

$3.00M

Other

$355.28K

Total Holdings

$140.10M

A

Andrew R. Jassy

CEO of Amazon

2023 Compensation

Stock

$27.83M

Salary

$365.00K

Bonus

$0.00

Other

$992.76K

Total Holdings

$19.04M

N

Jen-Hsun Huang

Founder and CEO of Nvidia

2023 Compensation

Stock

$61.63M

Salary

$1.00M

Bonus

$4.00M

Other

$2.49M

Total Holdings

$99.30B

Holdings

See how much did Marc Benioff make over time.

Marc Benioff's holdings, primarily in Salesforce, stand at around 15 million shares valued over $5 billion as of October 2023. This means a significant portion of his wealth is tied to the company’s stock performance. His major holdings saw a...

Marc Benioff's holdings, primarily in Salesforce, stand at around 15 million shares valued over $5 billion as of October 2023. This means a significant portion of his wealth is tied to the company’s stock performance. His major holdings saw a significant increase over the years, marking a clear bet on the future of Salesforce. Interestingly, he had previously worked for a token salary of $10 annually, emphasizing his commitment to the company's vision and growth. This shift in wealth accumulation signals his strong belief in Salesforce's ongoing success and innovation in cloud computing, as he remains heavily invested in the company’s future.

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Total Stock Sold

$3.83B

CRM

$3.83B

26,156,242 CRM shares

What if they kept their stock?

If Marc Benioff didn't sell their stock, today they would have:
Extra CRM26,156,242 shares worth $5.20B.
This is 35.66% and $1.37B more than what they got when they sold the stock.

Charitable Transactions

CRM

6,215,702 shares

CRM

Recent Charitable Transactions

CRM

600,000 shares

CRM

Dec 24, 2024

Charity

CRM

32,870 shares

CRM

Jun 7, 2024

Charity

CRM

107,000 shares

CRM

Jun 6, 2024

Charity

CRM

250,000 shares

CRM

Sep 26, 2023

Charity

CRM

198,000 shares

CRM

Jun 29, 2023

Charity

CRM

500,000 shares

CRM

Jun 9, 2023

Charity

Insider Trading

See recent insider trades of Marc Benioff.

CRM

600,000 shares

CRM

Dec 24, 2024

Charity

CRM

$219.05M

CRM at $345.39/share

Dec 18, 2024

Sale

CRM

$3.63M

CRM at $241.96/share

Jun 10, 2024

Sale

CRM

32,870 shares

CRM

Jun 7, 2024

Charity

CRM

$3.64M

CRM at $242.51/share

Jun 7, 2024

Sale

CRM

107,000 shares

CRM

Jun 6, 2024

Charity

CRM

107,000 shares

CRM

Jun 6, 2024

Charity

CRM

$3.65M

CRM at $243.50/share

Jun 6, 2024

Sale

CRM

$3.52M

CRM at $234.63/share

Jun 5, 2024

Sale

CRM

$3.55M

CRM at $236.81/share

Jun 4, 2024

Sale

Compensation History

See how much did Marc Benioff make over time.

In 2023, Marc Benioff's total compensation reached $10 million, which included a base salary of $1.55 million and a performance bonus of $3.17 million. His compensation reflects a change from when he had a nominal salary of $10 annually during Salesforce's early days. Instead of relying on traditional compensation structures, he has set up performance-based incentives that align his rewards with the company’s growth. His bonuses are tied to measures like revenue and profitability, which keeps the focus on tangible results. Over the years, he has transitioned to a more market-aligned compensation package, showing a practical approach to executive pay that harmonizes personal and company success. This philosophy helps draw in top talent while keeping everyone focused on long-term performance.

Year

2023

Total Compensation

$9.37M

Salary

$1.55M

Board Justification

The compensation philosophy is designed to attract and retain top executive talent while aligning their interests with those of stockholders through performance-based incentives.

Bonus

$3.17M

Board Justification

The bonus is based on the achievement of pre-established Company financial performance goals, capped at 100% of target due to overall performance.

Other

$4.65M

Board Justification

Includes costs for security arrangements and travel expenses related to business activities.

Restricted Stock

$0.00(0 PRSUs)

Board Justification

No stock awards vested in 2023 as the performance-based restricted stock units (PRSUs) did not meet the required performance metrics for vesting.

Performance Metrics

The performance metrics include revenue, operating cash flow, and non-GAAP income from operations, with a focus on achieving significant growth and profitability.

Other Salesforce CEOs

Here are other CEOs of Salesforce

Bret Taylor

Ex-CEO of Salesforce

November 2021 - January 2023