Marc Benioff's Dreamforce keynote: 5 takeaways

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff delivered the Dreamforce keynote on October 5, 2016. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on Wednesday delivered the keynote address at the Dreamforce 2016 conference, the massive tech conference which this year drew more than 170,000 to San Francisco. He stressed his company's philanthropic efforts and its business partnerships, sharing the stage with everyone from artist and philanthropist Will.i.am to Schneider Electric CEO Jean-Pascal Tricoire. While Salesforce's new products were announced ahead of time, here's a look at some of the key takeaways from the keynote: Benioff is known for making philanthropic causes a central part of Salesforce's mission and for taking a stand on social justice issues like gender equality and LGBT rights. For instance, Salesforce was one of several Silicon Valley companies to take a stand against anti-LGBTQ laws, such as North Carolina's controversial House Bill 2. Salesforce put its philanthropic efforts front and center during the Dreamforce keynote, hightlighting its partnership with the (Red) organization to create an "AIDs free generation."