At Salesforce's annual closed-door meeting in Las Vegas CEO Marc Benioff's speech turned into an internal scandal. According to Business Insider, at the beginning of his speech, he made a joke about US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), hinting that the agency allegedly tracks the movements of employees coming from abroad.

The remark came amid a tense immigration agenda and caused noticeable discontent in the hall. According to the publication's sources, some employees are already concerned about the tightening of visa rules, including the proposed high fees for H-1B visas and restrictions on the issuance of immigration visas to citizens of a number of countries. Some employees demonstratively left the speech and returned only after it was over. One of the participants noted that such statements undermine confidence in the company's stated corporate values.

Later, several employees received notifications asking them to explain why they were absent from “key sessions” — the system recorded that they were in other areas of the venue. The questionnaire asked them to indicate the reasons for their absence.

Slack CEO Rob Siman attempted to smooth over the situation. In an internal memo to colleagues, he emphasized that the words spoken could not be considered appropriate and that they did not reflect the position of many of the company's employees.