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Happy birthday Salesforce!
It’s been 19 years since Salesforce first started in a small apartment in San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill, and needless to say, it’s been quite a ride. Today, we are 30,000 employees strong, and are proud to be recognized as #1 on the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For®" list. We are blazing trails alongside our customers, partners, and communities, and are excited for what the next 19 years (and more!) have in store.
To celebrate the big day, we asked a few of our leaders about their favorite Salesforce memories. From giving back to paving the path to equality to the magic of Dreamforce, check out some of their brightest moments.
I had always heard that Salesforce was special. Everyone talked about our unique culture, but I didn’t truly see it until I lived it. My “aha” moment came when I joined the Ohana almost five years ago and participated in my first VTO activity. In the past, giving back to me meant writing a check. At Salesforce, it meant going out into my community. I spent the day volunteering at Boston’s inner city schools, mentoring and reading to local kids. That was when I thought, “Wow. This place is different.”
One of my favorite Salesforce memories was celebrating our fifth year of partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District and the Oakland Unified School District. The 2017 event was held at San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley Middle School. I grew up a few blocks away from that exact school, and my mom still lives there, which made the experience even more meaningful. I was able to see young girls – girls just like me – have opportunities and exposure because of the work Salesforce does in our community. Watching the kids play and have fun with my colleagues reminded me why I love my job.
My favorite memories are the funny ones! It was mere days before our initial public offering in 2004, and employees across the company were anxious about how Salesforce would be received. To calm nerves, we held an All Hands meeting. At the time, all of our employees filled up a single conference room in San Francisco. Marc brought his ukulele and started singing “We’ve Got the Whole IPO in Our Hands,” to the tune of “We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands.” Everyone started smiling, laughing, and singing along. Our Ohana spirit came alive. And, of course, the rest is history.
In 2017 I became the corporate chair of the San Francisco JDRF One Walk to benefit those affected by Type 1 diabetes. My family is not impacted by this condition, and I had never led a fundraising effort before, but I knew this was a cause that needed our help. On the day of the walk, thousands showed up and we ended up breaking previous records to raise $1.2 million. It was wonderful to watch the power of Salesforce and the power of the community come together. The entire experience was truly special.
My favorite memory is of the first Dreamforce I attended as a customer in 2012. I was overwhelmed by the incredible technology, customer storytelling, community engagement, and emphasis on giving back. I said to myself, “Wow. Wouldn’t it be great to work for a company like that.”
Nearly three years ago, Salesforce became involved in a fight against legislation in the state of Indiana that we believed allowed for discrimination against the LGBTQ community. As the largest tech employer in the state, we knew we had to take a stand on behalf of our employees and customers.
After the bill was signed, Marc tweeted that if it remained law, we'd pull our investment in the state. This tweet kicked off a whirlwind experience, and my team headed to Indiana to work with lawmakers on a solution that would protect our employees. A week later, we were standing in the Indiana Statehouse, having played a role in successfully changing the law. Personally, this was the proudest moment of my career.
Interested in learning more about the Salesforce culture? Visit salesforce.com/culture
