Not since the Donald took over New York society in the roaring eighties has one man come to dominate a city's life the way Marc Benioff is leaving his mark on San Francisco.
While the biggest monument to his company's success, the 1,070 foot Salesforce Tower, is under construction at First and Fremont, two blocks away at Moscone Center his annual Dreamforce Conference clogged the streets this week, with a record-breaking 135,000 people in attendance.
It all reached its apex on Tuesday, a day which began with an appearance by Hillary Clinton, and ended with an evening concert at Civic Center by Bruno Mars and Cake. The benefit concert raised about $9 million for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.
Like Trump, Benioff is a master salesman and showman, but that may be where the similarity ends — Benioff has often used his fortune and influence to improve the lives of others. He and his wife Lynne Benioff have given $200 million to the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in Oakland and San Francisco, in addition to contributions from the Salesforce.com Foundation.
Showman From Head to Toe, Benioff's "Dreamforce" Louboutins
Photo: Marc Benioff, via Twitter
The Dreamforce Conference itself was used as a platform for charity. Attendees were asked to donate a can of food, with the goal of donating one million meals to those in need.
Lars Ulrich, Yoshiki, Marc Benioff, David Blaine
Photo: Marc Benioff, via Twitter
After the concert, the Ron Conway Family and Salesforce.com co-hosted an after-party for supporters featuring MC Hammer and Will.i.am, attended by guests such as celebrity pals Lars Ulrich, Yoshiki, and David Blaine.
Pop stars, Presidential nominees and parties that take over City Hall -- all this from a man whose company is based on remarkably un-glamorous things such as sales software, big data, and cloud analytics platforms. Then again, the Donald never dressed as well, did such good for his city, and certainly never had this much fun!
