Meet Salesforce billionaire Marc Benioff's wife, Lynne: a philanthropist who's joined her partner in giving vast sums to charity, her difficult pregnancy highlighted patient care in hospitals
Marc Benioff is considered one of the most flamboyant billionaires in the US. He wears loud Hawaiian shirts, gives interviews via text during massages and has been called one of the most 'quotable' Silicon Valley bosses by The New York Times. Benioff, who worked with
Larry Ellison at Oracle, co-founded business management platform Salesforce and is now worth an estimated US$9 billion, says Forbes.
Marc Benioff speaking at an Economic Club of Washington lunch in 2019. Photo: AFP
But much of his life, and that of his wife Lynne, has been dedicated to giving back. The couple are philanthropists and have donated millions of dollars to causes they believe in, even establishing a new charity business model that big corporations have adopted.
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While Benioff, 60, isn't afraid to speak his mind on politics and the economy, little is known about his private life. Here is what we know about Lynne, his wife and partner in philanthropy.
A love for Hawaii
Marc Benioff with wife Lynne Benioff in Sun Valley, Idaho, in 2023.
In 2003, in a profile piece on CNN, Benioff said he spent his spare time at his oceanfront villa in Hawaii. The billionaire said he and Lynne practised yoga together, or spent their time swimming with dolphins. According to Business Chronicler, the couple married in Hawaii in 2006 and have two children. Per The New York Times,
Stevie Wonder performed at their wedding.
Causes they care about
Lynne and Marc Benioff at Variety's Power of Women event in Los Angeles in 2017. Photo: Shutterstock
Per the Salesforce website, the couple have been donating to various charities in Hawaii for more than 20 years. Last year, they announced a US$150 million donation to 'increase healthcare access, address critical infrastructure gaps and help ensure excellent and continuous care for communities in the state'. The couple also bought and gave away more than 178 hectares of land to a local non-profit organisation. The Benioffs said the idea was to drive the expansion of affordable housing. The donation means they have now given more than US$250 million towards aid in the state.
Focusing on philanthropy
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