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Behind the Cloud

The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company - and Revolutionized an Industry

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Behind the Cloud

Written by: Marc Benioff, Carlye Adler
Narrated by: Ax Norman
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About this listen

How did salesforce.com grow from a start-up in a rented apartment into the world's fastest growing software company in less than a decade? Marc Benioff, the visionary founder, chairman, and CEO of salesforce.com, tells how he and his team created and used new business, technology, and philanthropic models tailored to this time of extraordinary change.

Showing how salesforce.com not only survived the dotcom implosion of 2001, but went on to define itself as the leader of the cloud computing revolution and spark a $46 billion dollar industry, Benioff's story will help business leaders and entrepreneurs stand out, innovate better, and grow faster in any economic climate. In Behind the Cloud, Benioff shares the strategies that have inspired employees, turned customers into evangelists, leveraged an ecosystem of partners, and allowed innovation to flourish.

©2009 Mark Benioff (P)2009 Audible, Inc. E-Commerce Entrepreneurship Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Personal Success Small Business & Entrepreneurship Business Commerce Technology Management Software Innovation Leadership
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Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff is a solid, reflective read on the mindset and tactics behind building Salesforce. Rather than a step-by-step startup manual, the book offers a series of lessons and moments that shaped Benioff as a founder—both personally and professionally.

What I appreciated most was how he frames success as a combination of conviction, timing, and learning from a wide range of influences. His references to figures like Einstein, Sun Tzu, and Larry Ellison add depth and context, showing how ideas from science, strategy, and enterprise software all informed his thinking. There are real gems throughout the book—small insights on leadership, culture, and persistence that feel earned rather than packaged.

One of the most compelling themes is Benioff’s willingness to pursue an idea simply because he believed it was right, even in the face of skepticism. That quiet confidence—ignoring naysayers without being naive—comes through clearly and feels especially relevant for founders navigating uncertainty.

Nice listen

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I rather enjoyed this. Not only do you get the origin story of SalesForce, but as it was the first big SAS (software as a service) company to go public, there were plenty of insights on that front too. This was an upbeat book from a leader who is an optimist. Very genuine.

Quite insightful

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great for saas industry but easily applicable to any business industry. great for savvy entrepreneurs as well as young ones.

amazing step by step book

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