An Open Letter to Marc Benioff
By: Brian Kean
Tags: Silicon Valley, Salesforce, Blockchain Technology, Fundraising, Marc Benioff

An Open Letter to Marc Benioff

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

Dear Marc,

First of all, I want to say that I really respect you and the work you do. You are a force in the business world and truly must be an awesome sense of accomplishment entering this building in downtown San Francisco everyday.

That lobby is really amazing! I was so nervous and arrived early just to hang out there while waiting for someone to come down and collect me — the bears and the forest motif chilled me. I think birds were even chirping.

Having flown in about early on the day before from Russia, my jet-lag was beginning to catch up to really make me feel a bit punch drunk. The very nice woman who saw me up to your floor, however, then proceeded to give a really powerful coffee — I was ready to go.

Do you need anything else, she asked? Yes, can you show me how to link my computer so it can be viewed on the screen? She helped and left me alone to wait for you.

You and I first met in Tianjin, China at the World Economic Forum. I had been meeting with Klaus Schwab, WEF’s founder and executive chairman as we were finalizing the details of my upcoming employment at WEF. The offer to join him would be presented to me in the next month.

Arriving late to panel as a result of that meeting, I entered at the moment you and the Minister of Education from Singapore were chatting about the need for creating a system of apprenticeships in the world. As one of the CEO’s on Trump’s economic council, you mentioned that the president had promised he would work with you to create some really huge number of apprenticeships to help make America competitive again — I was so excited to hear that, to say the least. It completely tied in with my own thoughts.

Afterwards in the lounge for WEF members, I was working on the program that had led to my pending job offer at WEF when you walked in. Feeling empowered and impressed by your speech, I introduced myself and we chatted about my program called CityToken.

CityToken is a blockchain program that tethers a token to a city’s intrinsic value. Creating a new, local economy of value for community residents, CityToken would be the first program — and one using the blockchain technology — to combat the effects of income inequality. Add value to the community and earn value usable in that community. Chatting near the refreshments, you commented on how the program sounded quite amazing and that you would be happy to read more about it — I told you I was seeking a financial and strategic partner for it.

Send it over to me, you added.

At that very moment, one of the board of directors of WEF, a woman named Cheryl, walked in to meet with me at the request of Klaus. She seemed unnerved seeing us chatting, I recall. I thought it had impressed her. Here I was, the new guy entering into the WEF upper management, her peer, and I was already making linkage to you and sharing information about the program I was building for Klaus.

A month later, you read my materials and again commented on how timely and unique the approach was. Perhaps, you were being nice but you wrote that when in San Francisco, I should drop by and let’s chat some more.

At this very same time, I received a note from Professor Schwab that our mid-July meeting, the one where I was supposed to receive my official job offer, was canceled. It would not be rescheduled. He would not be able to move forward as there was just too much on his plate and the board was against hiring new people for upper management.

Marc, you may know this already but WEF is a cut-throat organization and the top-level people eat each other for lunch. Klaus is a visionary and a great, and very tough, man. It seems that a massive power struggle was underway in WEF at the time and Cheryl, with whom I met for 7 minutes, decided that I needed to be stopped — Klaus was too enamored with my idea and my energy according to people close to him.

The other guy Klaus asked to me meet, some Jeremy Jurgens, a fellow in charge of digital mapping issues — something WEF is very proud of — was so charming. He shared with me the mapping ideology and we even began to brainstorm how my project would benefit from his data.

It turns out, though, Jeremy had already joined forces with Cheryl to stop my candidacy from going any further. A few months later, Jeremy, the man truly in charge of WEF, ate Cheryl and she was removed. I am sure you know him. He remains there today mapping away, a force for the sake of himself inside of WEF. What will WEF be when our buddy Klaus leaves? Assassins like Jurgens will run it into the ground, it seems.

Not only was I shocked by the very sudden turn of events — Klaus had literally been telling me about the wonderful nursery school my son would be attending — but it shook my professionally. My heart had already bid farewell to my job in Russia and I was dreaming of finally making a real difference in this world with the CityToken. Nothing could better begin to chip away at income inequality than my program, I believed. America had voted a “Trump” into office because of the effects of income inequality and I had a solution many, including Klaus, told me.

Needing time to recoup and gather my wits, our meeting would be delayed.

Literally, one year after we met in China, a meeting with you and your chief of staff, Joe, was confirmed. I booked my flight on my own dime and off I flew. The whole flight I went over and over my presentation. I imagined how in five years CityToken would be set up in at least a dozen 3rd-tier cities throughout the US.

Stepping out the elevator, I saw you up in your office. My nervousness vanished and a certain calming technique I have when meeting celebrities kicked in. Celebrities are just like us and maybe even more nervous — we fail and no problem. You guys are obligated to always be on and to avoid failure like plagues. I was going to calm you. I had done it when I met Dave Letterman, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep — she let me kiss her cheek — and a slew of lesser greats, I would chill you out with “Brian energy.”

Ten minutes went by; twenty passed on and now the meeting was thirty minutes late and my coolness was heating up. A tightness was spreading across the back of my neck. My head began to hurt bad. My wife sent a message asking how it had gone. Hasn’t started yet, he is late. Good luck, honey, she wrote. Regardless, we are proud.

Finally, your chief of staff, Joe, walked in and apologized profusely for the tardiness. Just trying to get so many meetings done in so little time. I leave for vacation today. So let’s begin? Shall we wait for Marc? Oh no, he won’t be joining us. He isn’t here today. (I had just seen you descend the steps from your office moments before Joe walked in.)

The pain in my head entered into my teeth and mouth and dried up all of the saliva. I grabbed for my little cup of now-empty water and almost jammed my tongue into it to absorb the final three droplets hanging on the bottom, laughing at me. I will have to go to my next meeting in 15 minutes, so…perhaps we just skip the presentation and you tell me about the program?

18 minutes after I began, I sat there in the meeting room alone. Gathering my things and drinking more water. I took an anti-migraine pill because all the signs that I was about to be hit were there. Joe left 14 minutes after I began talking. He didn’t want to be late to the next meeting, he told me.

This is really an amazing program. I mean really. But, you know, Marc is more into saving the oceans now. Combating income inequality isn’t really his thing, Joe said. But thanks for coming anyway. It was a pleasure meeting you.

Desperate, I literally pleaded, you really don’t think there is someway this could be presented directly to Marc so perhaps he or Salesforce could help launch just one city with a small investment?

No, I don’t how that would be possible. It simply doesn’t help our bottom-line at all.

Marc, desperate Americans selected a racist, fascist president because they are so economically strapped and Joey’s only concern was Salesforce’s bottom-line. In order to launch one city with the CityToken program, I pretty much only needed the table in your meeting room and half of the really cool furniture in your lobby. That would investment would finally start a conversation about how to reverse the effects of income inequality.

You know what I did, Marc? I left. Turned off my phone. My head was exploding and so I went to a Giant’s afternoon game to just melt into my favorite sport. I drank 6 IPA’s and got really sunburned.

The oceans are still a mess, though, buddy; and, income inequality is worse than ever but your worth $7.8 billion as of May 2020. You work hard and are very talented. You deserve your success — but so do others.

Salesforce revenue in 2019 was nearly $14 billion.

Come on, man, really?