HBD Salesforce, I read this great article about the culture of salesforce, and the way the company came to be…
One of the forgotten things (I think) about Salesforce is that it started in 1999, back in the original “.com craze” (toysmart or pets.com anyone?)
Salesforce started in an Apartment in San Fran with Benioff and a couple of other dreamers, in an age of dreamers. Watching HBO’s Silicon Valley, I can easily imagine what that felt like – substituting a garage with an apartment, and moving the city by 30 miles.
In any case, from the beginning, it seemed like it was different. I remember being a somewhat reluctant user in 2001 of the tool (the VP of Sales at our High Tech startup – and my current partner, Peter Anderson brought it into SupplyScience) and immediate began making it the central piece of software we used.
But Salesforce itself had already started building a culture that continues to day – including the 1-1-1 rule, the embrace of the Hawaiian sort of family culture, and the idea that Sales topped everything (they were first and still a Sales based company).
Fast forward 18 Years and much of that culture remains. I can tell you that going to Salesforce offices still means a relaxed cubicle culture, the absence of offices for the most part, and a hard charging, but casual workplace environment. It’s one we try to emulate every day here.
The relevance of Salesforce – in it’s current form – across the terch landscape is proof in my mind of it’s immense staying power, so Happy Birthday , Salesforce. Thanks for the ride…