Big Tech’s been shedding talent like a snake sheds its skin, and Salesforce is no exception. In fact, the cloud software titan laid off a jaw-dropping 8,000 employees earlier this year. But here’s the twist: they’re still paying Matthew McConaughey an astounding $10M a year. While the workforce is getting slimmed down, McConaughey’s cashing in as Salesforce’s “creative adviser and TV pitchman.” Talk about a Hollywood-sized paycheck amid Silicon Valley cuts.
So how did The Lincoln Lawyer star end up in the Salesforce mix? Well, back in 2022, McConaughey teamed up with the tech giant to co-create #TeamEarth, a campaign designed to get businesses and individuals to take action for a fairer, more sustainable world. The goal? Inspirational, noble even—but not exactly the usual techie talk. McConaughey didn’t just ride in on a white horse, though. Salesforce reportedly paid him $10 million to dish out creative advice, front slick campaigns, and be, well, McConaughey. That’s a pretty hefty paycheck for a guy more used to directing traffic on The Dark Knight than managing cloud software.
Meanwhile, back at Salesforce HQ, things weren’t quite so glamorous. While McConaughey was rolling in the green, 8,000 Salesforce employees were shown the door, receiving nothing more than a 3 a.m. Slack message to break the news. If you’re one of those workers, seeing McConaughey pocket millions for his creative genius probably stings a little. But hey, maybe it was all part of the plan, right? Right.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff—known for referring to his employees as “family”—was apparently not the mastermind behind McConaughey’s deal. He insisted to The Wall Street Journal that he didn’t have a hand in signing the actor, nor did he get involved in what McConaughey’s being paid. Instead, the deal went through Salesforce’s compensation committee, leaving Benioff off the hook.
McConaughey didn’t just appear in Super Bowl ads wearing an astronaut suit (though that was a highlight). Salesforce dropped a reported $5 million to air the ad, and Benioff was reportedly cool with the spend. It was a small price for him to pay for a little McConaughey magic. Let’s face it: you can’t really put a price on that kind of star power.
And McConaughey wasn’t just a pretty face. Talk about a duo that screams techie meets rockstar. This wasn’t just an ad gig; McConaughey was, in some way, helping to shape the future of the company.
Salesforce’s big-name marketing strategy has been a staple for years, and McConaughey is just the latest in a line of flashy figures the company’s used to build its brand. While the average consumer might not use Salesforce’s products directly, they sure know the name—and McConaughey’s involvement certainly didn’t hurt. But when the company’s cutting jobs left and right, it makes you wonder if the cost of star power is starting to outweigh the benefits.
In the end, McConaughey’s $10M paycheck might look a little out of place in a company slashing thousands of jobs, but in Silicon Valley, anything can be justified. Maybe it’s all part of the “family” plan or just about keeping up appearances. Either way, is McConaughey living the good life while Salesforce’s former employees are not? Not so much.
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