Salesforce announced a change to its leadership structure on Tuesday with Bret Taylor appointed to co-CEO alongside founder Marc Benioff. 

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 Taylor joined the cloud giant in 2016 after his productivity software startup, Quip, was acquired by Salesforce for $142 million.

In just under five years, Taylor has quickly moved up the ranks at Salesforce and has become close with Benioff. Taylor even described the Salesforce boss as a “mentor and trusted friend” and the feeling appears to be mutual.

“Bret is a phenomenal industry leader who has been instrumental in creating incredible success for our customers and driving innovation throughout our company. He has been my trusted friend for years, and I couldn’t be happier to welcome him as co-CEO,” said Marc Benioff, chair and co-CEO of Salesforce. 

“We’re in a new world and Salesforce has never been more relevant or strategic for our customers. Together, Bret and I will lead Salesforce through our next chapter, while living our shared values of trust, customer success, innovation and equality for all.”

Taylor has a varied background. Before starting Quip he helped to create Google Maps and also sold a social networking startup, FriendFeed, to Facebook, where he spent three years as its chief technology officer. He also sits on Twitter’s board of directors and was named chairman shortly after Jack Dorsey’s departure.

The move to having co-CEOs is also not new for Salesforce; in 2018, Benioff shared the role with former Oracle executive Keith Block, but Block stepped down just before the pandemic. 

“Marc has been my mentor, my greatest supporter and my trusted friend for years,” Taylor said. “Partnering with him to lead the company he co-founded 22 years ago is an enormous privilege. I’m thankful for our Salesforce employees, our Trailblazers, our customers, and all of our stakeholders who help us make our company and our world a better place.”

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