Benioff says Jobs encouraged him to create AppExchange platform

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently shared a pivotal moment with Steve Jobs that significantly influenced his career and Salesforce's future. On Lenny's Podcast, Benioff recounted how Jobs' advice during a period of "entrepreneur's block" led to the creation of Salesforce's AppExchange. Jobs gave Benioff three challenging directives, including growing Salesforce by ten times within two years, landing a major client like Avon, and building an "application economy."

Jobs said, "Your company, it better get 10 times larger than it is now in 24 months or it's over," Jobs told him. Next, Jobs emphasised the need to land a major client, suggesting Avon. Finally, he delivered a cryptic mandate: "You better go build an application economy."

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Benioff was initially puzzled by Jobs' cryptic advice to build an "application economy." When he sought clarification, Jobs simply told him to figure it out. Benioff described the encounter as receiving a Zen-like puzzle, similar to advice from a guru.

Determined to follow through, Benioff revisited the advice until he realized that Jobs was guiding him to create an app store. In 2006, Salesforce launched AppExchange, a platform for apps and services that revolutionized the company's ecosystem. Two years later, Apple introduced its App Store, transforming mobile technology.

Benioff later honored Steve Jobs by gifting Apple the App Store trademark and the appstore.com domain, acknowledging his significant influence on his vision. Reflecting on their relationship, Benioff expressed deep gratitude, stating that it profoundly impacted both his career and personal life.

At his memorial, Jobs left a meaningful gesture for his friends and colleagues by gifting them copies of Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Presented in a simple brown box, the book reflected Jobs' deep belief in self-realization and intuition, offering a personal message about his spiritual values and worldview.

Benioff shared that Jobs saw intuition as his greatest gift and believed in viewing the world from the inside out. The book's focus on self-awareness aligned with Jobs' lifelong pursuit of inner wisdom and personal growth.

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