Salesforce Co-CEO Bret Taylor Resigns to Pursue Entrepreneurial Ventures
Bret Taylor unexpectedly steps down as Salesforce co-CEO, leaving Marc Benioff as the sole leader. The departure follows a turbulent year that also saw Taylor lose his board chair role at Twitter.
Bret Taylor unexpectedly resigns as co-CEO of Salesforce, stating his intention to return to his entrepreneurial roots. This sudden departure occurs just one year after he assumes the co-CEO role alongside founder Marc Benioff and marks a dramatic end to a turbulent twelve months that also sees him lose his board chair position at Twitter following the Elon Musk takeover.
Taylor joins Salesforce in 2016 through the acquisition of his startup Quip and quickly rises through the executive ranks to become the apparent successor to Benioff. He plays a crucial role in major company milestones, most notably guiding the massive $27 billion acquisition of Slack in 2020. Despite his recent promotion and a strong showing at the September Dreamforce conference, Taylor now leaves the enterprise software giant for unannounced future plans.
The exact reasons behind the timing of this resignation remain unclear as the company navigates a challenging macroeconomic environment. Salesforce stock drops 34 percent over the last year, and the company currently faces pressure from activist investor Starboard Value, which takes a stake in the business just last month. Industry analysts speculate that Taylor may have grown impatient waiting for Benioff to fully step aside or that he already lines up a new solo CEO role for 2023.