Quotes from Marc Benioff

guiding principles about the system: "Do it fast, simple, and right the first time (and did we mention fast?)." They wrote these "laws" on a white board, and they stuck. They forced us to create code that was simple and efficient, and this is what ultimately gave us the ability to scale.

Just as CEOs can't look away when social issues clash with their values, employees can't pretend that whatever its leadership decides to do is above their pay grade. If leadership won't act on a company's values, employees at every level need to hold them accountable.

I love software and I love technology.

The CMO is expected to spend more on technology than the CIO by 2017.

Nothing is going to make you happier in your life than giving

This idea that we can take hundreds of thousands, which we've done so far, and scale it to millions and move them into a new workforce, this is really critical because Salesforce is a platform.

One person at a time, one company at a time.

Philanthropy isn't just about big gifts; it's about participation. It is about the grace that comes from working together.

The antidote to inequality is equality. The question is how do you achieve equality? I believe that, for business, which is where I can speak, we have to shift from shareholder maximization to stakeholder maximization.

You look to Google, you see this incredible world of information, you see the advertising, but you also get Google Analytics. And Google Analytics coupled with Salesforce's sales and service and marketing means that both of our customers are going to have customer insights that they've never had before. That is really exciting.

The world is being re-shaped by the convergence of social, mobile, cloud, big data, community and other powerful forces. The combination of these technologies unlocks an incredible opportunity to connect everything together in a new way and is dramatically transforming the way we live and work.

You can do things in every part of the world. You can do things in every discipline. You can do large things, you can do small things. But it takes a while to figure out what you actually want to do. And it changes. As you change your interests and desires in philanthropy change, I think you have to be open to that change.

Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.

I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I started my own software company in high school and went to college to study entrepreneurship.

If someone asks me what cloud computing is, I try not to get bogged down with definitions. I tell them that, simply put, cloud computing is a better way to run your business.

We need a new generation of executives who understand how to manage and lead through data. And we also need a new generation of employees who are able to help us organize and structure our businesses around that data.

I think everybody understands mobility because everybody's got a cellphone and lots of apps and seen how they've moved off of PCs and onto mobility.

I want to remind everyone that we have a no alcohol policy at Salesforce. Alcohol is a drug, and having alcohol on a Salesforce premise is simply unfair to the Ohana who either do not want it or are intolerant of it.

Learning how to interact with customers is something that anyone starting any business must master. It's an amazing opportunity to be able to learn the ropes at an established company and then employ your expertise at your own company.

It's not so unusual for me to have a week of meetings that includes not only my employees, not only my customers, not only media, but could also include principals of local K-12 schools; it could include non-governmental organizations or nonprofit organizations or members of the community.

Presentation skills are key. People who work for you represent your brand. You want them to present themselves - and represent you - in a certain way.

I like to be in locations that I kind of feel are very creative, that stimulate me in a creative process.

The whole concept of data science is that the software becomes the expert, and you, as the average user, are able to understand what's going on.

I strongly believe the business of a business is to improve the world.