Salesforce Shares Slide 2.8% as Employees Protest AI ICE Pitch
Salesforce employees circulated a letter after CEO Marc Benioff’s ICE joke and a report that its Agentforce AI was pitched to help hire 10,000 ICE agents, demanding a denouncement and a ban on government use. Shares slid 2.8%, marking a 42% retreat from their 52-week peak.
1. Employee Protest Letter
Salesforce employees drafted an open letter after a CEO remark joking about ICE presence at a leadership event. The letter cites the “devastating indictment of a system that has discarded human decency,” references the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and calls on Salesforce to denounce ICE actions and support federal oversight.
2. Agentforce AI Controversy
Internal documents revealed that Salesforce pitched its Agentforce AI platform to help ICE hire 10,000 new agents and manage tip-line reports. Staff warn that equipping a government agency with rapid AI-driven recruitment and vetting tools undermines the company’s ethical commitment to responsible technology use.
3. Share Price Decline
Following the ICE controversy, Salesforce stock fell 2.8% to $190.53 on Friday, extending a 42% drop from last year’s high of $329.74. The shares are down 25% year-to-date, reflecting investor concerns over reputational risks and potential public backlash.