Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff started his corporate journey like many do- as an intern. In a recent podcast, Benioff shares what he learned from his internship at Apple in 1984.
Before joining Apple, Benioff was an entrepreneur. At 15 years old, he founded Liberty Software, where he created and sold Atari games. During this endeavor is when he met Guy Kawasaki, a software evangelist in Apple’s Macintosh division.
As a student at the University of Southern California, Benioff wanted nothing more than to work for Apple. He continually cold-called Kawasaki, who asked what the then 19-year old had planned for the summer of 1984.
Kawasaki hired Benioff for the summer, where he wrote assembly language examples for developers. This is where the future CEO learned how to run a successful tech business.
In a recent episode of the Remarkable People podcast, Kawasaki interviewed Benioff on his internship at Apple. The billionaire explained how this experience helped him become the entrepreneur he is today.
“I learned, while being at Apple, that a technology company, a great one, is filled with amazing energy, vitality and a sense of urgency,” Benioff stated. “And at the same time, there was a great culture [at Apple]. Steve Jobs had those Odwalla juices for everyone and shiatsu masseurs were going up and down the hallways, keeping programmers limber.”
Benioff also noted that Steve Jobs continued to be a mentor for him in his career. In the early 2000s, he went to Jobs for advice in which he was told;
“Marc,” Jobs exclaimed, “if you want to be a great CEO, be mindful and project the future.”
Image Credit: Salesforce
