Marc Benioff
He’s the CEO and co-founder of San Francisco-based Salesforce, one of the world’s largest software companies, which owns the popular messaging service Slack and is worth nearly $300 billion. He also owns Time magazine.
When I ask Benioff about the properties in the anonymous LLCs, things seem to take a turn. He starts speaking more quickly and fidgets with a piece of paper in his hand. He’s reluctant to go through the holdings, and his adviser on the Zoom call jumps in to say we can discuss later.
A couple of days before the interview, Benioff texted the same NPR colleague again, asking for intel on my story. Then he called me and demanded to know the title of this piece. During that call, he also mentioned he knew the exact area where I was staying. Unnerved, I asked how he knew, and he said, “It’s my job. You have a job and I have a job.” During the interview, he brings up more personal details about me and my family.
I leave the meeting disconcerted and still unclear about what exactly is happening with his land in Waimea.
The following day, I drive around with a photographer to take pictures of the town and Benioff’s projects. We go to the property he described as a community center and are confronted by one of his employees. The photographer explains we’re there to take photos of the outside of the building. Shortly afterward, I get a text from Benioff. His employee seemed to think we were “snooping,” and he says he’s escalating the incident to NPR CEO John Lansing. Lansing confirmed he spoke with Benioff, without going into detail — the NPR newsroom operates independently, and the CEO is not involved in editorial decision-making. Benioff didn’t respond to my question about the purpose of this call.
The real story is the stupid shit he pulled by trying to bully and intimidate a reporter and a news organization.
There Is No Such Thing As A Good Billionaire. Every billionaire is a cancerous tumor that needs to be removed from society.
? Bill Gates seems to be doing a good job and contributing pretty significantly to doing good.
If you make broad statements about every person in a category it hurts rather than helps your cause.
Edit: I’ve replied to many people below but noone has ready provided any strong counter arguments but keep downvoting. Not sure why, as again - everyone is just circlejerking themselves that billionaires are bad and should be killed without actually trying to have a decent discussion on the whole thing. At this point I assume people are just trolling as it seems unlikely so many people are unable to think it through logically.
Bill Gates whose wife divorced him after it came out that he was on Epstein’s plane? Or Bill Gates who spent like 30 years building a monopoly on anti-competitive tactics and used that position to ground any contenders into dust?
Trying to karmicly balance decades of being a shit stain by switching to altruism once you’re old and rich isn’t the same as being a good person.
Yes, once you’re a bad person you’re always a bad person.
Again, it’s statements like this which are just ridiculous. People change and if you think Bill Gates is doing a shitty/bad thing then we’re fucked because of the lot he’s by far the most charitable and looking to make the world better.
He’s certainly done more than you or most people on the planet have done to help.
I’m not sure why you’re getting downvoted so much, but I’ll join you so you’re not alone.
I fully believe there should be no billionaires, but somehow suggesting one of them is at least attempting to improve some things seems to be an absolute sin. I don’t think Gates is a saint, but I do believe in a lot of the projects he’s working on.
I assure you a guy who wakes up every day and makes a decision not to end hunger and instead use his stolen wealth to destroy public school systems and buy good PR is not attempting to improve things.
100% wrong in all ways. I’m not sure how hexbear does their macros but pretend I posted “shut the fuck up liberal” with Stalin’s eye’s glowing red.
I’m quite left leaning.
But there’s always going to be extremists either way, and just blanketly saying everyone with money is evil is moronic/extremist left.
It’s also ironic you mention Stalin because that turned out so well… 😅.
I would say not all millionaires are bad because not all of them gain their wealth through exploitive practices. Plenty of them are just retirees that have worked all their lives and shouldn’t have to work anymore anyways.
On the other hand, it’s literally impossible to become a billionaire without exploiting a truly absurd number of people. It’s that scale of exploitation that makes billionaires categorically a plague on society. If you can’t see that then you’re certainly not left leaning in any sense.
I agree that they do get there by exploiting people sure.
Is there a difference between someone like Jeff bezos and Bill Gates though? If you say no then I can’t help you. If you can see the difference then we can continue the discussion because exploiting people at one stage in your life and then trying to make up for it later is inherently good in my opinion.
Put another way, do you think once you’re a criminal you’re always a criminal? There is no chance of redemption and of being a good person?
Is there a difference between someone like Jeff bezos and Bill Gates though?
Yes, Bill Gates has better PR. That’s literally it. He’s not actually trying to do good at this stage in his life. It’s a testament to the power of his wealth that you think otherwise.
Then you are a fool if that’s the only thing different. Here, have a read: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/2023/01/23/americas-top-givers-2023-the-25-most-philanthropic-billionaires/
It’s also ironic you mention Stalin because that turned out so well…
While there are legitimate criticisms of the guy, particularly his lack of support for the Chinese and Korean struggles, they’re entirely negated by how well 1917 and WWII turned out given the circumstances.
Though I’m sure you wish they turned out differently.
they’re entirely negated by how well 1917 and WWII turned out given the circumstances.
Like hell they are.
I do not have sufficient historical context to form a strong opinion on his advice to the Communist Party of China that got them eviscerated in the 20s, and again in the 40s or the lack of support for Korea, and other mistakes, but I’m certain you have even less.
Dude killed way more people than Hitler my guy
Are all of the properties connected? When Bill Gates built his house he used a bunch of shell companies to buy up all the lots that became his estate, so that the owners didn’t realize there was a big project planned there by the richest man in the world and demand higher prices.
Zuck did the same on Kauai
Unlimited money and still pulling shenanigans so that they don’t have to pay it to other people.
They got wealthy by making smart decisions like these. They’re not trying to avoid paying a fair price, they’re trying to make sure they don’t get gouged when the buyers realize how deep their pockets are. I would challenge you to consider whether your statement was made with reason, or with a learned hate for those wealthier than you.
That is some serious cuckery right there. Why in the fuck would you want the world to be owned by people who can never be held responsible for who they destroy? They’re not going to love you. Ever.
The only reasonable way to deal with them is tax everything over $500 Million at 100%. NO individual should EVER have this much power.
