Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff Thursday after the San Francisco-based platform announced it will invest $2 billion in its Canadian business over the next five years.
The roundtable meeting took place at Salesforce headquarters in San Francisco where both men gave a joint statement about the multi-billion investment.
"It’s such a great opportunity to come and connect with some of the leading folks here in San Francisco on issues that matter to us deeply," Trudeau said. "I’d be remised not to say how excited we are about the significant $2 billion investment in Canada and vow of confidence in the path we’re taking as Canadians from Salesforce."
As San Francisco residents got word of Trudeau's visit, crowds gathered outside the Salesforce building, causing police to shut down some streets as people welcomed the prime minister.
"I got really excited when I heard that he was coming out," a woman in the crowd said. "My heart started beating faster!"
Inside, Benioff made sure to let Trudeau know that everyone in the city was fond of him and his concepts.
"You have a real friend in San Francisco," Benioff said to Trudeau. "As a city we love you, we connect with you on your values. Like you, we are a city that values diversity, equality, and we also value innovation."
Trudeau’s visit was more than just a cameo, at the meeting with Benioff, he spoke about cultural significance as Washington stews over immigration and what it’s like to be American.
"He’s an incredible leader of the world, focused on things that are important to us here in SF," Benioff said. "Equality, diversity, he resonates in a world with more equality, diversity in it."
The investment announcement came after Salesforce was named the No. 1 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provider in Canada by Gartner, a research and advisory firm. Canadian companies like Air Canada, Loblaws, Roots and Husky Energy are using the platform to connect with their customers in new ways, Salesforce reports.
Trudeau is expected to stay in San Francisco until Friday and is scheduled to meet with other tech executives like Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, as well as Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.
