Editing Salesforce, Inc. (section)

== '''The Idea''' ==
Salesforce.com was founded by Marc Benioff in 1999. The idea for the company came about when Benioff, a former Oracle executive, recognized the potential of cloud computing and the need for a more customer-centric approach to business software.

In 1999, Benioff left his job at Oracle and started to explore opportunities in cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software. He believed that businesses could benefit from a CRM system that was accessible over the internet and didn't require the complex and costly infrastructure of traditional CRM solutions.

Benioff and his co-founders made a list of potential software solutions, and cloud-based CRM was at the top. They saw the opportunity to revolutionize how businesses manage their customer relationships by making CRM more accessible and user-friendly.

After establishing the company, Benioff and his team developed the software for Salesforce.com. The name "Salesforce" was chosen to reflect the focus on sales and customer relationships.

Salesforce.com was officially launched in February 2000 as a cloud-based CRM platform. In the beginning, it primarily offered CRM solutions, but Benioff had a broader vision for Salesforce to become a leading cloud-based business software provider.

Today, Salesforce.com offers a wide range of cloud-based solutions beyond CRM, including sales automation, marketing automation, service management, and more. The company's innovative approach to cloud computing has also expanded into artificial intelligence, analytics, and a platform for developing custom applications, making it a major player in the cloud technology industry.