Marc Russell Benioff, born 25 September 1964 in San Francisco, founded Salesforce.com in March 1999 and built it into a $300+ billion enterprise software company. He acquired Time magazine (2018) for $190 million.
His Parents
Father: Russell Benioff — third-generation San Francisco retailer (men's clothing).
Mother: Joelle Benioff.
His Wife: Lynne Benioff
Lynne Krilich Benioff — Marc's wife; works in family philanthropy.
Their Children
The couple have two children, kept relatively private.
The Benioff Family Tree at a Glance
Parents: Russell Benioff (third-generation SF retailer); Joelle Benioff.
Wife: Lynne Benioff.
Children: Two, private.
Marc Benioff:
- Born 25 September 1964, San Francisco
- University of Southern California (BA Business Administration, 1986)
- Joined Oracle (1986); rose to youngest VP at age 26
- Founded Salesforce.com, March 1999
- CEO of Salesforce since founding
- Owner, Time magazine (since 2018)
- Founder of 1-1-1 model (1% equity, 1% time, 1% product to philanthropy)
What the Benioff Family Story Teaches Us
A San Francisco retail family across three generations. A son who broke into tech at Oracle in his twenties. A founder who built one of the largest software companies in the world and bought one of America's oldest magazines. A wife who runs the family's philanthropic operations.
For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Benioff story carries the same lesson. Three-generation business families can pivot dramatically. Russell's San Francisco retail business and Marc's San Francisco software company are connected by family but unrelated by industry. Write down the pivots. They are the most interesting entries on the tree.
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