Benioff Slammed by Longtime VC Ally Over San Francisco Comments

Venture capitalist Ron Conway is leaving the board of Salesforce Inc.’sphilanthropic foundation after blasting Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff for calling on President Donald Trump to send the National Guard to San Francisco.

“It saddens me immensely to say that with your recent comments, and failure to understand their impact, I now barely recognize the person I have so long admired,” Conway said in an email sent Thursday to Benioff and several board members of San Francisco-based Salesforce. A copy of the message was reviewed by Bloomberg News.

Ron Conway in 2015.

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Conway told Benioff that he was “shocked and disappointed by ...